Daily Democrat and news. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1859-1864, 1862-12-15
lersrsou versus RaAacalssn.


letter from Thomas Jefferson. II Is
lound in the volume Of his work, at page
lb9.
Il will be remembered by our readers
that the baeis aud sole basis Of the Ike
publican party in its formation, va. OPP
position to the extension Of slavery. ms
pretencc is completely annlhll~ted oy
Jefferson in this letter.
Il will also be remembered how peril
uaciously it was insisted on by the lie
publicaps tina. they placed thei iorganlza-
ton upon the doctrines OF Jetierson.
We see how false was this assumption.
Jefrerson's prophetic spirit in his last
lays foresaw the appalling disasters OF
the present hour and warned his country
men OF their dangers.
The first grea. step has been taken to
restore the Union. The radicals have
seen defeated.
The whole North must rise - one
man tor the defeuce Of the Union as i.
was in the days of Washington and JET.
terson. aud whenever the Southern reb.
is shall lay down their arms and come
cordial, back to the Union, we will re-
ccive them, but not TIL then.
Every soul that does not respond to
his sentiment is dnloyal to his country.
MosrcELLo, April 22J, 1920.
To John Holmes -
| thank you, dear cir, for the copy you
have been no kind as 10 send me OF the
letter to Your constituents on the Ms
sour question. II is peri ct jusntca
ION 10 them had for 4 long time
3eased TO read newspapers, or pay any
attention to pubic affairs, confident they
were IN good hands, aud content 10 be
a passenger in our bark TO the shore
rom which am not distant. But this
momentons question, like FIRE bell IN
The night, awaken ed and filed me with
terror. | considered it at once as the
kuell Of the Union. II Is hushed, indeed,
or the moment But this is y rep,cve
only. net final sentence. A geogra
plical line, coinciding with a marked
principle. moral End political, once con-
ceiycd and held up TO the angry pas
SONS Of mel, will never be oblterated :;
md every new irritation will mskc it
deeper and deeper. can say, with con
scious truth, that there IL not q man on
earth VIII would sacrifice more than |
would to relieve us from this heavy re-
proRch, in any practicable way The
cesslon OF that kind OF property, for so
1t is msuamed, is q bagaie,le which
would not cost the second thought, If,
10 that way, general emancipation and
expstrlation could be effected; ard grad
ually, and with due sacrifices, think 1t
might be. But as it il, we have the
volt 10y the ears, and We can neither
hold him nor safely let him go. Justice
IL in one scale and self preservation in
the other OF one thing am certain
that, Ms tho passage OF saves from one
State TO another, would not make slave
Of single human being who would not
be 50 without It, so their diffusion over a
greater surface would make them midi
vldually happier, and proportloually IA
cllitate the accomplishment OF their
emancipation, BY dividing the burthen
on greater number OF coadjutors. An
abstinence 100, from this act Of power,
would remove the jealousy excited by
The undertaking OF Con Sress 10 regulate
the condition of the dtipren. descriptions
q men composing State. This Ger.
'alnly is the exclusive tight Of every
stare, which nothing in the Constitution
has taken from them and given to the |
General Government. Could Congress,
Tor exsmF say that the now frecmen
IF Connecticut shall not be tfeemep, or I
ha. they shall not cmigra,e into any
,ther State?
regret that am now to die in the
belief that the useless sacrifice ot them
elves by the generation Of 1910, to &C
nlre self-government and happiness to
heir country il to be thrown away BY
he nnwise and unworthy passions Of their
one, and that my only consolation is to
c that live not, TO weep over il. II
hey would but d'spassions'.!v weigh
he blessings they will throw away
ganst an abstract principle, more like
7 to he effected by union than by scis-
ion, they wonld pause bcforethey would ,
erprtrate this act OF suicide on them
elves, and oil treason against the hopes
the world To yourself, as the fai h.
u advocate of the Union, tender tho
ffering OF my high esteem and respect. ,
Thomas JEFFERSON.