The Sumter banner. [volume] (Sumterville, S.C.) 1846-1855, 1849-07-11

| poiltlcai leauer. Ills reason tor adopt
ing this particular course is obvious en-
ough; he Imagined that there yet lurk.
ed in the public mind a remnant of that
once prevalent prejudice against Mr..
Calhoun as the expounder Of notification
and supposed that if he could manage
to connect our movement last winter
with the noted measures of State resist
ancc adopted by South Carolina few
years since, his triumph in the contest
which he has sought would be quite an
easy one. Besides, he had but little
right to expect that Mr.. Calhoun would
come into arena at all with such an
antagonist as himself, as he is well
known very seldom indeed to notice
any thing which chances to fall from
Mr.. Benton in the Senate, and to cher
ish for him only sentiment of immcas,
urablc contempt. BY cautiously avoid
ing any special allusion to other sign
crs of the address, he expected to be
able to assail them thus indii cctly, with.
out affording them a pretcxt fer retail
atinG his hostility. [ regret to feel
compelled to disappoint this anticipation
of IMMUNITY. Representing, as have
the honor to do, valiant, Ia."iotic,
and Union-loving const;tucncy--a con
stituency who, upon all questions which
involve the honor of the nation, or their
cwn domestic security, arc united to a
man--a constituency firm, discreet, cn-
lightcncd; who
duties know,
Put know their rights, aud knowing, dare
| n,uint .in;
| Prevent The long aimed blow,
Aud crush the ,yrant when thcy rcnd the
chan;
acting BY the authority Of such a consti-
tucncy, in q high place, l dare not
prove rccrcant before their enemies, or
patiently permit my standing and good
faith as trusted functionary to be cal
ledm question by any inflated and pre-
sumptuous dcmagoguc that has ever
yet crushed the republic with his pres,
cncc.
respect Mr. Calhoun very highly,
and believe that few better, rurcr, and
more patriotic men have ever lived on
earth; but whilst l am not ashamed to
acknowledge my high reverence for
his mind and character, am not afraid
Of being regarded by any man who
knows me as his obsequious follower
a few days will determine, whether lie
who has been set forth as our leader,
may not, in spite Of his known aversion
to controversial strife, and the feeble
state Of his physical health. prompted
by The peculiar pcrils Of the hour, a
deep and swelling sense of long accu-
mulating wrongs, and this last vandalic
outrage upon his feelings and charac-
ter: snatch the sword of vengeance
from the scabbard where it rcposcs;
and WELD it with giants strength for
the destruction Of such monsters az
have seldom appeared in the world since
the old days Of Mythical rcnown.
Icrrnpu Achcronta Hrrculeus laJoy:
until he shall consider his assailants
worthy of death at his own hands, it
would ill-bccomc one wholly uncolnmis-
stoned tos the purpose to presume to
lift lance in his defence. l shall con-
fine myself to points which involve alike
the honor of all who subscribed the
Southern Address. What are the cir
cumstanccs connected with the origin
of this much ccnsurcd document? They
are easily stated, and as easily comprc.
j nenaaeas, 1I.etit be horne in mind that
when the meeting or convention convention Of the
Southern members of Congress Vas
held i'll the Capitol last winter various
agHrcssioEs Of most serious character
had from time to time been committed
upon the peculiar institutions of the
South; a graphic dclincation Of which
which will be found in the address itself.
These aggrcsslons must have been most
serious and alarming as all will admit
that the ou:ragcs pcrpctratcd within Il
few years past have been grosscr and
more vital than any heretofore com
planned Of; and since Mr.. Benton him.
self, who now has the cfi'rotcry to de-
clare, in his Jefferson City speech,
that he ''has seen no danger to the
slave property Of any State in this I'm
ion from the action of Congress-" then
rlnctccn years ago, in his speech Oh
Foote's resolutions, averrcd, with every
appearance Of dcliberation, that the
passage of a general emancipation law
by Congress was not only "by no means
Improbable" but, son the contrary alb.
solutcly tain, in the event of the sue
cess OF certain measures then on foot. y
When we held our meeting in the Sen.
ate Chamber, a resolution had been
introduced into the House Of Rcprcscn,
tatlvcs, the object Of which was to re.
peal all acts or parts of acts which lc-