Year: 1860

States.


Dear Sir As one Of your Kentucky consltu-
ents, who contributed his humble efforts to your
election as member of Congress twice from the
Lexington District and who assiduousIy labored for
your election to the Vice Presidency of the United
States in 1885, and who has looked forward to the
time when the people of the Union would confer
upon you the highest homer and position they have
to hestow, who admires your ability and chershes
the greatest respect for your patriotic and glorious
ancestry, ! claim the privilege of addressing you in
this crisis of your fortune.


In common with all your true friends in Ken
lucky, who were not blinded by passion, or misled
by ambition, or led astray by sef-interest, heard
of your acceptance of the Boilers and Disunionists
nomination ut Baltimore with the greatest surprise
and regret 1t did not seem possible that you would
allow your name TO be used to promote simply the
ends of two casses of persons-the Administration
and its retainers, WIN were inAamed simply by ma
lignant personal hostility to Senator Douglas, and
who, to crafty it, would destroy the Democratic
party; and the Dsunionists of the Gulf States who
wanted the Republican nominee elected in order to
have united South, that would enable them, upon
the plea of resistance to Northern Abolitonism, to
consummate their daring project of separate
Southern Confederacy


With folly and faulty thatis most extraordi-
nary, and calculated to throw great doubt upon
your sagacity If you did not foresee the result or
wi h an ingratitude and treachery that would for
ever blacken yonr name if you did see it, you be-
came the instrument of these parties that would de-
stroy the Democratic party and the Union, upon the
altar of their hate or unhallowed ambition. 1t is
hard for YOU if you continue in your present posi-
ton, to successfully deny these premises. Youmay
vaunt your love and Devotion to the Democratic
party and the South, but what avails it when the
only effect of your candidacy is TO divide the for
mer and bring upon the latter the alternative of an
Abolition President2 You may insist that you are
friendly to the Union, but men will judge you, and
rightly judge you, by the company you keep, by
your political associations and hackers and they
are men who are avowedly hostile to the contnu-
ance of this Confederacy, and who are laboring
with all their power to effect its destruction. There
is not Disunionst in the South who is not your
friend, your loudest-mouthed and most efficient
supporter.


Facts, my dear sir, speak louder than words-one
such outweigh ocean of words. Is it possible
that you, in the widest flight of fancy, ever sup
posed that you could be elected to the post for which
you are now candidate, by any combination Ell
ther before the people or before the Congress of the
United States? Did your extrevagant and precip-
itate ambition, that prompted you to pluck the fruit
before it was ripe for your hands--did the arts of
sycophants and Jealous personal admrers-induce
you to believe in the practicability of such an in
sane and preposterous chimera2 If they did, you
have, ere this, been terribly undeceived. The late
Kentucky election must have had that effect. New
er in the annals of politics never in the history of
the nation, did man receive such rebuke, such
an utter and complete rout that which has late
ly overtaken you in your native State. A majority
of thirty-fve thousand of the loyal and patriotic
citizens of Kentucky have pronounced against you
upon direct ISSUE say you, for yon weU k7,Oc
there t0ds no objection, upon the part of Democrats
against Mr.. McClarty, except the fact that he sus-
tanned you and orowedy run as your friend and sup
porter at was this that induced almost two-thirds
of the votes of Kentucky to be cast against YOU


Whatever you or others may say to the contrary,
you kiOw in your heart that the defeat of Nc Clarty
lpas your deeat-your irretrieveable rout-and that
the result in November next will be even more
crushing to your hopesand antcipations. Kentucky
cannot be hitched on the Disunion car of Yancey
and Rhett. She cannot be made the frontier boun-
dairy of the proposed Southern Confederacy As
long as her soil contains the remains of Henry
Clay as long as her people retain grateful recol-
lection of his services and patriotic counsel no Dis
union party can thrive within herlimits The mon
ument which is being erected over his grave and
which you can see from your residence should cause
emotions of patriotism in your bosom of devotion
to the Union, and you reflect upon the high and
unselfish character of the great Commoner it should
slake the fevered thirst of unhalowed ambition
and chasten your personal desires and aspirations
At the base of that monument you may well for
get your hates and jealouses, which have had so
great share in causing you TO accept your present
position and be animated by nobler and more wor-
thy considerations. What a return you have made
to the Democracy of Kentucky who perceiving that
you had some intellectual gifts, and who, without
-inquiring too closely into your past antecedents,
took you by the hand, and in short space of time
heaped upon you the highest political honors they
had in their power to bestow Congressman Vice
President and United States Senator-such are the
splendid positions they have given you A life de-


voted to their political interests to preserving their
unity and invincibility, would have been but q


grateful recognition of their kindness to you.


You have now brought discord, division and wal


into the Democratic camp of your native State


You have set Democrat against Democrat you hav:


fomented fraternal political strife between breth


ren, and you have brought disaster and defeat upor


the party that gave you such unlimited trust ant


confidence. Hundreds of your personal friend


have been struck down at the late election, smpl,


on account of your extraordinary bolt and desac


ton from the Democratic organization.


For their defeat they will ever hold you respon


sible and from the Tennessee line to the Ohio, yo


are now receiving the heartiest maledictions fo


your ingratitude and apostacy from those who, 81
e months ago, would have buckled on their armor


and splintered ances in your defense in the polit


cal tournament. If yyour continuing in the iel


Lincoln should be elected and the Union broken


in consequence what ohl what "a responsibilit
J. will rest upon you What a name and fame yo


will leave in history In comparison with it, thl


of Burr would seem illustriOus and even Arnol


will be elevated to reSpectabty. The lovers ,


freedom and good government will, TO the latest pt


lrind of recorded time place YOU i'm the catepory