122 MATTHEW FONTAINE MAURY 



remarkable feature in the whole case is, it appears to me, 

 this — ^that here we have a national family of states that 

 have lived together in unity for nearly three score years 

 and ten, and that a portion of them are preparing to 

 dissolve these family ties and break up the Union, be- 

 cause — because of what, sir? Ask legislators, ask 

 governors, ask whom you will, and there are as many 

 opinions as to the causes of discontent and the measures 

 of redress as there are leaves in the forest. At no time 

 have the people of any of the discontented states, acting 

 in their sovereign capacity, ever authorized a remon- 

 strance to be made to their sister states of the North 

 against their course of action. We have heard a great 

 deal of this from politicians, partisans, and others, but 

 if the people of any one of the Southern states, acting 

 in their sovereign capacity, have ever remonstrated with 

 the people of the Northern states as to the causes of dis- 

 satisfaction and complaint, and thus laid the matter 

 formally before you of the North, I cannot call it to mind. 

 Neither has any Northern state so much as inquired of 

 the people of any Southern state, either as to the cause 

 of their offense or as to the terms and conditions upon 

 which they would be willing to remain in the Union. 



*'It does appear to me that in and out of Congress we 

 are all at sea with the troubles that are upon us ; that the 

 people, and the people alone, are capable of extricating 

 us. You, my dear sir, and your state — not Congress — 

 have it in your power to bring the people into the 'fair 

 way' of doing this. This brings me to the point of my 

 letter — then why will not the great state of Pennsylvania 

 step forth as mediator between the sections? Authorize 

 your commissioner to pledge the faith of his state that 

 their ultimatum shall not only be laid before the people 



