The North-Carolina standard., 1850-05-08


sort for their separate welfare, by the formation of
compact and union that will afford protection to their
liberties and their rights" This you call the pro-
ject of Southern Confederacy ENTHUSIASTICALLY,
mended to the consideration of the Southern
This is an unfair construction. The secondary is
made the primary proposition. The incident is made
the substance-the alternative, the primary object
The contingency on which Southern confederacy
was alluded to, has been entirely overiooked-kept
out of view. 1t was spoken of in the address only
as last resort in the event of failure in the hope
of arrestng the Of aggression The address
did not authorise you to say that Southern Confed
eracy was the object; it avows attachment to the
as do the whole people of Mississippi. No men
live, who more desire the perpetuity of the Union,
than do the sgners of that address, if they have
it unimpared. But they believed, with the entire
South, that the North had been pressing. and would
again endeavor to pIess, the exercise of power not
delegated to Congress by the constitutions and they
believed moreover that the South would not submit.
Their first hope was to avert the evil by timely de-
claraion of their rights, but if that should fall it
natural to look to and to provide for
der the influence of excited feeling" They met as
men who had reflected well; who knew and felt the
solemnity of the occasion. In surveying the whole
ground, it but naturaNit was prudent-that they
should look to the possibility Of failure In their fond
est hope And it was only on that contingency that
a single thought was turned to Southern compact
as means Of security, not of choice repeat that
we desire no Southern confederacy-we desire the
perpetuity of the present Union; but it only be
preserved by keeping every department of the Gov
assertion is without proof.
l quote further from your ' examination" You
says "lt is no longer matter of inference There ex-
lists disafection to the Union, more deeply seated
it, which the mass and body of the South little
aware Of, we were three days ago; the first ger
minaton of which is this project of Nashville Con-
vention." am greatly mistaken if the 'body of the
people of the South not fully aware of all the
Is disaection the Union " which exists here, and
fully aware too, Of the of that disafection
You have impaired no information to them on that
subject. The first "germination !" of disafection
grew out of an attack upon their rights. 1t is sngu-
lar that you do not undertake to account for this dis
affection, and to show us whether it is we'll or i'll
founded. Perhaps it may be just6able. 1t is said
that motive is the impulse human action, and op
preston is the main spring of revolutions. When
men desire change of government. an enlarged lib
when the form of government is the best that can be
established. As ours is one of that description, we
can have no motive to change it, the attempt abuse
it is what we complain Of. If we disafected to-
wards the Union, (Which deny,) perhaps there may
be cause for it. which, if removed would restore har
mony. You have seen that there was deep-seated
discomfort the subject of slavery and as friends to
your country, it your duty to allay the excitement
if possible. You but provoke the quarrel by taunt-
ing the South with nfdelity to the Government. If
Northern friends to press further-to forbear.
That 10 the safe course, the power be doubtful.
They claim exert tive deny their right. If they
act they may violate the Constitution but if they
passive, they cannot. By that means peace will be
restored. A free government must command the vol
untary homage of the people, and whatever tends to
weaken their attachment, endangers its existence.
In the further progress of your examination, you
array the proceedings of the South Carolina and Vir-
ginia Legislatures. These figure before your vision
They are but further developments of the plan, the
first " examinations of which appeared in Missis-
sippi. see nothing alarming in them beyond a firm
determination to maintain their rights, and if there be
secret intention beyond that, leave you and the
movers to settle it.
In your alarms for the safety of the Union, it is
matter of wonder that you had not discovered un-
friendly indications from other quarters. You have
heard petitions for the dissolution of the Union
presented to Congress from the North. You have
witnessed open, palpable infacton upon the Con-
stitution by Pennsylvania and other States, by the
passage of laws annulng that provision in the Con-
stitntion which to the owner the to re-
capture his fugitive slave. You have heard it pro-
who was sworn to support the Constitution, that
certain clause of that instrument which protects u.s.
immoral, and, therefore, not binding. You have
heard the terrors of dissolution of the Union de-
scribed BY the picture Of vast gulf between the
North and the South, filled and heaped high with
the slaughtered bodies of countrymen" yet this
revolving sight would be endured-the reality wit
messed by a member of the Lower House, rather
than he would yield his opinions and his object on
the subject of slavery. You have heard your own
especial avortes declare that dissolution must come
rather than the Wimot Provso should be abandoned.
You take no alarm at these things, bold and daring
as they are. Much as they may show total dlsre-
gard for the Unon they passed over as harmless
You have never been suspected of an over devotion to
State sovereignty, constitutional restrctnons and
if the South has claimed power for Congress instead
of denying it, she would have found more friends.
My only motive in making this communication, is
to vindicate myself and those with whom acted,
from the charge unwarantedly made. of unfriend-
illness to the Union. We have been actuated by a
settled conviction, throughout, that we were right.
We believe conscientiously that Congress has no
power the question of slavery, either Permisslve
or prohbitory, and that any action on the subject
would be gross infraction of that instrument. we
desire to the question banished from our National
Council-house, and harmony restored but we warn
the North not to expect us to submit. We are quite
firm in our resistance as they are in their encroach-
ment. :.
That we may stand vindicated, and have that JUS
tice to which We are entitled, it is hoped that you
will publish this letter, and the proceedings of the
Convention. At least the address, pamphlet copy
lost 1t is published in the papers of this place, from
which, in that event, Il may be extracted.
Your obedient servant, =. -
THE VALUE OF SMus. Who can tell the value
of smile 1tcosts the giver nothing, but it is be-
yond price to the erring and resentng, the sad and
and paves the darkest paths with gems Of sunlight
smile ON the bnow betrays kind heart. pleasant