The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1850-09-26
JOHN A. GRAHAM, } o
J. NJ. CASPER, '''' 'ND' CO.,

RATIFICATION MEETING.--A meeting of the cit
lzens of Oktibbha county, was held at the Section
churches, on Thursday the 29th ut., without dis
tnction of party, to ratify the resolutions of the
Nashville Convention, and to express their views
Of the rights and duties of the South in the present
critical emergency.
Notwithstanding the incemency of the morning
a number of our patriotic ladies and large por-
ton of the voters of the county had assembled at
an early hour, and on motion of James l.. Graves,
Maj. John +. Lykes, called to the chair, and
on motion Of Simon G.. Muldrow, David Love and
James l.. Grams, were appointed secretaries. On
motion of w. S. Barry, committee of nine was
appointed by the chair, to prepare and present to
the meeting suitable preamble and resolutions,
consisting of the following gentlemen w. S,
Barry, VIM. Bell, DR.. VIM. III. Mariner, Sailr el
Curry Gen. l. L. Owens, James d. Montgomery
George Cozzens, John Stinnett, d. Mcpherson
When the committee had retired, on motion OF
Rev. Nelson Sansing, the resolutions of the Nash
vile Convention were read by Rev. Abram Har-
dee; and on motion of Mr.. Muldrow, Mr.. San
sing read the address of the convention.
The committee then reported the following pre-
ambIe and resolutions through their chairman, Mr..
Barry.
The Constitution of the United States was
formed among other purposes, to Establish JUS
tice and ensure domestic tranquility between the
States of the Confederacy, both of which objects
1t has each successive year, more and more failed
to accomplish. 1t has failed to ensure 'sdomestic
tranquility" because 1t has been made the pretext
OF violent and incessant assaults upon the nstitu-
tons of the slave States, and for crusade Of de-
famation upon the rights and character of their
citizens; because the pulpit and the press have
been mlschlevously employed by Northern men
in fomentng among their fellow citizens feelings
of hatred and bitterness toward the South which
must weaken the brotherly attachment of the diff
ferent sections because societies have been estab
lished in the North, and incendiary publications
scattered by them, for the purpose Of disturbing
the relation Of master and slave, to entce the lat
ter from the service of his MASTER and to afford
him refuge and protection against the pursuit of
law in the bosom of the Northern States, who are
bound by the Constitution which they thus violate
to restore the fugitive TO his owner because en-
lssaries from the free States have been employed
to deliver these vile publications TO the slave in
HIS home, and to kindle among that quiet popuIa-
ton the flames OF Instruction and servile strife
thus preparing rapine and butchery for helpless
women and children, as well war for sterner
man because Northern citizens have thus contin-
ually violated not only the duties required by re-
ligon and justice between citizens of the same
States, but also those imposed by international
law upon citizens of different States, and are
guilty of acts for which national redress could be
demanded and obtained of a distinct government ;
because citizens of the North have disturbed the
'sthe domestic tranquility" by rendering the pos
session of slave property less n the border
States, the slaves themselves less valuable and
more refractory because the citizens of the North
have besieged Congress with petitions, and hnr-
raised that body and the Union by discussions
upon the subject with which they had no right to
interfere, which intermeddng was begun and
persisted in with the undened purpose of weaken
ing the institution and eventually efiectng its
overthrow because the ships Of Northern States
entering our waters for purposes of friendly COM
have tcpI nd foil al, ,t,a
possession of their masters, and from the States
of their residence, thus n6icting outrage upon us
which foreign nations equally averse with them
selves to slavery, have never inflicted, and which
Northerners have never imposed upon foreign
States in whose harbors their ships
anchored because citizens of the South pur-
suing their fugitive slaves into the Northern
States have been Kindred, resisted and murdered
by the people of those States, which outrag es pass
almost entirely uncondemned by the public, and
SO far we know, wholly unaveDged by the
law I; because Southerners visiting the North |
have been repeatedly assaulted by mobs of free
blacks, their property taken from them, and their
lives endangered, which injuries the law of those
States has neither prevented nor punished.
"Justlce has not been established" because |
there has been repeated, and at times successful,
attempts IN Congress to legslate TO the injury of
the Southern States, because those States have
been forbidden TO carry their slaves into territories
perty of the Union, thus restricting the Southern
ers right of immigration without a total change of
his habits and mode Of culture, because the North |
has appropriated to it's exclusive use three fourths
Of the common territory of the Union because |
slave properly has not received from the General
Government, when at sea, the same protection
which other property of the Union has received
because the expenditures of the General Govern
nent have been so distributed as to give more than
an equal share to the North in the carrying of
mails, in the internal improvements of the country
md in the security and defence of the sea coast
md because the North, actuated by spirit of
to the South and Of undue regard TO
heir own interest, have employed their superior
numbers to their own benefit, and to the system
ATTIC injury Of the South therefore,
i. Resolved, That some peaceful and consttu-
lional means ought to be employed by the South
to restore the Government, if possible, to its just
balance, and to prevent the longer continuance of
upon her rights. /