Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-04-27


within the Constitution we say; for, although we
are not presumptuous enough to enter upon legal
argument with so accomplished Judge of what is
Law-and of what is Gospel, too, in view Of some
passages of the Mississippi Adhesive know
that Conventions of the States. in their sovereign
capacity, for purposes unknown to the Constilu-
ton, are repugnant to the Constitution, forbidden
by it in express terms, and can be nothing but
Revolutionary.
Show US any provision of the Constitution of the
United States which authorizes, as the Address -
of Mississippi to The body of the Southern
States proposes to do, as "a possible ultimate
resort that is, result to be governed by inter-
vening circumstances" regularly constituted
Convention of the assaed States (meaning
the Southern States TO whom the Address is drected)
to :" proride for their separate ,ceare, by the for
nation ofa compact and a Union, that will afford
protection to their liberties and right" We chal-
lenge the production of any authority in the Con-
stitutlon tor any such proceeding. If there be
any thing more contrary TO the Constitution, more
revolutionary, more designating, than this most
solemn public proposition, we are yet to learn the
words which would describe it.. be not PROPOSE
ton TO unsette the foundations of the Government
of the United States, we do not know Of any terms
which could more integibly convey to our mind,
and TO those, we presume, of ninety-nne out Of
a hundred readers, the idea of such proposition.
We do not bring in question the motives of Judge
SHARKEY. We know too well his general repu-
tation as a gentleman, and we have too much self
respect 10 mpeach his personal declarations that
point; but we do question the soundness of any
gument which would tend to the conclusion that
the proposition to establish ga compact and
Union,'' to embrace one-half of the States of the
Union, for their separate welfare" is not pro-
position to dissolve the Union. And what is most
astonishing the matters, that the Judge relies upon
the authority Of Mr.. Madison TO sustain him upon
this point. SIN such crisis, (says the Judge,) in
: the language of Mr. Madison, one spirit will ami
mate and conduct the whole !" What Mr.. MADI-
son actually did sag, in anticipation Of the precise
state Of things in contemplation, as possible resort
by the Address of the Mississippi Convention, is
conclusive against the differences in the Address,
Having so recently quoted it, there is no need to
repeat the quotation. His argument in substance
is, that whatever flame the influence of factious
leaders may create within particular States, upon
! particular topics, we have, in the extent and
structure of the Union-that is in the Constitu-
ton which "makes us one Government Re-
publican remedy for the diseases (discontents, for
example) most incident to Republics. ..
We take leave to say that the Address" of the
Mississippi Convention was not the first demon
straton TO us of purpose to unsettle the founda-
tons of the Government, but it was the browning
evidence of that intent. 1t instructed us ho,c it
was to be done, and enabled us to comprehend the
meaning of the Resolutions which the Virginia
Legislature seems to have passed without distinct
apprehension TO what sort of ga compact they
were pedging that State. Our attention was first
seriously aroused to the subject by indications in
the columns Of the Richmond Enquirer, the ten
dency of which could not be mistaken, connecting
the whole proceeding with the rise and fall of the
exploded scheme Of Notification. This associa
ton of ideas guided our memory to that extraordi.
nary publication of fifteen years ago, in the shape OF
work Of fiction, which we found to contain, under
the guise of romance, most exact and curious
revelation of what has now come to pass. A late
| Western Mail brought US Missouri paper, throw
ing so much new light upon the disclosures of that
work that it may not be unacceptable to readers
| to see the extract re-published, with part of the
pthy commentary upon it:
"In the National Intelligence Of the lh instant march,
one of its brosdsde ION the Evil of the Day among
the proofs produced in that number the resurrection of
book which excited but little attention at the time writ
ten and has sunk into oblivion for years. but now
up in the killing form of " States Evidence" Its title is that
of Partisan Leader " its author was Judge BEVERLY
Tucker its printer Duff Green its time of publication
1886, but dated 1885, and pupoed be history Of
what had taken place in ls49 Never such piece
history written beforehand It is the exact history Of
what progress in ls49, with the addition of the BIZ
fish alliance, whchs part Of the plot which had been be-
fore discovered The following from this book
which take from the Intelligencer "..,:,.,
"sUnder these circumstances the Southern States had
been, length forced tina, the day for decisive action
had arrived They therefore determined longer abide
Meobgations Of Constitution, the forms Of which alone
remained, and hapiag, By Increment nearly simultaneous,
'sEcEDED USIoS, they had immediately formed
"a SOUTHERN CoSrEDERAcY. The suddenness Of these
measures less remarkable than the prudence with which
they had been conducted The together left little doubt
that there had been precocert among the leading Of
the sererai States arranging professionally Wh should be
done ,chenerer circumstances should row pocer into the
hands of those ,hon at the bidding of the usurper, the
people had once driren from their councils It is
known that there such concert. Nor it confined
ito the seeding States alone In VrRGISIa also, there
soere ,oho entered into the But, while the
President believed that decisive step would be taken by
the Southern States without her cooperation he had
|