Mississippi palladium. [volume] (Holly Springs, Miss.) 1851-1852, 1851-09-26


a State to judge of infractions of the
Federal compact, and for intolerable
oppression, to secede from the Union:
their opponents pretended not to COM
prehend the distinction between the
right to secede, and the exercise of that
right. If any candidate for the Con-
vention, took the ground that he favor
ed secession for past enactments by
Mississippi, the whole weight of the
Democratic party was against him.
But disappearing of the legislation
of Congress ON the subject of slavery,
and believing that the North, flushed
with their success in circumscribng
slavery and abolishing it in certain ca
ses in the District of Columbia, the
State Rights candidates thought it best
comported with thedignity Of the State
and its true interests, to express this
opinion in Convention embodying the
sovereign will of the State, and to take
steps to effect concert OF action among
the Southern States for the purpose OF
retaining, if possible, all the ground
which had been lost, and averting the
further blows which would be aimed at
our institutions, security and happiness.
All parties agreed to refer the whole
subject to the people, and in the late
election, the State has taken its position.
Mississippi acquiesces in the past legis-
lation OF Congress. As democrat, |
cheerfully submit TO the sovereign voice
of my S tate. Our party especially re-
ferred the subject to this tribunal; and
to its arbitrament, being the party of
the people, we will bow with ready
obedience.
/ The question now comes up-shall
we endorse and approve these measures
as right and just and equal and o2erl
Do we believe that justice has been
dealt out TO US with an impartial hand!
Shall those who brought them upon US,
. be rewarded with the p!audit, OF swell
done good and faithful servant" and
shall those who held out faithful to the
end, in contending and insisting upon
the full measure OF our rights, be driven
from the public councils and discarded
as unworthy of trust!
voted against the admission of Cal
ifornia; the proposal 10 divide Texas;
the abolition OF The slave-trade in the
District of Columbia; the New Mexico
Territorial Bill. | voted for the Fugi-
tive slave law and thes Utah territorial
BILL In thus voting, | believed the
rights of my constituents were best
maintained and their will most truly
represented.
The Legislature of Mississippi, by a
unanimous vote, declared the admis-
sion of California "would be an act of
fraud and oppression on the rights of
the slave-ho!ding States" and reques-
ted their delegation to resist it to the
bitter end.
| The Democratic party has held it as
standing tenet of their platform, as
adopted in their national councils for
years, "That all the efforts of the abo-
litionists or others, made to induce Con-
gress TO interfere with questions of
slavery, or to take incipient steps in re-
idtion thereto, are calculated to lead to
the most alarming and dangerous con-
sequences; and that all such efforts
have an inevitable tendency to diminish
the happiness of the people, and endan-
ger the stability and permanency of the
Union, and ought not to be counte-
nanced by any friend to our political
institutions"
As consistent democrat, throwing
aside my being Southern man. | would
have been constrained to vote against
the fayorite bill of the freesoilers, abo-
fishing the slave trade in the District
of Columbia aud its penalty.
1t is for the people TO say, whether
in SO doing, have forfeited their con-
fidence and deserve their rebuke.-
Whatever may be the decision of the
people, can never change my opinion
on those measures. The people may
endorse those measures as dealing fair
ly and Justly with the South, but !
never will, and in my conscience, shall
ever regard that Southern man who
pressed their adoption upon Congress,
as untrue to the South and to his own
! fire side.
But Mississippi acquiesces in these
enactments; and now, your enquiry is,
Watchman, what of the nightl-Wha,
is the present position and future pros
poets of the Democratic State Rights
partyl
We have desired and striven to OBJ
tain the Union of the South. We have
thought and still think. the whole South
must unite if they expect to have their
rights, which are secured by the Con-
stitution, respected and observed.
How, now, can this be done! By
simply following up the path of duty.
Our party ought and will abide by the
wishes of the people. 1t will acquiesce
in the late enactments of Congress
This does not imply endorsement, ap-
proval, or satisfaction with these meas
ures. If this were so, we could no,
acquiesce without dishonor; but we a.
gree with our State as true men should
The active leaders of this new third
party made the false issue of acquies.
cence in the past or revolution and
secession, and the people, upon this IS
sue, have expressed their preference
for the former.
/ But in thus submitting, we do not
I