The Arkansas banner., 1850-03-12
From ths N. Q. psila. Ssors of shs Dscislon and Firmness of the


 Whsn soatiisrn newspspefs applaud, as . most -au,anenAable degree of airmness and decisien' in ahs PresIdea, of the Uniied States, who threatens 10 ..il uaon ths North aud West for volHnteeFs to
 arcl, npon the southern Staies, to slay their rons io desolats their fields, and destroy their exisencc n. aovereirn States of tiis confederscy, we should nas ba sstoaished that marauders and bandtI at the North shoud be fouad ready to ac. upon the barba- roaa threat. The Picayuae contains the following from the letter of Ion to the Baltimore Sun 1; .sTa u.rt of the great North west is alFeady mar LaA oaL Eysa the number oG regiments that the S,.is of Illinois s to furais has been statedthat Ia thiriy.six regiments. who are 10 Dateb ont in defence of lhe Union, or retnrn no moFe.' "ke- turn no more."--thsy may well add these words. The men who woald dare 10 invade these Staies for inc purpose, not of protecting themselves, or Of ayengInr any wrong done them, bat from the wan ton love of destraetiO of booty, and Piilage, and for the purpose of enforciag upOa us yoke as hated as that from which these Colonies released themselves by the revolution of l776, would indeed "relurn uo mere.' What hays they to complain off Has the South injured them In any Fespectf Does it threaten them with invasion or any harmi Are we not willing that they shall continue per- fecty undisturbed in all their rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happinessi How dare they, then, tslk about invading oar limits; and where is ihe recreani son of the South. who is infamous enouhg to send forth words of applsuss and encouragement of .hese fell pnrposesl Is this Hnion, peaceabe bond of sovereign States, which, previous to the constitutional compact, free soyereigR and in- dependent, and which, without yielding up their original sovereignty, conceded to the general gov ernment the powers necessary 10 direct The national affairs of all the States, to be maintained by force, by military force, by marching troops from State to sabuga,e, and perhaps unnhiate, those of u neighborng Statei
 The degrading fallacy Is founded h gross mis- conception of tho American character They are not to be threatened. 10 be frightened into subms. sion to wrong and oppression. This Union is not 10 be preserved by means like these, my than 1t can be by euphonous periods and rhetorical homiIies. There must be honesty and good faith in the parties to the constitutional compact. They must obey the spirit of that instrument. To pre- the constltution has been violated. and the rights which existed previous io and were reversed under the constitution violated and destroyed, is to utter . degradiug fsllacy. As sovereigus, these States went into the confederacy; sovereigus, they may recede from it when the constitution is Overthrown. and their sovereign rights trampIsd upon. Such is the doctrine of rhomas Jefferson James Madison, and the fathers of the Consiituion. Any other doctrine would lead tO results which aie without remedy, and won'd make this government the worst in the world. Suppose Congress should so mOraow pass law abolisiing slavery in the United States, aud General Taylor, as the Execu- tive, should threaten 10 blockade our ports and call upon the North and West for volunteers to enforce this law-what Southerner would hesitate between disunion and resistance, and union and submission to such ouirares!