, 1861-01-31
PRo.sLAvERT pRETENs1ONs.
X1&Uo3GA NIE I FkETEN5IVN3.
Letter from Southern Republican
living In Chicago, TO a frtend In
mury1nnd.

CHICAGO, January, 1861.
Mt DEAR favor Of the 18th
u1t.. is just received. You think 1t "an cyi-
dence of the greatness of the triumph {of the
Repuhlicans) in the election Of Lincoln, that
the Union is to be destroyed" Did It erer
occur to yon that the Union would hare been
destroyed four years. ago, Tor at least the at
tempt madc,) If the Republicans had been US
disloyol, rs unruly, as lawless, as inso1ent as
those who are now essaying the overthrow OF
the Government? You think, If such . tri-
@non i hs i. @ e1ano ssfaoii hat aas
moment.
We Of the North hare been dreaming that
even We, ourselves arc, under the Constitution,
entitled to the right Of suffrage. Our opinions
of constitutional Law, our convictions Of right
onr conscicnces, constrain us to vote for GER
tain candidates and certain principles. Our
opponents say "thclr views arc different, and
that We must vote for their candidates and
their measures, for at least must not vote for
os1r own,) or they will destroy the Union"
Now, wherein does this differ from demanding
that VIC shall not vote ut all? II we arc to
vote Just as they dirre4, tchy yote ut all? Better
attend to our other af1airs; better leave all
matters Of government md law-making cxc1u-
Eiyely In their hands, than spend our time and
money In going through the farce Of "rcgister-
ing their decrees." Let US only remaiu from
the polls, and We serve their ends quite as ef-
docs this demRnd- amount to, except that we
shall consent to our own dtsfranchfsement,
for the sake cf ths Enioal
; What do you think such Union would be
worth to us? Is tho Union and end, or is it
only meanss or Is It igod that We must fall
and do VIC really belong to the cation planters
like their negroesf To me, the language OF
all who complain Of us for voting for 3fr. Lin
coin, seems rirtnatly to amount to this The
Constitution grants even you Yankees the
right Of suffrage, and therein prcsumes that
you shall vote as you please; but we tell you
you may vote rs you pleas provided you
please to vote as NC say" And wcare expect
ed to listen complacently to all this, and heed
1t, for the sake Of saying7the Union" From
such Union, bought at such price, "good
Lord deliver u.s."
You speak also Of "sectionaI President,
referring to Mr.. Lincoln Let me dlssect that
phrase and that idea moment.
The Federal Government owns Tast tracts
Of almost uninhabited country west Of the
Mississippi. The slave party Of the South
wish to doom that country to slavery, the
North to devote it to freedom. Inspursuiit Of
their ends, the shve party, who ru1ea1l south
t.witl1 rods of iron,n refuse utterly fexcept
along the border,) TO allow anti-slaycry men in
their midst, (of whom there are thousands) to !
vote Tor any otAtf than d proehTcty candidate,
the only kind they nominate,: and they do
nominate several such, and yet demand that
no one, not In receipt Of electoral votes from
their quarter, shall be elected, under penalty
Of the destruction Of the government Now,
In the name Of common sense. what Is this but
"begging the whole question" !" How is It pos
sible 10 elect any other than p1o-ela7ery man
on such terms as these ?. They forbid those
In their midst, who think with us, to rote with
us, and then complain that we elect sectional
President, Are we simpletons In their eyes,
or do they take us to be poltruons' How, Ii
We possess spark Of spirit, or Of self respect,
can NO do Otherwise than 10, vote agsinst such
tng upon Us ? Then the regusitlon they make
that VIC vote nolaus uolens, for one Of their pro-
slavery nominees, how much more manly In,
them, and respectful to us, that they Insist
upon our not voting at all. It were altoget1l-
i z