The southern press., 1851-12-25

CndTIOtte, ana, ditUougH, uuaOte 10 otAn0, ad-
dressed the people from his chair. and offered
the following resolutions
% Resolred. That Virginia is, and ought TO be a
free, sovereign, and independent State that she
became SO by her separate act, which has
since been recognized by the civilized world, and
has never been disavowed, retructed, or in anv
wise impaired or weakened by any subsequent act
of hers.
:" Resoiued, That when, for purposes of common
defence and common welfare, Virginia entered
into strict league of amily ard alliance with the
other twelve colonies Of British North America
she parted with portion Of her souersignlv. al
though, from the necessity of the case, the au-
thory to enforce obedisnos thereto was, in certain
cases, and for certain purposes, delegated 70 the
common agents of the whole confederacy
g Rssoirsd, That Virginia has never parted with
the right to recall the authority delegated for
good and sufficient cause with the right Ia
Judge Of the sufciency OF such cause, and seceds
from the confederncy whensoever she shall find
the benefits of union exceeded by its evs--upio,
being the means of securing liberty and happiness,
and not end to which these should be sacrificed
g Resolved, That the allegiance Of the people Of
Virginia is due to her that TO her their allegiance
is due, while to them she owes protection against
the consequences Of such obedience"
But have another authority, which, with tie
gentleman from Mississippi, am sure, will have
no light consideration. Sir. for his sake anxious
will refer him to the late venerable editor Of the
Union However much may have dissented
from this gentleman in his late course on the
Senator's compromise, respect him am
grateful to him, as the editor Of the Richmond
Enquirer. For fifty years he, in that paper,
maintained the sovereignty of the States. and
kept the fires Of repubcanism burning on the
altar Of liberty in Virginia. Will not the Sens-
tor heed the wisdom of his friend But there
is another authority, my last, but which, | am
satisfied the Senator from Mississippi will co,,-
cede to be stronger than all | have cited. Sir,
Jefferson may be wrong, n adson may be untrue,
Virginia and Kentucky may have been laboring
under strong delusions, Randolph may have been
ravng lunatic, and Richie just nobody at all,
but certainly the Senator from Mississippi will
acknowledge the wisdom and authority Of him
self Secession must certainly now be trnm.
phant since it has the high sanction Of his Illus
trious name. hold in my hand speech of the
Senator, delivered in the Senate on the 2lst OF
March, 1850, in defence of the resolutions passed.
by the Mississippi Legislature. The National H.
teltigencer had attacked them with good deal of
asperity, imputng treason, and so forth, pretty
much in the strain the Senator now uses to-
wards South Carolina Here is what he said
Mr.. FOOTE. ! hope The Senator will do ME
the justice to read the whole of what said
Mr.. RHETT. The ohole speech. Why,
there are four or five pages of closely printed
matter. This may be too much of good thing.
After have read what proposed to read, the
Senator from Mississippi can state whether he
desires me to read further. If he is anxious to
extend the doctrines of his speech, as they are
SO good, believe | will pay half the expense
of a reprint for circulation. Here is what lie
says, repelliDg the accusations of reasonable
doctrine urged by the InteLligencer
"lt was not thus that our noble forefathers
thought and acted, under which non resistance to
the most hideous usurpatlon is the bOunden duty
of all good citizens, and even of sovereign States
Nor was it thus, that in purer and more high
spirited generation, public men either wrote or
spoke. 1t was mott thus that Andrew Jackson ex-
pressed himself in that famous proclamation, in
which, although rebuking notification, he declared
secession TO be just and proper remedto be resort
ed to in any case of intolerable oppression. Ii
was not thus that the honorable Senator from Mas
sachusetts Mr.. WEBsTER] spoke the other day
In our hearing, when he emphaticalIy declared
the same doctrine. Such not the doctrine Of
Philip T. Barbour, who asserted secession to be
the political arsenic OF our system, be resorted
to when all other remedies might fail. Such, final
ly, was not the doctrine of Jefferson who often
times declared secession Cor session. he denoln-
mated i) to be, in certain cases of enormous and
long continued outrage, the proper and Only rem
edy. find the opinion of Mr.. Jefferson on this
point very precisely set forth in the eulogy dehv-
cred some years since upon the life and character
OF Mr. Madison, by Mr.. John Quincy Adams.
Here are Mr.. Adams's own words, as printed in
the volume from which now read
ConcurrIng in the doctrines that the separate
States have right to interpose, in cases Of papa-
BILE infracuons of the Constitution by the govern
ment of the United States, and that the alien and
sedition acts presented case Of such nfractoD
Mr.. Jefferson considered them as absolutely null
and void, and thought the State legislature COM
petent not only to declare but to make them So TO
resist their execution within their respective bor-
ders by physical force and to secede from the Unio,
rather than submit to them, if attempted to be
carried into execution by force"
Here is the Senator from Mississippi quoting
Philip Barbour and Mr. Jefferson, asserting
the right of secession, in answer to the NahonI
Intelligencer charging REASONABLE designs on
the part of the people cf Mississippi against
the Union. He defends resistance and shows
by these quotations what mode of resistance,
on the part of State, is constitutional That
mode, he shows by quoting Mr. Jefferson, is
secession.
Mr.. FOOTE said he denied that the Consttu
ton sane oned sece sion
Mr.. RlIETT. If the Senator means TO say
that the right is not granted in The Consii,,tias,
agree with him. 1t is not derived from the
Constitution of the United States but that is
not alone constitutional which ia derived from
the Constitution All acts are constitutional
which result from the organization of the GOV.
ernment. The right of n State to lay taxes i,
not derived from The Constitution of the Unitei
States. Yet it is constitutional. 1t is re.
served right, not granted away bya State in th,.
Constitution of the United States. So right
to secede from the Union is constitutional, be-
cause the States have not surrendered their SOW
ar thp
which is the right to Judge of their compact, the
Constitution, and to withdraw from the associa-
ton it establishes with their co-States, in case
they violate it. What did the Senator mean
when he quoted Mr.. Jefferson to the Senate
Did he not plainly say this by his quotations,
here is sound doctrine with which agree
Mr.. FOOTE. stand by them now.
Mr. RHEFT. Well, then, the Senator. Ike
Mr.. Jefferson, is secessionist.
Alr. FOOTE. A revolutionary secessionist.