Clarksville [ga.], Decr. 30th, 1845.
Dear Sir: Enclosed
you will receive a letter from our friend Col. Lumpkin to me apprising me he
had collected a certain amot. of money which was held subject to my order. . .
. Will you do me the kindness to speak to the Col. on the subject, or if you
choose shew him his letter, which will refresh his recollection, and receive
the amot., and likewise do me the farther favor to hand it to Thomas Ritchie
with whom I am in arrears. No doubt you sometimes call on the venerable old
gentleman whose grey head and tremulous hand is more formidable to the Whigs
than an army with banners. This will give you some trouble perhaps, but we
cannot live without troubling one another, and you do not know how much
trouble I may have on your account yet. Be it however much or little I shall
not make out my bill. I could send the statement of Maj. Walker if I thought it
were necessary, but the Col. might think I questioned his honor, or some such
thing; and I have a great disinclination to be called out in Cold Weather. I
will however drop him a line. The President's Message has set all our mountain
folks to thinking and talking. Every one understands, or thinks he understands,
all about the Oregon question; and I heard a crowd on Christmas, not one of
whom knew on which side of the Rocky Mountains Oregon was, swear they would
support and fight for Polk all over the world, that he was right, and we
would have Oregon and thrash the British into the bargain. As to the tariff,
they despised it — they never liked it — and Polk had shewn it was not the poor
man's friend. But about locking up the public money, they were not so sure he
was right, — it had better circulate from hand to hand, as people could then
get money for their work. After the Message had been elaborately [execrated?]
by the meeting, my summing up was that our mountain population (save a few
rabid Whigs) were sound to the core, and let peace or war betide they would do
their duty. Bagatelle aside, this Oregon affair must prove a rough customer to
us and England. I am no advocate of quarrels, much less protracted ones, and
decidedly prefer a fight, though it results in a bloody nose, to the latter,
and therefore feel anxious that the question should be settled; but I must be
permitted to doubt if either England or the U. S. has pursued the most politic
course, and think if negotiations could be resumed the controversy would
be settled with scarcely a shade's variation from the terms previously offered
and rejected. But how can the confab be reopened? Neither power will make the
first advance; each to a great extent have taken their position, and pride
prompts to its maintenance. That our old ally and best transatlantic friend in
bye-gone days begins to look on us with green eyes there can be no doubt. Her
conduct in relation to Texas, her notions of a balance of power, etc., prove
it, and war with England will demonstrate it fully. We should therefore not
precipitate a conflict, but with energy prepare for it by increasing our navy
and fortifying the most assailable points. The opinion expressed by many
distinguished men that England cannot war with us, is a strange delusion. With
her stock of cotton on hand and the supplies she can get from Brazil, Egypt and
the E. Indies, not one of her spindles would stop for two or three years; and
as to her want of breadstuffs, she can feed her suffering thousands on the
water and in Canada as cheaply as at home. Her press gangs are now superseded
by the necessities of the people, and the difficulty would be to restrain
enlistments. And has she ever had such a time to carry out those objects which
she so anxiously desires, as the present? She is at peace with all Christendom,
her population redundant, the Catholic fanatics of Ireland would forget repeal
to join the crusade against slavery; and France, colonizing France, not at all
relishing our declarations as to European powers interfering with the affairs
of N. America, would stand aloof and feel no desire that the strife should
cease until both were whipped.
But if Oregon is ours, although I regret it is not under
instead of on the Pacific, we must have it unless we voluntarily yield a part;
and I think the President has immortalised himself in taking the stand he has.
I hope Congress will act on the subject with caution, prudence, and firmness.
Let us ever be in the right and trust to our valor and the God of battles for
the issue.
The winter has been excessively cold and has kept me at
home, but shall leave in a few days for Ala. The vote on the adm. of Texas was
nobly done. Write to Tom Rush to go to Congress. He has talents of a high
order, and the people wish him to go, but he is disinclined. Do write to him at
Nacogdoches.
SOURCE: Ulrich Bonnell Phillips, Editor, The Annual
Report of the American Historical Association for the Year 1911, Volume 2: The
Correspondence of Robert Toombs, Alexander H. Stephens, and Howell Cobb, p.
69-71
No comments:
Post a Comment