The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1862-03-08
Letter from Amos Kendall.
LETTER No. II.

LETTER No. IL
How the United States are one people--Ihe de-
tense Of local institutions not trebettior-A ,oar
| up0a then, IS on tie principles OF me
| C0nstitauon-H is rerot,ttoa North as reH
| as .South-Ns fatal effects at home and abroad
To ABRAHAM LINCOLN, President Of the United
| States:
REsP1cTED SIR: In my first letter l en-
deavored to show that the only legitimate
object OF the pending war is the integrity
of the nation as constituted by the Consti-
tuition OF the United States, | shall now
attempt to point out some of the conse-
quences to be apprehended from making
it war on the fundamental principles OF
that Constitution.
Let it never be forgotten that we are
one people and one nation only so tar as tie
Constitution makes us. Outside of that bond
we are thirty four peoples and thirty four
nations, none of which have any more
right to interfere with the local laws and
institutions of the rest than with the laws
and institutions of China and Brazil. Ehe
people Of the States have ri ght, under
the Constitution, to defend their local
laws and institutions by arms, if necessary,
and it is the duty of the United States to
uphold and aid them in the attempt.
war confined TO such an object would not
be rebellion, even though the United States
were the aggressor. just so far, therefore,
As the pending war may be waved against
! Southern Institutions, the Southerners in
arms Will cease 10 be rebels, and the
, Northerners in arms will become in truth
what they are now falsely charged with
/ being-the wauton assallantS Of Southern
/ rights Let me not be misunderstood.
! Thus far the war has been confined t. an
/ enforcement of the Constitution and laws
I of the United States, and, in their armed
resistance, the Southerners are ,nagoaEtei
/ and y1p,;fgafni r,jsh But let the United
States abandon this firm and safe platform;
/ let them announce that the var Is here
/ sfterit be waged against the constitutional
/ laws and institutions of the Southern
! States, and they measurably relieve the
/ traitors rom the odium OF causeless rebel
/ lion will give 10 their cause a color OF
/ right, ard viii nerve their arms for more
| despe1ate resistance. Then indeed, would
/ the war become one of subjucation-pro-
| secuted, not for the purpose o. maintain
| iug the Con: titution, but in sub 'cr,ion Of
its fundamental principles.
Such position would be attended with
mis-, hievous if not fatal conse3r 3 fc@s
/ both .t Lo...t and abroad !; would para
! lie many q Northern patriot, who would
/ give hi. life Tor the mon, not because he
| loves Southern institutions, but because
he holds sacred the principles OF the Con
! stitutIon. ami deems their preret vs.ion
/ essential 10 the maintenance OF order an,.
| lavs, a. we'll in the North a at the South
All intelligent men know that a Repub
! lie IL extensive as the United States, eR--
bre cling such a variety of climates produc-
/ tions Institutions, opinions, and interests,
I cannot exist under one consolidated Go
I yernmeut and at the same allow the
! highest practicable degree OF liberty to all
/ it, parts Hence il Is that evered true
friend Of liberty revoits from the idea of
an attack on that fundamental principle
/ of the Constitution which leaves every
! State free 10 govern itself in all things
/ which pertain 20 It's local affairs Ia the
-ubyeIsoE or hat principle he sees nothing
/ in pros pect buta cluster OF hostile Reuub
lies like those of Greece, wasting each
other in continual vars or a 2rea; Empire
ike that Of Rome ia which liberty sha!
be crushed under the iron rule of an aris-
Z tocrst.c Senate or an usurping Caesar
, With such a prospect before him. how can
( anv true fried Of liberty sustain, with con
tident hope and uufarz!ug enthusiasm,
the pro>ecu ion OF this war?
But the paralysis which an abandonment
Of the Constitution would produce in many
a Northern arm would not be its only
effect 1t would in an equal degree, nerve
many Southern ann and array IN active
hostility many a Southern friend OF the
! Union 1t would enable the rebels 10 say
/ that the North Is attempting to ssbvert
constitutional rights which the South Is
l.,
ewes Of the world. mitigate the crime of
I rebellion by enabling the rebels to assert,
~.:Ii some plaus;b.Dty, ;a.at there was a
conspiracy in the North against their CON
/ stitutonal rights 1t would enable them
! to say to Great Britain and France that
! the North a. we'll AS the South had aban-
doned tie constitution which made .h-n.
one people. and become equally revolu-
/ tionary-that the one was as much entitled
to be considered and acknowledged a
separate and independent people IS the
I other
! But it is said that slavery is the cause of
the rebellion, and, therefore, it should be
eXterminated. The assertion is but re-
motely and partially true, and as far as it
. is true, by no means justiiies the conclu
! sion. If the mere existence of slavery
were sufficient TO produce rebellion, the
/ Constitution would never have been form
! ed or, having been formed, it would not
I have lived 10 three score years and ten
/ If slavery were Of itself sufficient to max C
/ men rebel. then all shareholders would be
rebels. SO far is this from the truth that
/ the most incons!derate among them look
upon the Constitution and the Union as
| the only outside protection which tho
Institution has. In their view, and in that
of all disinterested men in other States
that feature of the Constitution which
guarantees the return Of fugtives from
labor, commends it to the cordial and
persevering support OF all masters vino
have no object in view beyond security in
their lawful rights. No such international
regulation exists elsewhere in the civilized
world, and its maintenance ought, upon
every principle of sound reasoning, to
have made shareholders the last to give
up the Constitution In this view slavery
was bond of union, sor far as the mas tiers
were concerned, rather than an element of
dissolution. And it is in this view that
certain men in the North have denounced
the Constitution as q a league with hell"
In another letter | will endeavor to point
out the true sauses of the rebellion, and
how far slavery has fostered them. Ishall
also attempt to show that tho warmest
friends oil emancipation ought TO be salts
fed with the progress their principles are
making through the madness OF slave.
owners and the growing necessities of the
pending conflict AMOS KENDALL
/ february l5, 1863
SEEING THE PRIsoSERs UNDER DIrFrcUL-
TIEs-A young man, in his anAi iety to get