The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-11-11
From dc .uontgomsry (.ila.) .atlas.

Hon. 3. w. EARRI5.-Ihe ~Unlon or "suDnis-
SION barbecue, about which there had been such
a blowing of horns, and such throwing up of
caps in the "cuts" and columns of the Alabama
Journal for many weeks previous, came off in
this place on Saturday morning last. The field
of operations, as fate and the committee of ar
rangements would have il, was in a very seques-
tered quarter of the town, and not many yards
distant from our residence, making it almost a
matter Of necessity that We should become an
eye and an ear witness to portion OF the pro-
ceedings u nu sr7, n
We had returned to town that morning after
ten days absence, and having completely lost
our reckoning MS to the run of political events
during that period, we were co fortably seated
before stack Of exchange papers, with the view
Of Aposting up" and preparing ourselves for the
next weeks labors Butour attention was soon
attracted to the street by an unusual number of
passers-by, who were directing their steps to-
wards the rear of the town, wearing counte-
nances il appeared to us, of rather down-cast
and lugubrious character 1t first occurred to
US that some one OF our "prominent citizens,n
during our absence, might have ashuflied off his
mortal coil" and that steps were in progress TO
celebrate his funeral; but being aware That that
was not the usual route to the graveyard, we
inquired for a solution of the mystery, and our
memory was refreshed with the information
which we had almost forgotten--that the great
day had at last arrived for the appointed aUnion"
jubation over the downfall Of the South. A
fit of melancholy musing ensued. In what it
would have resulted we do not know, had we
not been agreeably interrupted by being told
that the friends of the Constitution and of
Southern rights, were at that moment assemb-
ling in the Court House, for the purpose of lis
tening to speech from the Hon. Sampson w.
Harris. We therefore bent our way thther-
ward forthwith, and most refreshing and glo-
rlous entertainment rewarded our pains
Mr.. Harris's arrival in town on that day was
purely accidental; but the opportunity Of hav-
ing a speech from him was considered too good
to be lost, and notice was immediately circula-
ted about the streets that he would without de-
lay address the people from the Court House.
The building was speedily thronged and filled to
its utmost capacity; the meeting thus extern
poraneously brought together equalling if not
surprising in numbers, the submission crowd
then congregating about the dinner table in an
other part of the town. .s,.,....ss 1E H., Re-,
Though Mr. Harris came before the people
totally unprepared for regular set speech yet
to our surprise, he delivered one of the most CO.
gent eloquent and powerful addresses ION the
subject OF Southern rights that we ever heard
from human lips. 1t was the first time we had
ever seen or heard this distinguished gentleman,
and as high as our opinions of his abilities had
been raised By perusal of his Congressional
speeches, our expectations were entirely exceed
cd by his noble effort on this occasion. His APP
pearance on the stand is decidedly progresses
ing, having graceful figure, dark penetrating
eyes, Il highly intellectual countenance--one
that is susceptible of giving the most varied and
intense expression to every feeling and emotion
tt,, Il i l. l. i
cision in his movements, that betokena tirmness
of character as unbending and reliable as the oak
of the forest %
We do not intend to give even sketch of
Mr.. Harris's speech; to do so would require
more time and space than We at present have at
command; but we We're more than gratitied to
find that in many of his arguments and views on
the slavery question, he indicated the very iden-
teal course which we have repeatedly marked
out through the columns of the Atlas, as, in our
opinion, the only safe and feasible one for the
South to pursue, w.. '"ra. .-
He urged in appeals of irresistible force the
great importance of Wniiing the South--not on
this that or any other particular plan of resist
ance-but of uniting all parties in a determina-
ton not to submit to, or aequiesee in, any mea-
sure Of aggression upon our constitutional rights
that first standing on that broad platform, we
should then In some general convention, repre-
senting the united Sauth-or at all events, re-
presenting large majorities of individual States
give the North our uhinaatatan, insisting on
having our constitutional rights With the most
satisfactory guarantees for their future obser-
vance, and that if this should not be acceded
to, why then quietly withdraw from the Union
Is not this reasonable ? Who that is not
sand blind by prejudice or party higotrv can OBJ
ject to such a course To deliberately refuse to
stand upon such a platform on the plea of nj
trdisna, is virtually to acknowledge that We free
men of the gallant and chivarous South, must
not presume to ask for our constitutional rights
that we have become subjugated, craven
hearted, abject dependents upon Northern M. s.
ters-that we are completely in their power and
at their mercy, and that like the serfs of Russia,
we must beg and sue, with cap in hand, to be
allowed to ENJOY even " hat few rights are vet
remaining to u.s. a#.. ." ..s0.s... ~
Mr.. Harris illustrated in the happiest and
most forcible manner the atrocious character of
the Compromise" bills and the disastrous con-
sequences to the South that must inevitably
flow from them that the course of proceedings
which resulted in the admission of California
was most infamously fraudulent from beginning
to end, and that the law of Congress which de-
cared her n State Of the Union was an act of
high-handed tyranny and most barefaced, flag
rant and insulting outrage upon the slavehold-
ing States.
We entertain no doubt in the world that if
such arguments as those used by Mr.. Harris
could be placed before the minds Of the South
ern people and dispassionately considered,
ninety -nine- one hundredths of them would de-
clare themselves for taking instant action on the
course so eloquently recommended by him. II
is nothing but Southern ANTON that is required
to secure all our rights, and whether the picture
of blood-shed and civil war, so much dwelt
upon by the submissionists, prove to be reality
or a mere phantasm Of morbid brain, the sureSt
way 10 escape such direful evils Is to unite as
one man and repet the invading enemy by
proper display of courage and strength, and not
to inrite further aggressions by a tame subns-
sion TO those already perpetrated. g.1...g
The large audience responded to the senti-
ments and glowing appeals Of the eloquent
speaker in the most enthusiastic manner.
Judge Mays preceded Mr.. Harris in one of his
warm, teryent, forcibe and eloquent speeches,
He took the bold and open ground that, in his
opinion. disunion WAS the only salvation for the