Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-04-06
QEHE POsHrION OF KENTUCKY.

late IN regard to the attitude OF kentucEy To-
ward the Lincoln government, and many seem
to think that the State is about to place her
self in hostility to the government at Wash
iHgion do not profess to know more Of the
politics of that State than other men, but diff.
fer very widely from those who believe that the
State, while unoecupied by Confederats armies,
will ever make any opposition to Lineoln's war,
except in the utterance Of words and the pas
sage of resolutions. Words are ehesp, and
resolutions are easily adopted Actions are
often very dear, and cost men their lives. I
know something Of that people, nearly al my
life having been spent among them, Like those
of every other State, they have character pecu-
l ar to themselves, and in arriving at conclu-
sion as to what they win DO in this revolution,
we must take all these things into consideration.
The people eff Kentucky, though brave, and
by far the most hospitable We ever knew, are
com ratively speaking, very ignorant people
considered eR masss. Compared with the in
habtsnts of Missouri or Mississippi, we find
very large difference in favor of both of the last
named (See United States census reports(; of en-
terprising spirit, she has bat a very small por-
ton In support Of the declaration havesonly
to refer your readers 10 the public improve
nsnts of that State when compared with those
Of Tennessee and Missouri. sister slave States.
Her railroads and manufacturing establishments
are triHing compared with those of the States
named, though she is older than either of them,
and thirty years older than the last psmed. De
voted almost exclusively to agricultural pur-
suits, the great mass Of people are content to
let matters and things remain as they are and
having scarcely any Yankee or foreign element
among them. innovation and new ideas, peliti-
cal or social, are very slow to take root in Their
minds. In other though not very elegant
words, they are old fogies of the deepest dye.
Again, in politics. Henry Clay still lives in
kentucky. His emancipation policy, though
advocated by him near quarter of century
ago, has had its advocates-though silent-ever
since; and since this revolution began every
old political consort of his living, has appeared
on the surface Union man. AS emsncira-
tionists they were long ago consigned to politi-
cal oblivion now they are again in the conn
els Of the State, though they come there profess
ing to be friends Of slavery but in favor Of the
Union Gerret Davis (now United States
ssnstor), Judge Underwood (now member of
the Kentucky Legislature) Judge Ballord (now
United States district judge), Henry Grid
(now member of Congress), Robertson mo
governor Of the State), aud great number of
others 1 could name, are all of the old Clay
emancipation school. These men are not Abo.
Htionists, but when forced to choose between &
South Carolina gentleman and Massachusetts
Yankee, socially and politically they would
always prefer the latter
In KenGueby, there is also another very pow
erful element that has always been against the
South. I mean the old-school Presbyterian
church, led by Robt J. Breekinridge. man
known to the whole country as a political
preacher-his head full Of religion, an heart
full of politics.
The influence Of this Church upon the poll
tics Of Kentucky for the past thirty years has
been very grest; and it has always been against
the interests Of the South. Five sizths Of its
members were Wings in the days of Henry
Clay, and nearly all its leading men become
emancipationists and the old leaven has never
ceased to work in the most Of them at Dan
vile, that Church has very large literary and
theological institution, whore every effort has
been made to decimate It's political and religious
doctrines, and we have not doubt but that it
has done as much as anything else to place tbe |
State of Kentucky against her Southern sisters.
We believs-ths assertion true-we know it is so
far as cur personal knowledge exlends-thst
FIVE sixtbs of the members Of the Church we
are speaking Of. are uncOmpromising Union
men In proportion to its membership it has
probably more wealth and intelligence than
any religious denomination in the State; and,
with a few exceptions, the whole Chureh-cler-
gy and laymen-sre led in politics and religioR
by the man we have named. First a lawyer,
then preacher, and al the time politician, he
goes forth with the Bible in one hand and polii-
cal newspapers in the other, and is fair type in
Kentucky Of Edward Beeeber IN New Eng
land
Like South Carolina, Kentucky has always |
been controlled by fsw men. While Henry |
Clay lived he was as all powerful in his
State as John c. Calhoun was in his and
Clay's cOnsorts stiI uale the people Of Ken
lucky. John J. Crittendeu, who owes ell bis !
greatness, if he has any, to Henry Clay, and |
George D. Prentice. bis biographer, and few |
others, are political iaw-givers to the people Of
Kentucky. They adopt, in the main, whatever
political views these men advocate; and the |
masses Of that State viii never change their |
sentiments until they have other leaders, or those
they now have change their position.
Then the question arises, what is there that
can change the position of the leaders of the
Union party in that State We believe that
no act Of the Lincoln government, so far, is
sufficient to put them in hostile attitude to
that government. As before stated, in the
abstract, these men are not now, and never
we.ei the friends Of slavery. 10 all they have
said and written, not one word can be
found in support of slavery in moral or
religious point Of view nor have any of them
ever advocated it as political economists. If
these men owned eli the slsves in Kentucky
to-day, and could sell them TO the United States
for faiy price in gold or silver, nothing would
afford them more pleasure than 20 make the
trade. The only interest they have in slavery
IS pecuniary one, and believing that they
win lose their slaves without being compensa.
ted for them is the principal reason Why they
are opposed to Lincoln's emancipation proela-
nation. Part Of their opposition is made % sat-