The southern press., 1851-06-04
From the South Coroliaiaa.
Southern Patriot and the Convention.

Southern Patriot and the Convention.
We find the following paragraph in an article
on the Charleston convention in the Southern
Patriot of Saturday
! "The members of this convention were
mostly young men, or men not advanced in life.
The chairman of the committee of twenty-one,
who drew and reported the addresses and reso-
lutions, is perhaps thirty-fve years old, and that
may be regarded as an average for the menu ers
generally. 1t is the proper age for action and
resolution; but is it the rpest age for prudence
and wisdom in determination?
"W;th very few exceptions, there We're no
men in this convention to whom the people of
South Carolina have looked, for wears past, as
leading statesmen. Butler and Barnwel were
there, and opposed the action Of the convention.
Rhett. Colcock, Richardson, Seahrook, and
others who have been promine mt politicians in
| the State, were members of the convention. But
the great majority of them, although clever men,
are not those to whom the State has been look
| ing in times past for Counsel and lead.
"The editorial corps were pretty well repre-
scented all over the State in the convention, and
they are mostly young men, who have had a
good deal to do in producing the excitement and
getting up the convention. 1t would SEEM too,
that thew were not without their influence in the
deliberations of the convention, when we see
one of them, the Hornets Nest, from North
Carolina, successful in causing the convention
to treat with rudeness and dscourtesy the sage
counsel and advice of the great and venerable
Cheves 7"
We cannot allow these statements to pass
unnoticed We, say that in the late convention
there was, we imagine, as fair proportion of
the wisdom and experience of the State as has
hoa hladi opy with bar
borders We are further Of belief confirmed
by the opinion of all who attended it and OBJ
served its proceedings, that there was larger
proportion of men advanced in life" than has
often been seen in any deliberative body of the
same extent. With regard to the chairman of
the committee oftwenty- one, the resolutions and
address reported by him from that committee
are the best evidences that he was just the right
age-they are unanswerable.
To whom, we ask the editor Of the Patriot,
can South Carolina look as her leading states.
men beyond those men who were present at the
convention or who had been appointed delegates
to il? Her two UnitedStates senators were there;
three of her members of Congress were there;
Langdon Cheves was appointed a delegate; two
Of her, ex-governors were present, and, we be-
lieve, nearly all her leading men in whom the
people have confidence were either there or we're
appointed delegates. The Southern Patriot has,
however, the assurance to announce to the world
that with very few exceptions, few of the South
Carolina leading statesmen were there. We
admit that the Union" cotere in the State,
numbering in its narrow circle perhaps few of
the proprietors Of the Patriot, were not there.
The reason may be found in their own virtual
expatriation from their State.
The editorial corps was well represented, and
Dla hpn aiafin kac
suitable selection. Their avocation led them to
become thoroughly acquainted with the present
position Of affairs, the causes which induced it,
and the tone of popular sentiment here and else
where in relation to it. They were, we think,
peculiarly fitted foe the post, and we challenge
the venerable editor of the Patriot to answer
whether, in despite of the juvenility which he
attributes to them, in any other State Of the
Union, the editorial corps embraces a larger pro-
portionate amount of the requisite qualifications
for the arduous and responsible duties of their
profession
II is high time that the erroneous impression,
misconception or misrepresentation with regard
10 the action Of the convention on Judge Cheves
letter should be corrected. Neither the editor
of the Hornets Nest nor any other member Of
the convention that we saw, had any influence
in causing it to treat it ''with rudeness or dis
courtesy" II received neither at the hands Of
that assembly for that body was composed Of
CARoLrSIAYs-men, the pulsatons of whose
hearts beat responsibility to the eloquent recital
Of the wrongs inflicted on their State, and whose
prayer would be that they should lie struck dumb
ere tLey might insult, either by rldeness or any
species of dscour'esy, the counsels Of the VEN
cradle Cheves. The letter of that distinguis' ed
patriot took the ordinary course Of all docu-
ments brought before the convention, manly,
reference TO the committee of twenty-one; and,
besides this, received n mark Of courtesy which
none Of the other documents received-it was
ordered to be printed with the official proceed
ings.
We'think the Southern Patriot had better
drop the convention. Its proceedings are all in.
dicative that the sentiments Of thai journal have
very few svmpathizers in South Carolina.
Among the men to whom the State has formerly
looked as her leading statesmen there is not one
that we know Of who entertains any love for
the Onion. On the common platform of DIsU-
MON will he found Batter and Rhett, Cheves
and Colcock. Barnwell and Richardson, Ches.
nut and Gregg. and almost all other Caronians
who are regarded either as ripe or rising states.
men, And we defy the Southern Patriot 10
point out the slightest shade Of any difference
Of opinion within the State, bm on The single
poim Of The most efectual mode Of securing
dissolution Of he Union. We will be greatly
enlightened If IL should be able to do so.