Year: 1862

own sense of duty to the country, under the


existing peIils which surround Us, concur in
that response, We feel it to be due 10 you and to
ourselves that we make you a brief and candid
| answer over our own signatures.


| We believe that the whole power Of the gov
| ernment, upheld and sustained By all the i1fu-
ences and means Of all loyal men in al sections,
and Of all parties, is essentially necessary topUt
| down the rebellion and preserve the Union and
the Constitution. We understand your appeal
to as to have heen made for the purpose of Sc
curing this result. A very large portion Of the
people in the Northern States believe that slave
~ is the clever power CT the rebellion Itmat-
ters not whether this belief is well founded or
not. The belief does exist, and we have 10 deal
with things IS they are, and not as we would
have them be. In consequence Of the existence
Of this belief, we understand that an immense
pressure IS brought TO bear for the purpose Of
striking down this institution through the eXer-
else OF military authority The government
cannot maintain this great struggle if the sup
port and Influence Of the men who entertain
these opinions be Withdrawn. Neither can the
government hope for early success If the sup
port Of that element called conservative" be
Withdrawn.


Such being the condition Of things, the Pres
ident appeals TO the Border Stnfe men 10 Sep
forward and prove their patriotism by making
the first sacrifice. No doubt Ike appeals have
been made 10 extreme men in the North to meet
US half way, in order that the whole moral, po-
litieel, peeuniary and physical force Of the na-
ton may be trmly and earnestly united in one
grand effort TO save the Union and the COnstitu-
ton


Believing that such were the motives that
prompted your address, and such the results to
which 1t looked, we can not reconcile It to our
sense OF duty in this trying hour, to respond in
spirit OF fault finding or querulcUsness over the
things that are past We are not disposed to
seek Tor the cause o. present risfJrtunes IN the
errors and wrongs of others who now propose TO |
unite with US IN g common purpose. B1t, on
the other hand, We meet ycur atd-ess in the
spirit in which it was made, and ss loyal Ame1i-
cans, declare to you and TO the world that there
is no sacrifice that we are not ready 70 make to
save the government and institutions Of our
fathers. That we, few Of Us though there may
bs, viii permit no men, from tee North OF from
the South, to 60 farther than we in the accom-
plisnment Of the great work before US. That, in
order % carry out these views, we will 50 far as
may be in our power, ask the people of the
consider your recommendations. We are the
more emboldened to assume this position from
the fact, now become history that the leaders Of
the Southern rebellion have offered TO abolish
slavery amongst thcm as q coalition 70 foreign
Intervention in favor of their independence as g
nation.


If they can give up slavery to destroy the
Union, we cen surely ask our people TO consider
the question of emancipation 20 Sars the Union.


With great respect, your Obedisnt servants,


JOHN W. NOELL, WN O. BROWN


SAM 5. CASEY, JACOB b. BLAIR,


GEORGE ?, FISHER, w. + WILEY,


a D.