Year: 1861

died in tho Union, while thousands of e.


wills that have no remedy but the sword,


will continue to spring up in disunion and
separation. Eight or fifteen States may
greatly weaken themselves, while they
will not benefit the eighteen. The eigh.
teen may bleed and suffer near death,
without giving life and strength to the 6f-
teen. My candid opinion is. let the revol-
ting States return to their duty, consult
With all the States, and they will find and
secure in peace and union every right
If you know of any other way of safety
that does not threaten the destruction Of
liberty, let me know it, and I will gladly
pursue it with you.


have never suffered as | have in this
destruction OF my country. | would give
every dollar possess (and you know
that am capable of parting with every
dollar from principle) if could be con
vinoed that the south was right l would
most cheerfully shed my blood for her if
it flowed for the truth. Apart from my
little family around me, | have not
blood relation that is not in the SOUTH
Except my little Susan Meade, every
mouldering body that l love as bone of
my bone, is buried in the south. would
love to fall, if fall must, near the graves
of father, mother, brothers, sister. But l
cannot die for error. dare not fight
for wrong. dread to face my God,
wounded and bleeding for such political
sophistry as now drives on the south to
its ruin and our own.


Do you really believe that the south
mean to pstronize the slave trade /
should Judge SO from the intimations You
give of Boston and New York being ready
to en- gage in it. By the way, | have some
curiosity to know what word of promise
New York has broke that makes you call
it "lying New York" Iam under the
impression that the Herald led you to
suppose that New York would stand by
you for the sake of the "batten and fat.
ten it would get 10 all your trade, slave
as veil as the rest Do let me know. If
Bennett has fooled you, when you find
out that be is not always correct, but liza
bic to mistakes. you will say Bennett has
fooled me, and everybody will believe
you that knows him. But it will take a
good deal of credulity before intelligent
men this way will believe that "Fillnore
and Stockton and Stewart" have with
tongues blistered with lying broken their
word of honor to any.


As to my views of Estate sovereignty
and rights" I reply: believe that the
States never yielded anything that con-
cerned the existence of their sovereignty
when the people @ ade the Union. All
of sovereignty that they had before the
Union they retain now. But the right of
union never belonged to State. 1t is
not the right of unal but of dual States.
One State cannot make Union DOR force
another State to make it. There we're
no matrimonial rights existing between
me and my wife until We created them.
I have no co partnership rights until some
one creates them with me. The Union
creates new rights which could not exist
without it, and it is sheer nonsense to talk
about dissolVing, regulating or altering
the Union by rights it did not create
The bond binds Us, and in amending or
dissolving, the consent of the parties who
~ ade ia necessary to unmake. | could
not make them alone. cannot dissolve
them alone So of State Rights; they
cannot create them alone, no can they
dissolve contrary to the will of the par
ties and the condition Of the covenant,
without fraud or violence. Secession.
revolution, must be founded not on State
rights "a State has no right to secede, to
revolt against itself). but an individual
and moral rights; BY appeal to justice, if
the claim be right, and BY force if that
right claim be denied. As the States
had no right touching the Union except
what we're created by the Union, it is
foolish and wicked to talk about destroy
ing or even changing the Union contrary
to its provisions and without the consent
of the parties who formed it. Until such
consent is obtained, all neglect or refusal
to comply with its terms is wicked, and
the actors "evil doerS" according to the
Bible.


You see then where you stand in the
present form of your complaint. You
say, call the propositions for compromise
have been rejected" Well, what then
Have not the parties interested the right
to hold on to the Union as they made it,
without change! But South Carolina
never even made proposition, never
consulted a State, much less the United
States-never pursued one constitutional,
legal remedy for redress; and when the
parties interested in the Union insist up
on it that the laws shall be enforced and
the constitution obeycd, and call upon
the parties in the Union to do their duty,
you take part with this illegal secession,
and without trying the remedy that your
life and fortune and sacred honor were
pledged to the world to sustain, without
the vote of your State even, you turn a.
gainst the Union with loathiDg, and tram.
pie its lag, that represents its principles,
under foot May God forgive you.