The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-03-06
CALIFORNIA AND THE UNION.

A recent issue of The Sacramento Bee contains a review of events in California which bring vividly to mind the almost forgotten incidents preceding the great struggle between the States, and incident ally connects Alabama with this extreme Western State. One of the Senators from California was Milton s. Latham, who, years of his life in Russell County, in this State. Here he taught school, read law and was admitted to the bar. De- feated by J. J. Hooper for the office of Circuit Solicitor in 1s4s, he went to Cali fcrnia. where he was elected Governor and afterwards United States Senator.
 Mir. Latham was not in accord with the sentiment which made Lincoln President and brought on the Civil War. A year before the struggle began he had made a speech in Congress in which he virtually advocated a separate Western Republic in case the Union should be dissolved. His colleague. William M. Gwin, was an avowed Southern man, and the two Con- gressmen, Burch and Scott were against the North. Burch wrote a letter to friends at home, in which he strongly advocated the formation of a Republic composed of the States and Territories of California, Oregon, Washington, New Mexico and Utah, into what he called "a prosperous, happy and successful Republic on the Pa cifc slope" Scott was even more pro- nounced and emphatic.
 Another strong factor in the effort to detach California from the Union was Colonel Albert Sydney Johnston. who was then in command of the Department of the Pacific. He was fully in sympathy with the Southern movement, and had he been allowed more time, California might have separated from the Union and either set up for herself or become part of the Southern CoDfederacy. Unfortunately for those who favored separation, Colonel Johr ston was relieved in April, 1861, by General Sumner and the State was held to the Union, but it was a close call.
 As an evidence of the weakness of the Union sentiment among the prominent men of the State, we give a portion of a letter from Governor Downey, in reply to an invitation to attend a grand Union mass meeting in San Francisco in May of that stirring year. He said:
 I believe that the only means of pre- serving the American Union is honorable compromise and respect for the constitu- tiona. rights of every section. l believe in the Government using all it's constitu- t1onal powers to preserve itself and resist aggression. 1 did not believe, nor do I now, that an aggressive war should be waged upon any section of the Confed- aracy, nor do l believe that this Union can be preserved by coercive policy.
 These sentiments were really in accord with those held by General Scott, Horace Greeley and other prominent men of the period, but this letter, in connection with the expressions of other public men show that California narrowly escaped separa- ton from the Union. If she had succeed ed, we might have seen three Governments and triangular war, the result of which would have been at least doubtful. Cali fornia remained with the stronger side, and the dream of a Western Republic l faded away. These historical facts and consequent speculations are interesting by | way of remembrance, and as indications of what might have been. but was not