Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-05-15
and esteem, your obedieni servant.
LANGDON CHEEVEs

n ~. ~ iR.sNHuLM, Esq.
Il Charleston, s. c
L. S.-Sincc wlitnIg the above bay.
seen It intimatod that this Convention will
be called upon to act much more LARGELY
, than was at first suggested, upon the diff
cult questions between the South md the
: general Government. If il shall do 80, l
, nave no doubt thc action viii be uniortu
, nate. IL will. among other evils, divide
the people of the State into parties. instead
OF presenting that unanimty which now
does 1t to much credit, and Will probablv.
under future contingencies, give it much
strength The great activity and zeal Of
south Carolina have destroyed her moral
and political influence. That zeal and ac-
nvity We're not condcmnablc in rhc,nselvcs
put, under actual circumstances, were i'm
Poiitic. 1t was senderously called amLi
ton, and desire TO dictate. md cxci,o the
jealousy of other States. Measures, right.
and proper, and patriotic. were condemned
SIMPLY becuuset they came from S. Cnrolina,
and every bastard has justified his recrcan.
cy under this prcludiced and slandcrous
condemnation. If South Carolina hc wise
she will wait upon her sister States vet a
long while, Let her be prepared to act.
but leave other States time tn deliberate
and determine for themselves Great chan
ges musrtake place in the sentiments of the
Southern people, or history is a fiction, and
the nrture of man has changed. Let South
Carohna be prepared 70 join other States,
but she cannot 90 foremost without iniu.
ring her own and the common cause.
There has been, think, another error IN
the management Of our great controversy
| lnot peculiar 10 5. Carolina) We ha,o
had too many conventions. Such assem-
biagcs arc proper, and only proper, on
great occasions, when the sense orthe pco
pie is doubtful. In most all, ifnot all other
occasions, the organized power. Of the gov
ernment IS the safest ground Of reliance.
It's particularly so in this case, which is
case OF usurpaton and tyranny wi the part
OF the General Government, and our wise
ancestors, with great jealousy, reserved and
occurred the Independence OF the Staies as
power 10 control the ambition of fhe Fed
raj Government when it might arise; and
our great error and misfortue has been.
that we have allowed the Sthte Govern.
nents to be virtually nulliGed hv not call
ing them early and vigorously into action.
A. concert between the State Governments
is the great want Of the South at this time,
and this great object will best be attained
by the Legislative and Executive function.
ares OF their respective Governments.
| The letter was then ordered to lie on the
table.
MIR. Gregg, from the selcc, committee Of
twenty-onc, submitted the following rcso
lutons, as expressive Of the sentiments of
the convention, and an address TO the South.
ern Rights Associations Of the Southern
States.
RESOLUTIONS.
!. Resolved. That in the opinion Of tLis
meeting the State Of South Carolina enn-
not submit to the wrongs and aggressions
which have been perpetrated by the Fed
eral Government and the Northern States,
without dishonor and ruin; and that it is
necessary to relieve herself thercfrom,
whether with or without the co.opcration
OF other Southerh States
2. Resolved, That concert of action with
one or more of our sister States ofthc South
whether through the proposed Southern
Congress, or in any other manner, is MI
object worth many sacrifces but not tho
sacrifice involved in submission.
| 3. Resolved, That we hold the right Of
Secession to be essential to the sovereignty
and freedom of the States Of this Confrdra-
cy; and that the denial ofthat right would
furnish to an injured State the strongest ad.
dltional cause for its exercise.
4. Resolved, That this meeting looks
with confidence and hope to the Convcn-
ton Of the People, 10 exert the sovereign
power Of the State in defence ofi,s rights,
at the earliest practicable period and in tho
most eficctual manner; and to the Leeisla-
turc, to adopt the most speedy and cffcctuul
measures towards the same end.
ADDRESS
From tie deicgafesoTthe .Soulzon Rights
dissertation of' .SouM Coyol,aa, assembled
IN Charleston, 10 tie Southern Righfs
dissertations 2t tie other Southern States
Having met TO take counsel together,
and having agreed upon that course which
we think it right and necessary to pursue,
we wish to lay before you the considcra-
tons by which we have been governed,
with that fraDkness which our respect for
you, and our desire to merit your good
opinion, require.
We regard the position of the Southern
States in this Con.edcracy as degraded and
ruinous. The manifest tendency Of those
systematic rggressionr which they have
suffered for many years past, is TO subvcrt
the institution Of slavery. III those acts Of
hostile domination, which have been rem
dcred more insulting by mockery Of Ian.
guagc, under the term Of Compromise,
were final in their nature and were not to
be followed by any further aggrcssions.
we should still regard them as ou,rages, to
which sovereign States, possessing the
spirit Of freedom, ought never to submit
But those measures only form part Of
system gradully commenced, steadily car
ried forward, gathering strength from de-
velopmcnt, and proceeding with fatal mo-
mentum to its end That end Is tho abol4
ton ofnegro slavery in the Southern States,
and the lowering of the free white popula-
ton Of the South to the came level with
that agrarian rabble, which, already strong
and dangerous, seems destined, before very
long. to be the controlling power in the
Northern States. We see no remedy and
no safety for the South in the present u
Mon. But we know that in this we differ
| from very many citizens ofthc other South
ern States, spirited and intelligent, having
the same interests. and suffering under the
same wrongs, with ourselves, and who
cherish the hope that the rights oftlie South
may be vindicatcd and secured without
dissolving the existing Confcderacy. In
this difference, it does not become us to as
sumo to dictate; and we hope to stand free
from that charge. Up to this time. tho