The republic., 1851-03-18
South Carolina.
From the ChariestOn Mercury.

.r
A From the Chayieston Mercury.
SECESSION contemporary of the Whining
ton Commercial, whose independent bearing in po
litics makes bis opinions always respectable, has
devoted article to South Carolina, in his paper
of Saturday, which, we must sny, ia not quite up
to his general tone. The Commercial processes to
have been under the conviction that this State
would make no movement towards secession,
"without the CO operation Of all, or at least por
ton of her sister Sates and to have been startled
from that conviction by recent article OF the Mer-
curry. We do not see the ground Of this conviction.
This State has, as the Commercial admits sought BY
every means to secure cooperation. which is sufh
cient proof that she did not desire to sever her
cause from that Of the South in general but, at the
same time, il has been over and over declared, as
the settled feeling Of her people, that continu-
ance in the Union under its present circum-
stances was incompatible with her safety, her
honor, and her duty. She has sought co-opera-
ton, because the motives that influenced her ought
TO be felt equally by all the slavoholdng States;
because she desired a union with them, and
because the combination of the entire South
would ensure a bloodless triumph to the cause.
But if this operation is unattainable, it docs
not relieve South Carolina from any part Of her
duty TO protect her own people; it does not
make the Federal Government any the less the in
strument of an anti slavery majority; it does not
make the Union any the less grinding and inso.
lent tyranny; il does not stay the notorious and
headlong course of the North towards the subjuga
tion and degradation of the South it does not strip
the late Compromise measures Of their insulting
a0QTc66lOn
lima of her solemn pledges before the world to
sist the attempts to assign TO her base and inferior
position in the Confederacy. All the causes OF COM
plant, all the grounds OF resistance, remain the
same whether shc have the aid Of the other States,
or be left to guard her honor with her single arm.
How, then, could our contemporary cherish the be-
lief that her action absolutely depended on the CO.
operation of others3 At all events we are glad To
have been able TO remove the veil from his eyes.
and to have given him eight of the real position
Of South Carolina.
The Commercial quotes passage from our arti-
Gle, and opens its comments upon it MS follows:
alt is here clearly shown that South Carolina
poets to involve the South in the 'clang of conflict
and the authority of the Federal Government is to
be put down by the force OF arms IL the South
were united in this issue, there would be no doubt
Of successful, even peaceful result. But the
majority against this hostile demonstration is i'm
mes,se within the southern borders. What, then,
has South Carolina to hope?"
There il something like charge here that South
Carolina counts upon dragging the South into
conflict in her defence. Mr.. Webster makes it
still more broadly in his recent letter to the New
of the point South Carolina claims that secession
from the Union is her right; that the Federal Gov
ernment has no constitutional power TO coercc
State by arms; and that she will give no just cause
the COnfcderacy which che freely entered on stipu
lations that have been shamefully violated. She
does not demand that any ono shall second or ac-
company her in this path. She ia willing to stand
upon her own resources and to take the response
bility, alone, of supporting just and efficient gov
ernment within her limits. She is ready the mo-
ment she s out of the Union to establish the most
friendly relations with those who choose to stay In
it. In all this there 10 no beginning of civil war; no
attempt to drag her sister States into u bloody
strife to satisfy her appetite for trouble The seces
sion South Carolina intends is simply the peaceful
assertion, by act of her convention, of that ORR
ginal independent sovereignty in the possession OF
which she entered the Union. ug
But her right to secede, has been denied, and it
hs.~t. rtn
attempt carry it out will be quelled by force II
is the Federal Government that threatens to drag
not only North Carolina but South Carolina into
war, and claims the power of sending the citizens
of the former to deugc the fields of the latter with
fraternal blood.
Our friend of the Commercial, we are persuaded,
loves truth too we'll not 70 confess that this is the
real state of the case. And we ask him, what
answer will North Carolina make to such rcqui-
sition of the Free.soil Government at Washing
toni We ask him, If VIC are wrong or extrava-
giant in maintaining that his own gallant and true
hearted State and every southern State, will rise
up and Indignantly trample tho Federal Govern
mont under their heels sooner than they will DO
its instrument for destroying kindred people'
New Hampshire ELEcrIoN.-Our latest returns
from New Hampshire do not vary from those pub
lished in the Journal last evening. MIR. Dnsmoor's
net loss appears to be S,306, and tho towns which
remain to be heard from are mostly small ones, and
will probably leave the majority against him about
three thousand. r-tl
The true position of the parties in the Legislature
cannot be definitely ascertained until the smoke q
the contest has been more thoroughly blown away
The New Hampshire Patriot foots up the returns
for the House as folows: Whigs 1875; Atwood
Democrats a.; Old Democratic III vacancies 26.
Last year these vacancies were filed by one Wing,
and twelve Democrats The Atlas, from its returns
arrives at different result, as follows: Wings 123;
Atwood Democrats 20; Democrats 9S; and ~ va
caucies. These, if filled last year, would give
the Wings l25 members, and the Democrats l24 !;
thus placing tho balance Of power in the hands Of
the Atwood men. A few days time will enable this
matter to be settled definitely boston Journal
PosrAoE.--Tho Boston Post is requested by the
postmaster to repeat the notice that If the American
postage on letters for the British provinces,
whether intended to be sent by the United States
mails the British steamers, be not prepaid, such
letters forwarded to the appropriate frontier post
Office, where they, If not then called for, become
dead, and in due course forwarded to the dead
letter Office. Letters for the West Indies, Chagres
and Panama, if the postage be not prepaid, arc
forwarded by sailing vessels only, and the same is
true in regard to newspapers in both cases
SILvER CoIN.-Small change ia becoming more
plentiful. which is attributed BY TO the pass
of tho nroviaion fur Of three