The Woodville Republican. [volume] (Woodville, Miss.) 1847-1853, 1850-06-18
ADDRESS TO THE PEOPLE OF THE
SOUTHERN STATES.

The Committee to achjcb waS referred Tie
duty Of preparing an address to Me
| people Of tue sIarchOlding States upon
the subject Of a Southern organ, to be es-
taSljShed in tie City Of Washington,
put Jorth tie J0IlO'9ing::
FELLow-CITIzENs; A number of Sena-
tors and Representatives III Congess from
the Southern States of the Confederacv,
deeply impressed with a sense of the dan
gers which besct those States, have consid-
cred carefully our means of selfdefence
within the Union and the Constitution, and
have come to the conclusion, that it is high.
ly important to establish in this city pa
per which, without reference to politi-
cal party, shall be devoted to the rights and
interests of the South, so far as they are in.
volved in the questions growing ont Of Af
rlcan slavery. To establish and maintain
such paper, your support is necessary, and
accordingly we address you on this subject
In the contest now going on, the consti-
tutional equality of fifteen States is put in
question. Some sixteen hundred millions
worth of negro property is involved, direct
ly; and Indirectly, though not less surely,
an incalculable amount Of property in other
forms. But to say this, is to state less than
half the doom that hangs over you. Your
social forms and institutions, which sepa-
rate the European and the African races in
to distinct classes, and assign to each diff
ferent sphere in society, are threatened with
overthrow. Whether the negro is to occu-
py the same social rank with the white
man, aud enjoy equally with him the rights,
privileges. and immunities of citizenship, in
short, all the honors and dignities of society,
is question of greater moment than any
mere question of property can be.
Such is the contest now going Ola con-
test in which public opinion, if not prevail
ing, is destined to be a most prominent
force, and yet no organ of the united inter-
ests of those assailed has as yet been estab-
lished; nor does there exist any paper
which can be the common medium for an
interchange of opinions amongst the South
ern States. Public opinion, as it has been
formed and directed by tile combined inAu-
ence Of interest and prejudice, is the force
which has been most potent against lis in
the war now going on against the institu-
ton of negro slavery; and yet we have ta-
ken no effectual means to make and main
tain that issue with it, upon which our
safety and perhaps our social existence de-
pends; Whoever will look to the history
of this question: and to the circumstances.
under which we are now placed, must see
that our position is one of imminent danger,
and one to be defended by all the means,
moral and political, of which we can avail
ourselves in the present emergency. The
warfare against African slavery commenced,
as it is known, with Great Britain, who, af-
ter having contributed mainly to its cstab-
lishment in the new world, devoted her
most earnest efforts, for purposes not yet
fully explained, to its abolition in America
How wisely this was done so far as her
own colonies were concerned, time has de-
termlned, and all comment upon this sub
ject on our part would now be entirely SUI
perauous. If, however, her purpose was to
reach and embarrass us on this subject, her
OhOlto iAtANC AAOb pCCIl WltllOut SuCCGSe' n
common origin, a common language, have
made the English literature ours to great
extent, and the efforts of the British Govern
mert and people to mould the public opin-
ion of all who speak the English language,
have not been vain or fruitless On the con-
trary, they have been deeply felt wherever
the English language is spoken, and the
more efficient and dangerous, because, as
yet, the South has taken no steps to appear
and plead at the bar Of the world, before
which she has been summoned, and by
which she has been tried already without
hearing. Secured by constitutional guaran-
ties, and independent of all the world, SO
far as its domestic institutions were con-
cerned, the South has reposed under the
the consciousness Of right, and independence,
and iorborne to plead at bar which she
knew had no jurisdiction over this particular
| subject. In this we have been theoretical
ly right, but practically we have made a
great mistake. All means, political, diplo-
matte, and literary, have been used to con.
centrate the public opinion, not only Of the
world at large, but OF our own country,
against us; resting upon the undoubted