Weekly national intelligencer., 1851-02-08
! WASHINGTON.
:. Liberty and Union, now and forever, one and
inseparable."
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY s, 1851.
MOVEMENTS IN THE SOUTH.

CAROLINA for holding elections in all the Districts
of the State for Delegates to a State Convention.
The original intention of the Convention thus to
be chosen seems 10 have been that it should be SUBJ
sidiary to the Southern Congress-" elections of De-
legates to which were, by the same act directed to
be chosen by the People -four on general account
having been already elected by the Legislature) on
the first Monday and Tuesday in October, the Con-
gress itself being requested TO assemble at Mont
gomery, in Alabama, on the second Monday in jan
uary next. The State Convention is not. how
ever, limited in its action to the ratifying and car
rying into effect the DEGREES of the Southern Con-
gresS but, the failure of the latter project is to
take into consideration the welfare of the State in
relation to the laws and Government of the United
States, and, acting It's own discretion, to "take
care that the Commonwealth of South Carolina
shall suffer no detriment." v
The act for the organization Of This State Conven-
ton was passed by the Legislature in whirlwind
of passion; not indeed without debate and deliber-
alton, such as it was. but under the influence Of an
excitemert into which the Legislature was wrought
by artfl and stimulating appeals 10 sectional pride
and sectional feeling by the journalists Of the State
and their correspondents, by the able and arialy de-
vised opening Message Of the Governor, and by the
speech Of Mr. CHEvEs at Nashville, yet more artfu
and infammatory. On the final passage of the act
combining the two measures Ia" Southern Con-
gress " and State Convention) there were but few
dissenting votes yet it was not hearty assent that
it received, but as far as might judge from the
indistinct and unsatisfactory public accounts Of the
proceedings upon it, was compromise between the
extremists and those who, differing from them,
were bent upon doing something or other, "rather
than submit" For had not Mr.. CHEvEs, on that
point, wound up the chord of passion to its highest
pitch in the peroration of his speech! !" Unite'
said he, addressing the States Of the South generally,
UNITE, and you shall form one Of the most splen-
" did empires on Ohich the san has euer shone, of
b the most homogeneous population, all Of the same
" climate the most lovely. But, submit! SUBMIT
" The very sound curdles the blood in my veins.
" But, 0 great God unite us lin Southern Con-
" gress aad tale Of SUBMISSION shall never be
{" told."
After this it was of course out fthe question for
the young gentlemen in the Legislature not to do
something which should effectively relieve them
from any suspicion Of design to submit
Will the reader bear with us for moment, while
we here remark that these words " submit," !" sub
mission" submssonists,' in the connexion in
which they are used, in certain States, are merely
nonsensical. We have read through columns after
columns recently published in the South on this sub
ject including the able speeches and writings 10 which
we have alluded, without being able to discover
since the passage of what are known as the "com-
promise measures Of the last sesson-what it
specifically is that the Southern Disunioniss have
sworn that they will never submit to, unless it is
the laws Of The United States, in the passage Of
which they, at least equally with the People Of the
North and the West have had voice. The latest at
tempt at specification that we have seen is the
Compromise itself" the leading measures Of which
were not only passed by Southern votes, but moved
by Southern men! Whatever may be the extent
of the admitted right of revolution, the resort to it
certainly can find no justification in any such plea
as that of mere discomfort with particular acts of
legislation. 5
To recur, however, to the pending elections in
since the adjournment of her Legislature, rather
active has been going on in the newspapers
of the State as to the objects and intentions of the
State Convention. Some misgivngs are evidently
entertained, by the authors of the measure of
the disposition Of the People Of the State to coun-
tenance the Disunion scheme of which it is part
A writer in the Charleston "Mercury'' of January
30th is evidently alarmed at the visible wayering
in the ranks of his party. He endeavors to quiet
the uneasiness of the People on this subject by
such arguments as the following: oh
will probably be year. eighteen months, before
the Convention There guest ion, therefore,
in this election what South Carolina should do in the
time many important events and changes will
ntermedately does the present posture Of affairs and
issues suggest determine 0hat line of action may be
well taken at that crisis The apprehsnsons
and ferences Of opinion therefore, attempted to be
made rife in this community to the dangers and ers
Of precipate separate action no,v, the band of
ultimate dgracefu submission the other, may well be
aayed and discarded" .au. sa ~ aat
Another writer in the same paper, deprecating
the ground generally taken by the candidates in
favor of "Secession by South Carolina alone,
lin the event of other States declining to join her. y
viz. that the State is pledged to that course of
separate action by its acts and declarations
the matter thus
cit is said that South Carolina is pledged to act alone,