The Yazoo Democrat. (Yazoo City, Miss.) 1844-18??, 1850-11-27
Governors Message.

G0TeTn0rS message.
Gentlemen Of the Senate and House Of
Representatives.
A high sense Of,6uty has induced me to
convene the Legislature in extraordinary
sesssion.-W ere disposed to shift from
myself the responsibility OF this act, might
point to che 6rm and pstriOtic resolutions
OF your honorable bodies past at the last ses
sion on the SUBJECTED eur federal relations,
rs a full justification Of nay course; but, in
asmuch as the constitution coRides this
important power solely to the discretion Of
the Governor, am quite content to rest
the pr0priety Of my acuiOn upon reasons
and considerations, which l shall proceed
to lay before you, and by our common con-
stituents, the people. l shall study to pre-
sent them with simplicity, candor and
truth.
Probably no representative Government
has ever existed, which has not been agit-
a;ed by the contests of rival interests.
When these happen TO be sc altered and di-
fused throughout the whole community,
the excitement thereby prod lced, is healthy
and beneficial, but when these interests
are local and sectional, growing out of d.
versIty OF climate and prod actions, the con-
.jest soon becomes struggle for supremacy
TOO often attended with jealousy, bitterness
and hatred especially when the rival Sec
.tions are distinguished by dissimilar and
lncongruous social systems The contest
which has dong been ", aged. by the North
ern or nou-SlaVeholdiHg States, led on by
New England, against tlae Southern OF
Slaveholding States, hai be gun to partake
Of the latter charaeter. 1t commenced in a
conflict of interests, abo ut manufactures
navigation laws, local sp preparations, &c.
and has ended in a war OF determination
against the institution Of dol nestle slavery
or rather against the Sta ties in which the
system exists
The hostility to slavery has now become
the all-absorbing, sll-eontr olli,1g element oil
political action and party l movement, both
in Congress aud tdrougho ut the Northern
States. Political parties, nit e, separate,
and are modified with refer en- &c to it. II
is the main question in the ele, ;t;on of can
dldates for all of6cies. 1t is the active ell
ement Of religious, beneVolel It, charitable
ard even literary associat ionss and the
spice which seasons private soci ETY.. The
Constitution of the Uui.eo' tates, the
gravest questions Of public pt ,licIT, all are
construed and determined with ref srence to
this question of domestic slavery: and the
Congress Of the United States, who Sc pow.
ers are limited mainly to the regul alton oil
national aud external objects, are now
found devot:ng nearly all their time to SUBJ
jects of a domestic nature, over which 1t
was never intended that they should exer-
else Jurisdiction.
Itmight be interesting TO trace the pro-
gress of the abolition and aptti-slavery ex-
element, from its small beginnings TO its
present oveEshadowing indu ence, when it
actually sways the whole machinery OF
Federal Government. hut it is sufficient,
in thIs connection, TO state tlhe question as
it was during the last session Of the Legisla
TUE, ard TO present feVoibly the changes
which have since occurred
BY the war with MeSoico. we had ac-
qured vast and valuable territory. Its
area is large enough 70 conf titute fifteen
states Of Of medium size A portion Of
this territory, GeHting for more than 1000
miles upon the Pacific ocean. a bounds with
good hGrbors which commando the rich
commerce Of the Indies, Of China, and of
the Southern Archipelago. Ic contains
too, within itsbosom, inexhaustaS,,a beds
Of precious metals. No country ever dis.
covered, has suddenly presented so many
attractions tor agventure1s, and none has
HsenAhtoTo1lee with more rapidity. The
exclusive possession and enjoyment Of this
vast anu Flch territory, soon excited the av-
auce and lust Tor power OF the the North,
and for time, all anti-slavery schemes
were merged in the leading one Of sxolud,
ing the South from this joint possession.
The whole force Of the contest was turned
TO this point. The North determined to ex.
c.ude slavery. The South seemed equally
determined not to submit 70 such insulting
and unjust discrimination The firm and
decided position Of the slaVsholding states,
enforced respect, and for time, seemed to
promise security and protection against the
contemplated outrage, in the mean time,
while the rival sections maintained this at
IitBdc, q deep political intrigue was devils