Year: 1861

1 SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN EPIsC0PALIANS


The Mobile Tribune published the fol-
lowing extracts from a letter written to
Bishop Potter, Of Pennsylvania, by an Al
albanian, The letter was called forth by
the circular to the clergy of the diocese,
issued by Bishop Potter some weeks ago:
Il desire, most sincerely. to know how, or
on what grounds, Il churchman-especially q
Bishop Of the Church-and, beyond all,
Bishop bearing the reputation for modera-
ton and discretion which belongs to you
can denounce, as in error and in arms
against the constituted authorities Of the
land, those who are armed, as we are in ODE,
dlence to the only de .facto, and, as we firmly
believe, the only dc jure authorities of our
land, Tor the purpose Of defending ourselves
against an atrocious invasion.
Two clergymen from my own immediate
vicinity, have sent their sons as privates in
the ranks Of the volunteer companies that
have already gone forth towards the Virginia
borders, perhaps to meet in battle some Of
those who may be encouraged to level their
muskets and lift their swords against them
by the very language you have put FORTH
Right reverend and dear sir, there is some
{ GcILlDle llIotdhG mere. on tHc SlQe OF lne OIu'
er. 1t is monstrous, horrible, that such things
should be. | beg you to explain how it is
possible that YOU could under the circumstan
ces, give So much sanction and encourage
ment to those who are engaged in this unholy,
unprovoked, wanton attempt to destroy US
and ali that is dear to us.


IF you can say anything that will tend to
| restoration of that charity and confidence
so deeply wounded, if not entirely broken, by
the language of the prayers attributed to
yourself and other prominent ministers Of
the church, beg that you will do it"


These were the material portions of the
letter y postscript was appended by the
two cIergymen mentioned above, respect
fully uniting in the request for an answer
to the question propounded, and an explain
alton of the Bishop extraordinary prayer.
To this communication Bishop Potter re-
plies in the following letter:


PHILADELPHIA, Monday, May Is, 1861.


Ny DEAR SIR:-You " beg me to explain
how it is possible that could, under the cir
cumstances, give so much sanction and en-
couragement to those engaged in this unholy,
unpror0ked, 3raHt0H attempt to DESTROY as, and
uU that is dedr to u.s."


Your misconcepti0n is so radical that al
most despair of correcting it. What you re
gard as an attempt to destroy you and all
that is dear to you" is considered by US as
simply attempt to defend ourselves and
the capital OF our country from threatened
invasion, our Constitution from destruction
and even our Southern brethren from that
which is the surest pro'ectiOn of themselves
and their peculiar institutions. From the
secession Of South Carolina to the storming
Of Fort Sumter, the General Government re-
mained all but passive. 1t then became in
dlspensable that we should know whether it
was q Government, whether it could retain
lis hold of Washington, and whether the
whole system that Washington and his COM
peers inaugurated in 1889 was not deluson
and imposture. This, my dear sir, is the
whole story. Your theory rot only disre-
CARDS your own obligations under the Consti-
| tuition, but it leaves to US no Government
except in name-Opening the door for perpet
ual discord, and for secession without end.
do not believe that at the North one man
in fifty desires an invasion of your soil or the
/ destruction Of your social system. They sim
ply desire that you should not break up the
Union by your method of leaving it, but re
fer all subjects Of complaint to u convention
of all the States, which will be competent
either to redress all grievances OF to provide
way In which you can retire from the I'm
ion without dissolving the whole fabric Of our
General Government.


Under the present exasperated state of the
sections it is impossible to say to what length
this conflict may 60. But assure you that
IN the few lines above you have the whole
a'ineus of the loyal Statos and Of the Union
men everywhere. Only the smaller number
of fanatics think or talk of slavery. The
whole question is one Of self defence, and of
Government or no Governmeltt


Yours, sincerely,


ALoNzo PoTTRR.