The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1850-04-23
1Dolitifal Departnleut.
Correspondence Of the New York Herald.
.voTHER LETTER FROM PATRICK HENRY.
WASHINGTON, April IL, ISoU

w IAP'h ~
The greatest anxiety pervades the entlre pup
lie mind, North and South, East ana west
throughout the length and breadth OF the red
eral Union of States and Territories, in refer.
ence to the Southern Convention, which has
been called by some States of the Southern
section, to meet at Nashville, in Tennessee, IN
the coming month of June.
The most absurd falsehoods have appeared
in the public Journals in both sections, in refer,
ence TO the motives and designs of those States
which have taken an active part in favor OF this
convention, and to which they have appointed
their most eminent men as delegates. Ihe
q Washington papers have been teem'ng WIN
nonseusical editorials, and articles extracted
from other papers, attributing the most treason
able motives to all such citizens OF the rePuDhc
as are favorable to the meeting OF this conVen'
ton. Without noticing these false, malicious,
aud imaginary motives, will give brlef out
true account of the design of this convention OF
Southern States, and tho causes which have LED
to its being called.
For series of years, there has been an un-
inst. partial system of general legislation pur-
sued at Washington, which has benefited the
Northern at the expense of the Southern Sec
tion of the Union The leading minds at the
South perceived the tendency OF such legisla-
ton. and that unless checked, it must, in the
end. absorb the rights and equality of the South
en States in the Union. Until the introduce
tion of the Wilmot proviso discussion, this legs-
lation against the rights of the South had been
confined to the following causes of complaint: !:
l.. Unequal legislation in regard to the col
lection of revenue.
Q. The expenditure Of the revenue in appro-
priations almost exclusively for the benefit OF
the free States.
81 The lack of legislation, on the part of Con-
prcss, to secure compliance on the part OF the
Northern States, with the requirements of the
federal constitution in reference to the surren-
der of fugitive slaves.
d. An evident disposition on the part of the
representation from the non.slaveholding States,
composing the majority in Congress, to act IN
sectional concert, and to receive petitions to
agitate the slavery question, with the design to
abolish it in the Territories, and eventually force
the entire South to do the same in the respec-
tive slaveholdng States.
All these causes of complaint did not alarm
the South to such degree as to cause their
delegates to act in sectional concert in Con-
gress, or to forget the distinctions of party i'll
the more important object Of concert for safety
and existence.
The introduction of the Wilmot provso prin-
ciple into Congress, with the evident and OPEN
ly avowed design of deprtving the Southern
States Of all right in the Territories, aroused
that section from their lethargy, and melted
them to prompt and determined resistance. 1t
commenced with the issuing of the celebrated
Southern Address by Southern members of Con.
gress, with the exception of such as were we'd
ded to party, and of keeping the ties of party
between North and South unbroken. The re-
sponse to this mastery address by the masses
ofthe population of the South, was very general
and very decided. 1t was deemed advisable
that the South should act in concert. A con-
vention was held at Jackson Mississippi, in Oc-
tober, lS49. At this convention were many
leading men from other Southern States. The
discussion of II general convention of the South
ern States was carried on out Of doors, and f.
nally the convention itself decided to call
Southern Convention for June The movement
of Mississippi has been concurred in very gen.
orally by all the other States; and though the
objects of this general convention at Nashville
have been ridiculed and misrepresented, there
is no question that nearly all the districts in the
Southern States will be represented at Nash
vile, and that the convention will speak the
voice of the South, and that it will be re.echoed
from the people of these States.
The design of this convention is undoubtedly
to scussfreely and automatically the grievances
of the Southern section, and to take stand, as
section, in favor of remedy. There can be
possibly no objection to this course Let the
South hold their convention, and then the North
can be no longer in doubt Of what the South
want, or what they will have, or secede from
the Union. Better to come to final decision
than to live along in the present excitement,
which must eventually end in disunion, before
the North are aware oft.
The doctrine of State rights in the federal
Union, is doctrine that has been freely discuss
ed oflate years; and if any thing is fully and
incontestibly established in the minds Of the
people, it is this truth-that the "United States"
and "federal States" have the same meaning
that the constitution was adopted by the States
as States-tlat we are not nation Of indvid-
uals, but that we arc a federal community of
States, each State being a sovereign. The Sc
cession of one State would be bad enough,
would cause much embarrassment, and proba.
bly, plunge the Union into n very general civil
x,,,. How ,,uch hotfor iS n thru thpt fbo mr.,