The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-07-26
WASHINGTON CITY.
FRIDAY. JULY 26. 1850.
Mr.. Rhett's Speech.


recent speech of Mr.. RHETT, in Charleston AL.
though we do not concur with Mr.. RHETT in
despairing of an adjustment of the pending con.
troversy on terms equivalent to those proposed
by the Nashville Convention, and therefore do
not, like him, despair of preserving the Union,
we regard with derision the aflectation of patri-
otism with which he is denounced by the Re-
public and Union.
The Republic thinks it proper to pronounce
Mr. RHETT's views traitorous and him traitor.
This is an absurd abuse of terms. Treason, by
our Constitution, consists in wagng war against
the United States Mr.. RHETr proposes no
such thing. He insists only on the right of SOW
ereign States to secede from the Union, and that
only in contingency that has not yet arisen.
Now that does not involve war, certainly not
war by the seeding States and if it did, the
war would not be against the United States,''
for the Union would be gone.
The Republic says:
The people of the United States will not
permit secession from the Union, peaceable or
otherwise, of one or more of the States CON-
posing it. In selfdefence, they will suppress
any such attempt, at all hazards"
In case of the secession of several States, or
of half the States, we should like to know of
the Republic who would be the people of the
United States"
The Republic assumes that Mr.. RHETr is
now for dissolving the Union, when there is no
subsisting grievance. So far from it, MIR. RHETT
says:
Fellow citizens 1t is a matter of the great
est Importance to us to consider, whether either
OF the alternatives proposed by the Nashville
Convention will be adopted by Congress. Will
an equality in our Territories be conceded, and
If not, will the North divide with us our Terri
tories on the line proposed Ii either of these
alternatives shall be enforced by the legislation
OF Congress, all danger to the Union from the
question Of slavery in our Territories aoiH be orer
although the subject of slavery itself would still
continue in other forms to be agitated in Con-
gress, and in the Northern States"
The Republic goes on to say, that the North
gave the South notice long ago that all territory
acquired from Mexico should be withheld from
Southern occupancy. Yes, and the South there
upon gave the North notice that any attempt to
do that thing would be resisted at all hazards,
and to the last extremity. And Mr. RHETT
says no more than this, except to express the
opinion that the North will persist in the execu-
ton of her threat, and that the contingency of
Southern resistance is at hand. ........
Why it was but few years since that the
Legislature of the sovereign State of Massa-
chusetts, resolved that the Uuion had been dis
solved by the annexation of Texas: and none
of this canting love of Union and holy horror
of traitors was heard Of
The Republic goes on to charge that there are
Southern men in favor of Disunion per Sc that
ire using the present difficulty as a pretext.
There may be a few of this sort. But for every
me the Republic will show us, we will show n
hundred who esteem this Union only as an in
'trument of plumber, and whose main objects in
Erecting the policy of the government, is to
extort from a minority the utmost it can endure,
TO pamper the majority.
The Union adopts different style of attack
on Mr.. RHETT. He complained in his speech of
the action of our Revenue system on the South
both as to collection and disbursement There
upon the Union parades in capitals and with
pointers s5y that not only did Mr.. RHETT, but
JOHN c. CALHOUN and GEORGE McDUFFIE, with
all the rest of the South Carolina delegation,
vote for the present taritf-the tariff of 1886
Now the tariff of 1916 was a compromise meas
ure. 1t contains duties designed for protection,
and at the time South Carolina and other States
complained Of them--but in a spirit of conces-
sion and Cancellation, voted for that tariff-and
because it was much better than the law it re-
peaed, the tariff of 1912 The editor of the
Union knows all this, and yet he has no more
honesty than to pretend now, that the act was
fully approved per Sc by the South Carolina
delegation. He says the object Of that act was
to make the taxation equal among The States
He knows that it was not the object to make
taxation equal among them, or the duties OF
iron, cotton, and woollen goods would not hav,
been fixed at 30 per cent, instead of about 40
in order to protect the interests of Pennsylva
mia, New York and Massachusetts, at the ex
pense of agricultural States: yet South Caro-
lima acquiesced for the sake of harmony, ant
now she is accused of advocating that as a prin
ciple which she only tolerated as a concession.
For our own part we never expected that th
Government, or any government will approximate,
closely to justice or equality towards its mem
bers. 1t would be expecting too much of hu
man nature. And notwithstanding all the can
about the honesty and intelligence Of the people
we do not expect any thing like strict justc,
from majority or from any other depository
Of power.
Many acquiesced in and supported the tariff
of 1916, not because it cqualized taxation among
the States--not because it was not plainly par
tal to some of them, but because they thought
it vastly superior to the law it superseded--thc
tariff of 1912,