KENTUCKY. 



395 



KENTUCKY, one of the Western States, 

 is bounded north and northwest by Ohio, In- 

 diana, and Illinois, from which it is separated 

 by the Ohio River ; east by the Big Sandy Riv- 

 er and Cumberland Mountains, which separate 

 it from Virginia ; south by Tennessee ; and west 

 by the Mississippi River, which separates it 

 from Missouri. The population in I860 was 

 1,155,713, of whom 10,146 were free colored, 

 and 225,490 slaves. The ratio of increase dur- 

 ing the last ten years was as follows : white, 

 20.84 ; free colored, 1.35 ; slave, 6.87. Contig- 

 uous on the north to the Free States, and on the 

 south to the Slave States, she occupies a central 

 position among all the States. Her territory ex- 

 tends four hundred miles in length, and one 

 hundred and seventy miles in width, at the 

 widest portion, opposite Cincinnati, in Ohio. 

 The Governor is elected for four years. The 

 Legislature meets on the first Monday in De- 

 cember. The Senate consists of thirty-eight 

 members elected for four years, and the House 

 of one hundred members elected for two years. 

 (See NEW AMERICAN- CYCLOPEDIA.) 



The first movement in Kentucky looking 

 towards future events, consisted in a cor- 

 respondence which took place at the close of 

 th6 year 1860, between Governor Magoffin and 

 the Commissioners from Alabama, relating 

 to the cooperation of Kentucky with the 

 Southern States. The following extract ex- 

 presses the views of the Governor of the State, 

 at this time : 



" You ask the cooperation of the Southern 

 States in order to redress our wrongs. So do 

 we. You have no- hope of a redress in the 

 Union. We yet look hopefully to assurances 

 that a powerful reaction is going on at the 

 North. You seek a remedy in secession from 

 the Union. We wish the united action of the 

 Slave States assembled in convention within 

 the Union. You would act separately ; we, 

 unitedly. If Alabama and other Slave States 

 would meet us in convention, say at Nashville, 

 or elsewhere, as early as the fifth day of Feb- 

 ruary, I do not doubt but we would agree in 

 forty-eight hours upon such reasonable guaran- 

 tees, by way of amendments to the Constitution 

 of the United States, as would command at 

 least the approbation of our numerous friends 

 in the Free States, and by giving them time to 

 make the question with the people there, such 

 reaction in public opinion might take place as 

 to secure our rights and save the Government." 



On the 8th of January, a Convention of the 

 Union party, and the friends of Senator Doug- 

 las was held for the purpose of expressing their 

 opinion on the difficulties of the country. 

 Their resolutions manifested a patriotic spirit 

 of devotion to the Union, and a firm determi- 

 nation to have the rights of Kentucky respected 

 and maintained in the Union. They declared 

 in favor of a Convention of the Border Slave 

 and Border Free States, for the purpose of de- 

 vising some basis of compromise by which the 

 Union might be saved, and proposed contingent- 



ly a Confederacy of such States as were willing 

 to accept the Constitution as proposed to be 

 amended by Senator Crittenden. They declar- 

 ed unalterable repugnance to a war with their 

 brethren, North or South, and expressed a wil- 

 lingness to support Mr. Lincoln's Government 

 unless he undertook coercion or civil war. 



The Governor, in his Message to the adjourn- 

 ed session of the Legislature, asked their ap- 

 proval of the Crittenden resolutions, and sub- 

 mitted the propriety of providing for the elec- 

 tion of delegates to a Convention, to assemble 

 at an early day, to determine the future inter- 

 State and Federal relations of Kentucky. 

 Meanwhile he would leave no experiment un- 

 tried to restore fraternal relations between tbe 

 States. He recommended a Convention of the 

 Border Slave States, to meet early in February 

 at Baltimore. He said the hasty and incon- 

 siderate action of the seceding States did not 

 meet his approval, but objected to coercing 

 them, and asked the Legislature to declare by 

 a resolution their unconditional disapprobation 

 by Kentucky of the employment of force against 

 them. 



On the 22d of January, resolutions were pass- 

 ed in the House declaring that in view of the 

 tenders of men and money by several of the 

 Northern States, to the General Government, 

 the people of Kentucky, uniting with their 

 brethren of the South, will resist such inva- 

 sion of the soil of the South at all hazards and 

 to the last extremity. Subsequently, resolu- 

 tions were passed inviting the States to unite 

 with Kentucky in an application to Congress 

 to call a convention to amend the Constitution. 



On the 1st of February, a resolution waa 

 passed in the Senate declaring it to be inexpe- 

 dient at that time to take any action towards 

 calling a State Convention. The vote was, 

 Ayes 25, Noes 14. On the next day, resolutions 

 were passed in the Senate, appealing to the 

 Southern States to stop the revolution, protest- 

 ing against Federal coercion, and providing 

 that the Legislature reassemble on the 24th of 

 April, to hear the responses from sister States ; 

 also, in favor of making an application to Con- 

 gress to call a National Convention. 



The House of Representatives, on the 5th of 

 February, passed another resolution stating 

 their action in favor of a National Convention, 

 and also the appointment of delegates to the 

 Peace Conference at Washington, and there- 

 fore conclude that it " is unnecessary and inex- 

 pedient for this Legislature to take any fur- 

 ther action on this subject at the present time. 

 As an evidence of the sincerity and good faith 

 of our propositions for an adjustment, and an 

 expression of devotion to the Union, and desire 

 for its preservation, Kentucky awaits with deep 

 solicitude the response from her sister States." 



The Legislature adjourned on the llth of 

 February, to meet again on the 20th of March. 

 With regard to the action of this body while in 

 session, it may be said that the recommendation 

 of the Governor in favor of the call of a con- 



