The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-08-07
r. w. DnLARD, Secretary.
Mi. Clay.

| A correspondent in this mornings Mercury
| fires pretty sharply into Mr.. Clay for his late
| assault on South Carolina, and he expresses no
more than the general feeling Of the State, as ex-
hibited by the press, as to the wantonness, I'M
propriety and bad temper of that assault. Mr..
Clay himself appears not to have been insensible
| to the wrong he was doing, and in his carefully
revised speech he has so pared down and modified
his language. as reported by all who heard him,
that he has in fact almost deprived it Of meaning,
and but for the evident disposition to offer insult,
which he allows to remain, we should be at loss
to guess what object he had in view in alludingto
the Charleston meeting.
His denunciation Of Mr.. Rhett has force only
on the supposition that this gentleman contem-
plates the raising of an insurrection against the
Government. We know that he dreams of no
such thing. The only dissolution of the Union
that Mr.. Rhett, or any other Southern man, con-
templates the possibility OF, is through the action
of the States in their sovereign. The question
that will then be raised for the citizen, is not
whether he will rebel against the Federal Govern
ment, but whether he will refuse obedience TO his
own lawful sovereign. ha. a \ a.ir
Mr.. Clay indeed says in his reply to Mr.. Barn
WELL that If Keutncky should rise against the all-
thority ofthe Federal Government, and he thought
her cause bad one, he refuse to support her,
But this ony further shows how very hard it was
for Mr.. Clay to give vent to his spite within the
limits of law and common sense. He is careful
not to say what he would do ifhe was profoundly
convinced that the cause of Justice and honor, and
the defence Of her dearest interests against agrees
sion and insult This, and this only, is the case
Of the Southern men who go for resistance and,
until Mr.. Clay can tell us what he would doWith
convictions such theirs, and sufficient leisure
from the pursuit Of the Presidency to be able to
follow his convictions, he can tell us nothing that
has bearing on the questIo'n.-Cha'tesf Mercury
PuRE DEMocRAcY.--Some OF the readers of the
Wing, we have no doubt, were indebted for a
good laugh to the article of Thomas Dorr Rynders,
published in Tuesday s paper, from the Wlnches-7
ter Republican. He is not the only wag who -
trying, this warm weather, to amuse himself and
the people with the propositions Of candidates for
the Convention. Jack Cade, in an address to his
friends, the radicals Of the counties Of Abemarle,
Nelson and Amherst, published in the Chariot
,esve Advocate, presents the following views as
to the Legislature: Il. teE&e rE tIl s.'. #.@
Owing to the difficulty Of adjusting represen-
tation here, upon satisfactory basis, and the
anomaly of the idea amongst people competent
to govern themselves, Of investing few with the
power OF enacting laws, positively binding upon
the State, would greatly diminish the powers
of this body II is admitted that the people are
the source Of all power; see not why oil laws
should not derive their aciire being also from their
direct fiat. II is admitted that il is best for them
to appoint every officer, from governor and Judge
down to overseers Of the poor and constabes.
Why not, then, allow them to pass upon every
measure, before it has the force OF law. The
Legislature, then, should possess this single and
isolated power, that Of framing bills and present
ing them to the consideration Of the people, who,
by their votes, should decide whether they should
become laws or not. And then we would have
that beau ideal Of government, emphatically, :.
government of the people; and more esPeciaily1
farther provision was made, which could readny
be done, that these bills should only be operative
as laws in those counties where they respectively
received majority of votes. Or what, perhaps,
would be better still, dispense with the Legislature
altogether, and get rid of all this bother ABOUT 1i
ennial and annual sessions, rs well as win 'ne
heavy sum il now costs In lieu OF II, let the
people of each county prepare just such bills as
tbev want, forward them to the governor, and
make il his duty to lay them before the people OF
The State, to be voted upon by them as before
stated By this means would concord and har-
monv be secured throughout our borders, no sec
,;onol ealousies and chickering's would arise; q
happy millennium would be upon us. lfany por
tion Of the citizens of county should feel dis
satise ed with the laws in existence there, all they
would have to do would be to remove to another
county where they had rejected such laws and
then the sons Of Virginia would remain upon her
own soil, instead Of emigratng other States, and
the destiny Of our State would be upward and on
ward Richmond Wig, stl