Hosea8.html

Robert Hosea to Abraham Lincoln, February 7, 1861

Page 8

of such states as those of New England, New

York and Pennsylvania; at the expense and

sacrifice of South Carolina and the other

staple agricultural states.

Nullification was dropped, but Calhoun

and his disciples were industrious in spreading

their ideas of Free trade, until now the

conspirators acknowledge privately it is the

only cause and object of secession; and by

an unprecedented infamy make use of the

fire brands of slavery to accomplish their pur-

pose. They are ringing the old belltocsin of 1833

with the slight difference, that they have laid

by for future use the Free trade clapper, and

are now pealing the alarm and cry to arms with

the Negro clapper.

Having sufficiently, as they thought, cultivated

their principles of free trade the conspirators looked about for a

party, by whose success they could fructify their

efforts; The Democratic party by its free trader

proclivities offered such an opportunity, and with

strange unanimity the southern sentiment was

led to the Democratic party which resulted in

the election of Mr Buchanan. To further their schemes

the conspirators had the Convention of 1860 adjourned

to Charleston where they hoped by associations

and maneuvering to engraft in the Democratic

platform the dogma of absolute Free trade.

But on the assemblage of the Convention, the