The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1872-09-16
CHEsNUT ON TEE CRISIS.
The Ex-senator's Letter to the New York
Liberal Mass Meeting.

Among the letters read at the great Liberal
mass meeting In New York on Thursday eve
ming was the following from the Hon. James
Chestnut, of South Carolina:
GENTLEMEN-I have received your Invitation
to attend and address a grand mass-meeting
to be held In New York, September IL, of all
parties who favor the. election OF Horace Gree.
ley as President, and of GratZ Brown as Vice.
President of the United states, and sincerely
thank you for the honor implied. / am hear
tily In favor of the election OF those gentlemen
to the offices for which they have been res
pectively nominated, and regret that the con-
dition of my private sffilrs absolutely fOrbids
me from being with you and from personally
participating In the pleasures OF The occasion
10 which your invitation refers. The question
United States, being now aud forever elimina-
ted from our political issues, there ls left
henceforth no rational ground for division,
merely sectional. The two great questions we
have now TO deal with are simple and iunda-
mental. The first Is: Shall the government
be Federal, with coordinate departments,
with defined and unlimited powers, and
all restrained by the constitution; or, shall
IL continue as It hos been for the laat four
years, q consolidated despotlsm. with the
form ONLY, without the reality Of the three
independent coordinate departments, and
without limitation or constralnt Of constiIu-
Lion and laws II the people, in The present
contest, shall decide In favor oil the first propo-
sItiop. Then / believe We shall have In The
future q government of economy, Of compare
tive purity, of ability, Of prosperity, and oil
respect at home and abroad; In short, OF we'll
ordered civil lib.riy and national honor effect.
lively maintained. II the latter be the choice
of the people. then the whole country must
continue In subsection to q government Of
caprice, corruption, extravaganza and oppres-
sion, resulting In discomfort and confusion at
home, and manifesting imbecillty and reaplng
a harvest of contempt abroad. In short, a
tyranny and shabby empire. 10 end speedily In
the agonizing throes Ut dissolution. for no
empire can last long over this vast continent,
peopIed with The AOglo-5axon race. Besides,
the present contest decides, Tor a lime at least,
Inc sll.important question of local seli-govern-
mept, without which freedom canno be
securely enioyed anywhere. Involved In all
theae il the precious Idea of peace, now go
essential to the welfare OF the whole country.
Our fellow-cltizens Of the North have eX-
comparatively little of the horrors Of
war. and have felt nothing OF the ten-fOld
greater horrors of peace to which the South
has been subjected. The Administration for
years has Knocked the country with the'phrase,
'Let US have peace" a peace though not
heavenly, vet verify one (which passeth all
Understandings" AS Mr.. Greeley Is now the
representative man Of all contained 10 The
first proposition, and opposed to all In the
second. I will support him 10 the utmost Of my
capacity, feeling all the while a cheering and
JAMES Chestnut.
Camden, 8. G., September 7, 1872.