Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1864-07-11
A Splendid letter.
LETTKR FROM HON JAMES " WALL OF xEw
yeRsEY

BURLINGTON, june 30, 1864
HCn klUah iurdy Gfand sacnem, Dclavan, ntth.
olson, CoePtr, Bell and others 5echenss
0ENTLEMgN'--i have this moment received
your kind Invitation TO attend the celebration
by the venerable TAmmany Society of The an.
niversary Of our National lndedendeuee. ow.
ing TO pre-eXislng engagement IL will not
/ be IN my power 20 accept
Ia Recognizing the sincerity OF your patriotic
sf ris and desires. must confess thar am
not animated BY the same hope that appears
TO glow ia the bosoms of the saoheDs Of old
TammSuy upon the subject OF restored
Union
| iully appreciate the spirit that induced
the patriot jackson TO utter the famous watch.
word The Union must and shall be preaery
ed, you have placed so pre.eminently at the
head Of your card OF invitation; but il is clear
TO the most ordinary comprehension that he
meant only in a constitutional way, and not
through the coerciye military agencies Of the
Government He distinctly declares in his
Farewell Address; "lf such q struggle ia
once bsguu, aud the citizens OF one section
of the country are arrayed against those Of
another, let the battle 90 as it may, there will
be an end OF the Unionh
de believed with Washington, and so AS
serted--"that the foundations of the Union
must be laid in thr affections OF the people
aud therefore could never have acquired the
illogical idea that the strength OF the super
structure could be increased, or It's permanen-
cy secured by means tending directly "a IN
dermiDe these foundations
Rely upon it, the only hope now, IT indeed
there IS any hope left, ia in immediate cPssa-
tion OF this hellish slaughter, and r speedy
peace, and even then, the restoration OF the
old Union will have TO be the work OF the
| ba, d,,Ft 81 he ,,Il ha
fierce and savage memories that this irater
nal strife will have evoked The man who
looks for The old Union to arise beauuhed and
gloriGed from the yet warm ashes OF desola
ted Southern homes, from the blood OF KIN
dred, shed IN civil strife, from the fierce hate
that the dying shall breathe forth as legacy
TO those who survive them, most surely i'm
sglnes vair thing. One Of The gravest de-
Iusions in an age abounding with them, is thai
which urges the citizen 10 sacrifice the last
dollar aud the last man, in 0ind idolstry
for what is called the Union.
have as strong q love Tor the old Union
as high an appreciation Of its benefits, it'
glorious origin, and is ilustrious memories
as any man nay, more than this, was la
boring to preserve 1t, when these modern pat
riots, who are now so much in love with II
were willing ITO let it shde, aye, denouncnH
it, as "a league with hell and covenant will
death | sm not, however, tanatical enough
to permit a mere sentiment to blind me Il
facts and deaden my sensihilities to the ex
istence OF higher and more Domeutols issues
will always put liberty before Union. Tn
preservation Of the absolute rights of the cll
lzens, and the sovereignty Of the States, ar
OF infinitely more Importance to me thai
mere breadth of territory, if that territor
must be occupied by white slaves; more in
portant than Federal power, it that power /
10 be welded by usurper and "a tyranL
Liberty we must and will have its posse
sion is essential to the life of every free Dor
American; the Union 10 not necessary unles
associated with the first OF what value
Union to the citizen who finds all his guara
teed rights in the amendments TO the COnst
tuition entirely gone His right to frt
III, thought, free speech and u free press gone
, / swallowed up IN the maelstrom of a graz
Ten consolidated military despotlsm A UniC
is very good thing to have aud to hold b
# IN order to secure that Union l must
Din content TO see the Constitution overthrow
-, the reserved rights of the States and the pc
'"' Pile aunhituled, The war power one Of The
lie tributes OF the Executive and myself Pazil
80, at it through the barred aud bolted windo
49, Of Lincoln's bastiles then | woulu trade
nat rno among barren rocks, where the rights
49, cured by Magma Chartn we're respected, a
'e' where oppression and usurpalions are 4
in known.
md But suPPoS'ng the Union could be restore
how long, surrounded by the memorials
the past struggle here at the North, would
endure2 Certainly every thoughtful mi
AZ must admit that the siutssmHnship p which su
gested iuscribinE on the regimenta colo
the symbols commemorative Of their having be
; borne triumphant in our bloody iraternal CO
ent hcls; or OF erecting monuments as memorii
ing Of our bloody struggles, could never ha
has contemplated permanently restored Unio
idy The memories Of these lraternal conflicts mt
nag he buried in obson before permantly
bal stored Union can be secured The heath
rulers and statesmen understood this princiI
ago in human nature, apparently much betl
ON than the professealy enlighteo Christians
ore. this noon of the nineteenth century
is IL was Tiberius who, when the Roman Sc
ling ate proposed erecting an altar of vengean
to TO commemorate the death Of Piso, repli
s at "that public monuments should commemori
in foreign conquests not domestic calamtie
will Cesar, on his return from his African 'ca
o he pHigns, after his great victory at Thaps
ex- upon celebrating his -Four TriHmphs, wis,
n its aud carefully avoided illusions, by banners
otherwise, to what, perhaps, were the M
tain brilliant Of his aohevements--hi victor
will over his own tounirymen. In Spain a
op- Thessaly, he hLd routed the disciplined lie
orm ons of the Romans; but their defeat
been most truly said, brought no accessions
vide honor to the Republic The glory it reAec
on the yictors was but dubious and barre
,ser- This Christian nation should have earr
only wisdom trom the example of heather rul
Ting and statesmen
nent If the settlement of this question redu