The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1850-11-12

The paragraphs which follow, from the speech
| of ROBERT j. WALKER, delivered at the Union
| meeting held in the city of Natchez, on the first
Monday of January, 1888, contain suggestions
| which the holders of Buffalo and Nashville
conventions may do well to ponder on:
"a Southern convention is proposed ofthe States
| of North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia,
| Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi. If the object
be Confederacy of these States, without Lou
isana, and the Western, Middle, and Northern
States, if patriotism or love for the Union in
sufficient to restrain from attempting this fatal
| measure, we have seen that il would blast forever
the fortunes of the planter of Mississippi But what
States will unite in this convention? Georgia has
disclaimed the act Of the self constituted, self
elected minority convention, that acted in her
name The history of Virginia speaks in the voice
OF indignant rebuke to all those States that
bic sectional conventions. North Carolina, unas-
| Stunning but steadfast in support of the Union, will
enter into no such convention. Alabama, if her
public meetings and journals and her chief magis-
trate speak the voice of the State, will send no
delegates. Tennessee, brave and patriotic devo-
ted TO the Union and sustaining its banner in war
and in peace, meets the proposition with decided
refusal Imagine, then, our delegates would return
without finding this Southern convention. am op-
posed to all sectional conventions. We have had
such convention, and whatever the secret motives of
its members may have been, the very fact that it
a sectional convention, that il WAS believed to
be convened to calculate the value of the Union,
that it supposed to have in view an eastern
confederacy, has sealed the doom of it's members
and projectors. And when the calm shall follow
the Storm similar fate awaits all who will go into
this Southern convention. trust there never will
be another partial convention, Northern, Southern.
Eastern, Westerns; for, whether assembled at
Hartford or Columbia, they equally dangerous
to the Union of the~statcs. They create and in
flame geographical parties. Could the North, as
sembled in convention, have that full knowledge
of the situation and wants of the people of the South
as to legislate for them, and propose ultimatums,
to which the South must submit, leave the Union
Could the South possess that full knowledge of the
situation and wants and interests Of the people Of
all the other States TO enable them TO dictate the
terms which the Union should be governed or
dissolved No; il is only in meeting of all the
States, in Congress convention, that that know
ledge Of the wants and interests of ALL and that that
fusion of sentiment and opinion, and spirit of mu-
tual concession exist, in which the Constitution
was framed, and all its powers should be exercised
'If we hold Southern conventions, then will there
be Northern, Eastern, and Western conventions,
racies will first be formed, and then, as Mr. Jeffer-
most truly tells US, would speedily follow the
formation of separate and independent govern
inent by each State. What is il we arc asked 10
abandon, and for what? That Union which ushered
in the morn Of American liberty, and gave birth to
the Declaration Of Independence; which carried our
armies VIGOROUSLY through the storms Of the Rev
olution, and the last war, and now waves triumph
antly in every sea, the kindred embems of our
country's glory. 1t gave Washington-it gave
us hberty-and bears our name aleft among the
nations OF the earth. 1t is our only rampant in
war-our only safeguard in peace; and under its
auspices declared, achieved, maintained, and
can alone preserve our liberties 1t is the only
basis of solid and substantial interests and the
last star of hope to tho oppressed of every cline
Shall we calculate it's valuei Mo- for we will not
estimate the value of libcrty-and liberty and union
are inseparabie Dissolve this Union and let each
State become, Mr. jefferson truly tells it would
a separate government, could we preserve our lib
ertiesl Where would be the army and navy, and
seamen of the State OF Mississippi how to be pro-
cured, and how to be maintained and paidl Where
would be her ambassadors and treaties her COM
mcrce, and through what ports, and by whose per-
mission would she ship her exports, or introduce
imports' Who would respect her flag-who would
recognise her as nation, and how would che pun
ish aggrossions upon her rights, the the
land, No, fellow citizens tho President truly tells
US that separate Independence" is " drcam"-a
dream from which we would wake in bondage or in
death. But if dsgraced abroad what would be our
situation at home, separate bordering and hostile
States; and how long could we remain in peace and
concordl The voice of history tells us-tho blood.
stained fields of our sister republics Of America pro-
claim that disunion would be the signal for war
before the strong; and upon the ruins OF this now
happy Union would arise the darkest despotsm that
ever crushed the liberties OF knd for it would
be established and could only be maintained by the
bayonet Perhaps, whilst yet the civil war should
ragewith doubtful issue, whilst exhausted and bleed
ing at every pore that sangunary alliance ofdespots
combined to crush the liberties of man, would send
it's armies toour shores. Under what standard would
wo rally to preserve liberty There would be
no Union without il, there would be no strength,