Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 14.djvu/420

 414 Southern Historical Societij Papers.

remain. In order to render his proposals so insulting as to secure their rejection, he joins to them a promise to support with his army one-tenih of the people of any State who will attempt to set up a government over the other nine- tenths, thus seeking- to sow dis- cord and suspicion among the people of the several States, and to excite them to civil war in furtherance of his ends.

I know well that it would be impossible to get your people, if they possessed full knowledge of these facts, to consent that proposals should now be made by us to those who control the Govern- ment at Washington. Your own well known devotion to the great cause of liberty and independence, to which we have all committed whatever we have of earthly possessions, would induce you to take the lead in repelling the bare thought of abject submission to the enemy. Yet peace on other terms is now impossible. To obtain the sole terms to which you or I could listen, this struggle must continue until the enemy is beaten out of his vain confidence in our subjuga- tion. Then, and not till then, will it be possible to treat of peace. Till then all tender of terms to the enemy will be received as proof that we are ready for submission, and will encourage him in the atro- cious warfare which he is waging.

I fear much from the tenor of the news I receive from North Caro- lina, that an attempt will be made by some bad men to inaugurate movements which must be considererd as equivalent to " aid and comfort to the enemy," and which all patriots should combine to put down at any cost. You may count on my aid in every effort to spare your State the scenes of civil war, which will devastate its homes if | the designs ot these traitors be suffered to make headway. I know you will place yourself in your legitimate position in the lead of those who will not suffer the name of the old North State to be blackened by such a stain. Will you pardon me for suggesting that my only source of disquietude on the subject, has arisen from the fear that you will delay too long the action, which now appears inevitable, and that by an over-earnest desire to reclaim by conciliation men whom you believe to be sound at heart, but whose loyalty is more than suspected elsewhere, you will permit them to gather such strength as to require more violent measures than are now needed ? With your influence and position, the promoters of the unfounded discontents, now prevalent in your State, would be put down without the use of physical force if you would abandon the policy of concilia- tion and set them at defiance. In this course, frankly and firmly pursued, you would rally around you all that is best and noblest in