Year: 1861




REFLECTIONS FoW THE PRESS.


The following letter was recently received
by Hon John Spaldng, Of this place from
his son, Charles C. Spaldiug, of Kansas City,
Mo. Judge Spalding has placed j, in our
hands, with liberty to publish if we see fit.
We gladly give it place in our columns,
though we are not exactly prepared to SUBJ
scribe TO some parts Of it without essential
qualifications. As specimen OF eloquent
aud iorcible writing, it 4. far above the ordin-
ary style Of the age .-ED.l


Kansas CRY, Dec. IS. 1860.
Ny Dear and Venerable Father


II is somewhat past my usual hour for re-
tiring o clock still. as / find myself in
very happy humor for writing, have thought
that might perhaps prepare letter for your
porusal upon "the state Of the Union,' thai
would be fully as satisfactory to you as most
Of the journalistic articles upon the same sub
ject, that you daily find in the papers.


am not so vain as 10 suppose that can
consider this subject with that dignity Of ex-
preston that is so essential in "leader' or
an important State paper--the late message
for example. At the same time have my
own opinions concerning the cause Of our
present lamentable National troubles, and as
these opiniuns are f.r diGsraut from any that
have as yet seen advanced, Ia the public
prints. | feel at liberty to prepare them for
my father as news" Mon than this you
are now an old man; you fedshat the golden
bowl is breaking, and tae silver cord is loosen
ing, and that soon YOU will be gathered to
your fathers. You certainly then, at this
time Of life. must feel double interest in
learning the opinions Of your own son, CON
cerning the cause Of the ruin that now stares
us in the face. do. therefore, invite your
particular attention to the following candid
reflections


In 1.-THE signs Of the times" neither you or
myself see anything that can possibly be con
strued as an indication Of further security for
the Federal Union. On the other hand we
find everything 20 convince us that it is hope
lessly lost, aud that the time is at hand tit
can safely be computed in months,) when
"our once glorious Union is to be broken up
and destroyed.


The Constitutional government which has
in less than a century showed more blessings
and more prosperity upon its people than his
tory credits 10 any other government, must
soon pass into the hands Of the historian, and
by him be filed away among the archives Of
the nations that "have been n'-among the
records Of "the rise and iall'' of Empires,
Dynasties and Republics and the scholar
who learns that the Roman, Grecian, Maca-
DOMAIN Carthegenian aud Persian governments
all "pershed by the sword, and also that the
Empire of France and the kingdom of Great
Britain, though not as yet destroyed have
been wasted, aud their elements of greatness
and prosperity reduced to comparative weak
ness, by the same bloody agency, the same
scholar will also learn the cause Of the down
fall Of this republic, II the historian is faith
full, and "the guilty" is duly igned and
held responsible for the wreck


When, then, that history is written. and
those Of us, both old and young, who may be
permitted to witness the bloody work of de-
struction, and the consummation ofthe scheme,
now began, to rob us of the boon Of our
WAsHINGroN. shall open the book and turn
from page 20 page in search Of tho evidence
that is to convict somebody shall we not pause
as the sentence is pronounced, and with the
faithful chroncler of events, pour out our
curses upon the mercess, heartless hands,
that for less even than mess of pottage, could
rob free, happy, sovereign people, of an in
herltaaco that had come down TO them, sancti-
fed before the toombs of the noblest band of
patriots and heroes that ever God commission
ed for heroic, patriotic and christian purposess


II, sir. we should pause then, can we not
with some degree of propriety ask ourselves
now, before the historic page is written who,
i0hdt great first cause, has produced the danger
we are in, and the ruin we expect


Most any newspaper will tell you in an off
hand hipDant manner, that every candid and
rejecting man knows too well the cause Of our
present national troubles" and so dispose of
the question. Now, that may all be true.
but if il is, score of editors are left out of
the roll of "candd and rejecting men," for
to tell the truth, the guilty" have thus far
managed to escape even suspicion. No study
is necessary TO convince you or me what is
meant by expressions like the above. But
are they truef


However much politicians and pulpit dem
agogues may have done to effect dissolution
however much Congress and State Legisla-
tures may have accomplished, all allies in the
same work of destruction, none or even all
of these powers combined could have brought
the ruin to our doors that now stares us ia
the face. These powers are only agencies
that the people at any time can resist and dety.
In solid column they can meet one and all OF
them at the ballot box, and shaer them of
their strength; and, sir, mark my word, no
intelligent historian will ever attempt TO so
falsify history as to hold Congress or poll
ticians or State Legislatures or pulr 4 orators
responsible for the downfall Of this l,epublc
True, diplomacy and thelogy--hostilities in