Year: 1861

without the corporation of the States Can Won
compel this cooperation ? When yGu have con-
quered Louisiana, or any other seeding State can
you compel her to elect Senators or Representa-
tives and if not, what would be her position? If
the object OF embodying army of two hundred
ana uIty thousand men is not to subjugate the
South, what is it for? Is it to recover a few
worthless forts, or to wreak the vengeance engen-
dered by sectional hatred? Is an ocean of blood
to be shed ana the gull between the sections to be
so deepened and widened as to be forever impassa
bic, In order to do what do AS well now
But for this horrible condition of things there
would have been eight slivehOding States seeking
redress within the Union and under the COnstitu-
ri e"I: but tour have gone out, and four only, in
ciuGing Delaware, left, with the iron el of
Hi''''hFN cpeiclo on two Of them Under these
circumstances what ought Kanturkv tn do9 nv
spienh conviction is, that the first and most i'm
poItaht thlng Is to discard all mast marty feuds
and agree to unite on one comm IN nj atfirm If
there be those who think that Kentucky ouobt to
Withdraw and unite her destiny with the Sontb at
once, and take her share OF the resnonsbiIi,v and
danger OF the step, they ought to remember that
the people alone decide such a question and
that, under existing circumstances it is almost. if
not absolutely certain, that it will give rise to cy
war among ourselves. Oa the other hand the peo-
pie of the State have decided, by large maijrity
that Kentucky shall, during this unnatural war,
maintain a strict and impartial neutrality, and
stand prepared to enforce it. The refusal of the
Governor to furnish troops to fight our brethren OF
the South has been almost unanimously approved,





platform of neutrality.


during my absence from the State was nomi-
mated, and with eleven other gentlemen elected
Dy the people OF Kentucky delegate t1 the Bor-
Ger slave State Convention. was not in the State
during the period of the stirring and startling
events which hava covered the whole country with
pail OF daf kness, and have had no opportunity of
expressing my opinions upon. them Findipp
however, an address from gentlemen composing
the central committee of the partv which elected
me- approving in strong aud decided terms the ac-
ton OF the Governor in refusing the quota Of troops
demanded by Mr.. Lincoln, and stating what should
BE- the present position of Kentucky | am willing
to endorse that address, and in the action as dele
gate con torm to the policy there Indicated. | s2e-
caly and cordially agree to the following extract
from that address:


"What the future duty of Kentucky NAV be We of
course cannot with certainty foresec hut If the
announced in the proclamation Of the President shoud t
any time hereafter aspect of war for the
overtunnng and sUhiugatiou of the seeded States
through the full assertion therein of national iursdc
tn OF standing military force do not hesitate to
say that kentucky should promptly unsheah her sword
~ behalf OF what will then become the common cause
Such an event, ifi shoud occur which We confess
there does not appear to Us to be rational probability
could have but one meaning-a meaning which People
Jealous OF their liberty would be keen to detect-aud
which people worthy OF liberty would be PROMPT and
fearless to resist When Kentucky detects this meaning
IN the action Of the government she ought, without
counting the ST. to take up arms at against the
government Until she does detect the meaning, she
ought to hold herself independent sides ami com
pei both sides to respect the nvioabilty sun


| am secessionst, and as is well known npvar
have been. have treated it always as a political
heresy without constitutional sanction, and [ have
deprecated a. truly as any other living its
dangerous tendency. But we ought to remember
that many of the best minds in the country do hon
estly believe that it is right fairly deducbe fcom
the Constitution, and whole communities have
acted under that conviction. But, opposed as am
to secession, whenever the contingency happens
alluded to in the foregoing extract agree win
the COMMITTEE, and trust, with every patrilt in
the land, that Kentucky should promptly unsleath
her sword in beh If of what will have become the
common cause. | consider the subugatiou of the
Souh the utter annihila ion of every material in
terest Of Kentucky. If the insane att,mpt should
be perss ed in, fear that the pillars sf the temple
OF liberty will be torn down ~ and that all that is
now sacred to us will be crushed under their
broken fragments. Respectfully,