The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-11-09


written declaration of the grant Of powers on
the one hand, and inhibitions of powers to the
people on the other, all of which conform to the
principle before laid down, Il is obvious that in
dlviduals are required to perform the various
! agencies thus created. And this brings us to
the point that, after all, the Government as we'll
! as the Union il the two are capable of separate
existence, depends upon the virtue and wisdom
of the public agents entrusted by the people in
carrying it on. The most necessary aud Just
laws, in the hands Of 4 corrupt Judiciary, are but
so many engines Of oppression; and so of the
| other departments of the Government The
office of President of the United States, in the
| hands Of bad and wicked man, is but another
name for despotsm and the Congress Of the
| United States, when under Providence il is COM
posed OF nnprncipled and corrupt politicians, Is
the most unwiedy, dangerous and crushing des-
potsm that human ingenuity could devise The
only guard against these dire caamities is sup
posed to rest in a written Constitution, defining
the power, the virtue and wisdom of the people
themselves, and in the superstition that they will
hurl from power corrupt or Incompetent official
agents But, as think shall he able to show.
this Is not so in one section OF the Union, and
we are not likely, in my judgment, to see the
time when any improvement, in this respect, may
be reasonably anticipated. Then we come to
the question desire to PROFOUND to you and to
the people of Georgia Who is the Union party
of this State? Is it composed Of you and me,
and such as would restore the Government to its
original purity-those who desire to arrest the
lawless encroachmcnts of infuritied fannticsm,
which have urged on irresponsible majorilies in
both Houses OF Congress to the bold and undis-
| guised assumption of power, by which our feel
ngs and equal rights have been violated! Or is j.
nnm If In sbn far II,inn
now and forever right or wrong though it
should appear that Congress has wilfully and
corruptly passed laws depriying them of their
equal rights in the territory acquired of Mexico
For myself feel, and | doubt not you will
agree with me, that am prepared to make many
sacrifices for the Union. Everything can sur
render but my honor and my rights, undeniable
and clear under the Constitution, am prepared
to yield But if the dreadful alternative is
forced upon me to surrender these inestimabe
privileges, without which would feel far more
degraded than would to be a Russian serf oil
a Mexican peon, must confess my tongue vii
, not permit me to falsify the feelings of my
heart, and ! am forced to admit, rs an honest
man, that the Government must protect my
rights as guaranteed to NE by the Constitution
or it forfets my alegance--and that will look
to other safeguards for my protection. What
say you, gentlemen! Do you, in your heart,
covet an unjust iniquitious, and oppressive
Union? Do you so love your Northern breth-
rem for their many virtues and acts of disinter-
eSted patriotism, that you are prepared to forcgo
the rights secured to you by your revolutionary
fathers, in order to preserve Union not Of your
fathers, but the Union Of irresponsible, corrupt,
and unfeeling maiorities in Congress!
Gentlemen, we may patch up the breach be-
tween the slave and non. saveholding sections;
the love of the Union may predominant, and in
duce us to bear still longer the oppression of
the Government politicians are now busy en-
gagged in that work-many for good and patri-
otto, but not few from bad and unworthy mo-
tives. But the task will be utterly hopeless of
preserving the Union of these States for quar-
! ter of century Longer, unless the Government
is administered upon the great principles Of the
Constitution. And it is because | have almost
il not entirely, dcspaired Of ever seeing this
great and glorious object accomplished, that !
trouble You with my reflections upon the sub
jcct. And this brings me, gentlemen, directly
! to the question, whether there is just cause or
sufficient eason to believe that the Federal Gov
ernment will not be impartially administered in
accordance with the principles of the Constitu-
ton. apprehend it will not be denied, that ac-
cording to the theory Of our Government, the
representative in Congress reflects the views
a.
stituents. This should be so, and in Practice
may be safely assumed, although not invariably
correct, as the most reliable mode of ascertanina
the popular will upon important questions tha,
have been duly considered by the people them
= selves ] apprehend, also, it will be generally
conceded, that the subject of North American
slavery-ts amelioraion, its restriction to Ger
tain geographical limits, and its total abolition
now or presently, Immediately or prospectivel,
have been the subjects of thorough nvcstiga
ton by all classes of the people Of the non.
slavehodng States and that there exists among
them but one feeling and one sentiment of uni
versal hostility to the institution in all its rela-
tons. This last proposition may be denied, and
| know is sometimes disputed, in order to quiet
our fears and reconcile us to the present cendi-
ton of things. The Justification of the actual
state of the Northern mind on the subject Of
slavery, lament to say is too often successfully
played off.
Wings and Democrats, in the South, are made
to believe that upon the preservation Of Il close
organization of the two great political parties,
North and South, into which the country is d.
vided, is alone to be found our strength and Sc
curly.
We are again and again assured by men hold
ing high places in the Government of the Union,
that it is dangerous to the liberties of the people
to organize great parties upon geographical
limits; while it is asserted, with some apparent
confidence. that the Northern party, formed upon
geographical distinctions, is composed compare
lively of few brawlng and unimportant fana-
ties and Enthusiastically but little con-
sideratiQn, whet: er regarded us to numbers or
their influence upon public mea or measures.
We are reminded, too, that the Father of his
Country warned US against the organization OF
parties upon such principles, and enioined upon
us, in his Farewell Address, "to frown indignant
ly upon the first dawnipg of every attempt to
ALLEVIATE any portion of our country from the
rest, or to impair the sacred ties which now (then)
link together the various parts"
With what consummatc cffrontery the sacred
teachings of the immortal Washington are in
voked in this respect, let facts be submitted to
the impartial mi I'd; and if my judgment is not
at fault, you will agree with me, lst, That the
! North and not the South has organized party
embodyng, in most remarkable degree, moral
force, us well as numerical strength, uTon the
avowed and undisguised principle that slavery