Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1862-07-21
WHEELING va. MONDAY MORNING. JULY 81 1862

correspondence, refuses copies, or rermis.
sion to copy it, even for the Associated
Press.
Itwould seem that the committee of the
border State men are ashamed of their pro-
duetiou, as they have chosen to hide it I'M
der the pretence of publication, iu a faded
sheet ol long ago, where the world will
never see it. The peculiarities of this or
gan of the border State committee sadly
need ventilation, and shall receive it to
show that it is an unfit receptacle for the
publication of any document intended 10
be read by loyal citizens. 4t
The minocity response is terse to the
point. 1t meets the request of the Presi-
dent andits authors have provided copy
for the press. It is as follows:
MINORITY RESPONSE OF BORDER stats az
REPRESENTATIVES, TO PRRsTDENrI LINCOLN.
WASHINGTON CITY, July Is, 1862.
Mn. PPEsIDkNTE The undersigned, mem
bers of Congress from the Border States, in
response to your address of Saturday last,
beg leave to say that they attended meet
ing on the same day the address was deliy-
cred, for the purpose of considering the
same. The meeting appointed Commit
tee to report a response to your address
That report was made on yesterday, and
the action of the majority indicated clear
ly that the response reported, or one in
substance the same, would be adopted and
presented to you.
Inasmuch as we enthusiastically
with our own sense of duty to the country,
under the existing periis which surround
us-concur in that response, we feel it to
be due to you aud to ourselves, to make
to you brief and candid answer over our
signatures. We believe that the whole
power of the Government, upheld and sus-
tanned by all the Influences and means of
all loyal men in all sections, and of all
parties, is essentially necessary TO put down
the rebellion and preserve the Union and
Constitution. We understand your appeal
to Us to have been made for the purpose OF
securing this result. A very large portion
ofrhe people in the Northern States believe
that Slavery is the clever power of the re-
belliOn." 1t matters not whether this be-
lief be we'll founded or not The belief
does exist, and we have to deal with things
AS they are, and not US we would have
them be. La consequence of the existence
of this belief, we understand that an inn
mense 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 ana influence
of the men who entertain these opinions be
withdrawn. Neither can the Government
hope for early success ifthe support of that
element called "Conservative" be with
drawn. Such being the condition of
things, the President appeals to the Border
State men to step forward and prove their
patriotism by making the first sacritce.-
No doubt like appeals have been made to
extreme menin the North to meet us half
way, in order that the whole moral, politi-
cal, pecnniary and physical force of the ma
ton MAY be firmly and earnestly united in
one grand effort TO save the Union aud the
Constitution. Believing that such were the
motives that prompted your address, and
such the results to which it looked, we
cannot reconcile it to our sense of duty ia
this trying hour to respond in a spirit of
fault-finding or querulousness over the
things that are past. H2 't
We are not disposed to seek for the cause
of present misfortunes in the errors aud
wrongs of others 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, rs loyal
Americans, declare to you and to the world
that there is no sacrifice that we are NOT
ready to make to save the Government and
institutions of our fathers.
That a0e, few of us though we may be,
win lpermit no men from the North, or from
the South, to go further than we in the ac-
complishment of the great work before us;
that in order to carry out these views we
will, so far as may be in our power, ask the
people of the Border States, calmly, delib-
erately and fairly, to consider your recom-
mendaious. We are the more emboIdened
to assume this position from the fact, now
become history, that the leaders OF the
Southern rebellion have offered to abolish
slavery among them, as condition to for
eign intervention in favor of their indepen-
dence as a nation. If they can give up
slavery to destroy the Union, we can surely
ask our people to consider the question OF
emancipation to save the Union.
With great respect, H
JEo. w. NoEJI, Missouri,
a SAML. F. CASEY, Kentucky,
Csc. P. FISHER. Delaware.
AS. CIEMENTs, Tennessee,
WM. G. BRowS, Western Virginia,
JACOB B, BLAtR, Western Virginia,
w. Il. WIILET, Western Virginia,
Maynard, of Tennessee, and Henderson,
Senator Of Missouri, each submitted au
answer from himself to the President, in
which stronger grounds were taken in
some respects, than in the foregoing ad-
dresses.