Washington 23d June 1848
MY DEAR DAUGHTER, If
a long interval lies between the date of this and your last, you must attribute
it to the fact, that my heavy correspondence, publick and private, and official
duties, compel me to lengthen the period between my answers and the letters to
which they reply, to a much greater extent than I desire in writing to you and
the rest of the family. I correspond with all of them which of itself occupies
a good deal of my time.
The opinions you express
in reference to the state of things in Europe are very sensible and just. There
is no prospect of a successful termination of the efforts of France to
establish a free popular Government; nor was there any from the begining. She
has no elements out of which such a government could be formed; and if she had,
still she must fail from her total misconception of the principles, on which
such a government, to succeed, must be constructed. Indeed, her conception of
liberty is false throughout. Her standard of liberty is ideal; belongs to that
kind of liberty which man has been supposed to possess, in what has been
falsely called a state of nature, a state supposed to have preceded the social
and political, and in which, of course, if it ever existed, he must have
live[d] a part, as an isolated individual, without Society, or Government. In
such a state, if it were possible for him to exist in it, he would have,
indeed, had two of the elements of the French political creed; liberty and
equality, but no fraternity. That can only exist in the social and political;
and the attempt to unite the other two, as they would exist, in the supposed
state of nature, in man, as he must exist in the former, must and ever will
fail. The union is impossible, and the attempt to unite them absurd; and must
lead, if persisted in, to distraction, anarchy and finally absolute power, in
the hand of one man.
It is this false
conception that is upheaving Europe, and which, if not corrected, will upset
all her efforts to reform her social and political condition. It is at the same
time threatening our institutions. Abolitionism originates in it, which every
day becomes more formidable, and if not speedily arrested, must terminate in
the dissolution of our Union, or in universal confusion, and overthrow of our
system of Government. But enough of these general speculations.
We are in the midest
of the presidential canvass. It will be one of great confusion. Neither party
is satisfied, or united on its nominee; and there will probably be a third
candidate, nominated by what are called the Barnburners, or Van Burenites. The
prospect, I think, is, that Taylor will succeed, tho' it is not certain. The
enclosed will give you all the home news.
It is still
uncertain, when Congress will adjourn; but, I think it probable it will about
the 1st August.
My health continues
good. I am happy to hear you are all well, and that the children [are] growing
and doing so well. Kiss them for their Grandfather, and tell them how happy he
is to learn, that they are such good children. Give my love to Mr. Clemson.
SOURCE: J. Franklin
Jameson, Editor, Annual Report of the American Historical Association
for the Year 1899, Volume II, Calhoun’s Correspondence: Fourth Annual Report of
the Historical Manuscripts Commission, Correspondence of John C. Calhoun,
p. 757-9
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