The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-07-26
REPLY OF THE MINORITY.
WASHINGTON. Jnlvl6. 1862.

WASHINGTON, July 10, 1862
Mr.. PRESIDENT: The undersigned,
members Of Congress from the Border
States, in response to your address of Sa-
turday last, beg leave TO say that they
attended a meeting on the same day the
address was delivered, for the purpose
of considering the same. The meeting
appointed committee to consider there
Spouse to your address. That report was
made on yesterday, and the action of the
majority indicated clearly that the re-
spouse reported, or one in substance the
same, would be adopted and presented
toyou.
Inasmuch as we cannot, consistently
with our own sense Of duty to the coun-
try, under the existing perils which sur
round us, concur in that response, we feel
it to be due TO you and to ourselves to
make to you a brief and candid answer
over our own signatures
We believe that the whole power of
the Government, upheld and sustained by
all the influence aud means of loyal men
in all sections, and of all parties, is essen
TALLY necessary to put down the rebellion
and preserve the Union and the COnsti-
tuition. We understand your appeal TO
us to have been made for the purpose of
securing this result. A very large portion
of the people in the Northern States be-
lieye that slavery is the clever power
of the rebellion 1t matters not whether
this belief be we'll founded or not The
belief does exist, and we have to deal
with things as they are, and not as we
would have them be. In consequence Of
the existence of this belief, we under
stand that an immense pressure is brought
TO bear for the purpose of striking down
this institution through the exercise Of
military authority. The Government
cannot maintain this great struggle if the
support and influence of the men who en-
terrain these opinions be withdrawn,
Neither can the government hope for early
suoCess ifthe support of that element call
cd conservative be Withdrawn.
Such being the condition of things
the President appeals TO the Border State
men TO step forward and prove their pa
triotism by making the first sacrifice
No doubt like appeals have been made to
extreme men In the North TO meet us half
way in order that the whole moral, poilt-
ical, pecuniary and physical force of the
nation may be firmly and earnestly unit
ed in one grand effort Ia save The Us;,s
and the Constitution.
Believing that such were the motives
that prompted your address, and such the
results 10 which il looked, we cannot re-
concile il to our sense Of duty, in this
trying hour, TO respond in a spirit Of
fault. finding or querulOusness over the
things that ave past We are not disposed
to seek for the cause Of the present mis-
fortunes in the errors and wrongs Of 9TH
ers who now propose TO unite with us in
common purpose. But on the other
hand, we meet your address in the spirit
in which it was made, and as loyal Anne
ricans, declare TO you and 20 the world
that there is no sacrifice that we are not
ready TO make TO save the Government
and institutions of our fathers. That we,
few OF us though there may be, will per-
init no men, from the North or from the
South 10 60 further than we in the accom-
plishment Of the grea; work before us
That in order 70 carry out these views,
We will so far as may be i'm our power,
ask the people of the Border States calm
ly, deliberately, and fairly to consider
your recommendations, We are the more
embodened 10 assume this b, sition from
the fact, now become history, that the
leaders of the Southern rebellion have
offered to abolish Slavery among them as
condition TO foreign intervention in fa.
vorof their independence as nation,
II they can give up Slavery 70 destroy the
Union, We can surely ask our people 10