The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1863-01-15
The aovernor,s Message.

The Message of Gov. ROBINSON to the
Kentucky Legislature is spread at large be-
fore our reader, In this issue of the Bulletin
It is document written with great clear
ness, dignity and elegance throughout. and
the latter half of it, especially, is thorough
ly imbued with the spirit of lofty. manly
patriotism, aud blazes with the electrical
fires of genuine eloquence. We trust the
public will receive this impressive manifesto
from the Chief Executive officer of the State,
In the spirit in which it has been addressed
to them. KeDtuckians have always en-
deavored to develope the characteristics Of
a noble people described by Edmund Burke,
having too much honor 10 infict an injury
on others, but at the same time too much
spirit to submit to indiguity or wrong from
any quarter, on any pretext.
The latter half of the Governors Message,
burns with this noble spirit, in which he
calls on the Legislature TO get the seal of
their condemnation on the unconstitutional
and msdly impeiitic schemes of the Federal
Administration. There are some things in
the first half Of the Message which we re-
GREETED to find there, indications of political
opinions we deem unsound. and imputa-
tions against political opponents which we
believe unjust. Most palpably unjust do we
regard his accusation that the Legislative
and Executive Departments (meanirg Gov.
MAGoFFIN and the first Legislature elected
under his ADMINISTRATION were disposed to
obstruct the General Governmental the ex-
ercise Of its legitimate powers" On the con-
trary, the majority of that Legislature sup
ported the very policy which Gov. ROBINSON
Chen Senator) approved; and as to Gov.
MAaoFFIE, the worst that can be adduced
against him, in support of the accusation
that he was disposed to obstruct the "legiti-
mate" powers of Federal Government, is,
that having heartily co-operated with Gov.
ROBINSON ard his party in their neutrality
policy, he (MAeoFF1N) was sincerely for ad-
herring to it after ROBINSON & Co., its origin
ators, had abandoned and repudiated it'll
We know of no case in which Gov. MAeor-
FIN attempted to obstruct the "legitinuate''
functions of the Federal Government; nor
of any other case In which he attempted to
obstruct the Legitimate acts Of the President
in any form more emphatic, or in any spirit
more hostile. than is exempli6ed, and as we
think very properly and justi6abIy, by Gov.
ROBINSON himself, in his own Message now
under notice, wherein he denounces Lin
colu's policy in terms of terrible significance.
and calls on the Legislature to stamp it with
their solemn reprobation. Is it a merit in
Gov. ROBINSON to do what it was a fault or
crime in Gov. MAeoFFIN to do?
Gov. RoBINsoH's deuunciation of secession
and secessioDists is very severe; but this is
balanced, perhaps overbalanced, by the
severity of his denunciation Of abolition and
abolitionists. We are not now and never
have been advocates Of the doctrine or prac-
tice of secession. We have rejected the
doctrine as a heresy and the practice as
revolution. But let the truth be told and
dojustice even to the devil. 1t is a historical
fact that the heresy of secession was an in
veption of the Puritanical Yankees. They
administration; they preached it to the
public in the time of Jefferson's administra-
ton; they threatened to carry it out fully,
and did carry it ont partially, in the time of
Madison's administration, when we were at
war with the most gigantic power of
christendom; and now, they are only too
glad. we sincerely believe, that the pluck
which they lacked in 1925, has been dis
played by South Cardinals assurn ption of
the odium of the heresy; for we do not doubt
that at heart the abolitionists of New Emo
land were as much or more disunionists than
the secessionists of South Carolina But the
beginning of our deplorable national troubles
was not. as so many shallow politicians and
Ignorant or silly or prejudiced people seem
to think, either in the act of South Cardinals
Secession. or its inevitable consequences
As well might it be said the ploushmen
who attacked the British at Concord and
Lexington, brought on the War of the Amer.
lean Revolution. Antecedent Causes in
evitably led to the awful results in both
cases; and, though Gov. RoBINsoN's re-
searches may not as yet have conducted him
to the discovery. yet it is an incontestible
fact, which history will record and fasten
forever on her indelible pages,-tSat A6oli-
ton 'Oas The Potential prOUocation to Secession;
Abolition nsenaeed for forty long years; AbOti-
ton as fatal to the Constitution and the Union
as Secession itself.
But we are not inclined to adverse crit
icism On Gov. RoRINsON's Message. We
believe him to be gentleman, a patriot
and an honest man. The errors of his
Message are the natural fruit of bis milf: al