The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-06-03


recent of vour invitation in behalf of the citi-
zens Of central Mississippi, to participate In an
entertainment to be given at Jackson in honor
of their distinguished fellow citizen, Gen. }. A.
O uitman, on the l4th inst. would most
gladly mingle with you, and all those who may
assemble on that occasion, but other duties Will
forbid my enjoying that pleasure.
In times like the present, it is most delight
ful duty to honor the character and services Of
such men Ms Gen. Qaitman. He has proved
himself to be able. patriotic, and firm, both ~
the field Of battle and the council chamber 1t
often requires more moral courage to resist the
overwhelming and blighting heresies OF a CON-
bination Of selfish and designing politicians, such
as at this time are corrupting and undermining
the foundations of our political system, than to
meet the well appointed legions Of the enemy
on the field of mortal strife and combat
Mississippi is highly favored in having 30
MANY able and faithfu men, among The faith
less at the present crisis. Quitman, Davis
Brown, Thompson, and many others, have act
ed nobly. May they prove faithful to the end.
! look with the deepest disgust and horror
on those Southern men who have abandoned
the South. Let me suffer war, pestience, and
famine, rather than sell my birth-right, and that
Of nv confiding friends, for little brief dstnc.
ton. notoriety, and authority. The great ques-
ton ia now being forced on the country-shall
the constitutional reserved rights of the States
be maintained? or shall we yield to consolida-
ton, when the will of the majority shall govern
in nil cases? This great question embraces all
The minor issues of the day. We of the South
are in a settled, fixed and permanent minority.
And. being shareholders, we are under the curse
and hatred of large sectional majority of the
Union. Our constitutional rights are disregarded
tramped on, and destroyed. Our only aterna-
tives are degraded, meek, and quiet submission,
or manly resistance. However, every patriotic
attempt to organize resistance to the most griev-
Gus aggressions on our constitutional rights il
met by political leaders and papers of the South,
misrepresening and classifying our motives, per-
verting our acts, traducing our characters.
We are not allowed the poor privilege Of
complaining of our wrongs without being ac-
cused of reasonable designs. But, after all
that has TRANSFERRED | feel assured that upon the
slave question, and cur territorial rights, there
is much unity of sentiment among the masses
Of the Southern people, and most OF them have,
in some form or other, again and again pledged
themselves to define those rights, at all hazards,
and to the last extremity But yet, in many in
stances, where the enemy has marched up to
our fighting line, upon the ground OF our own
selection official men in our own ranks, have
sounded an alarm, produced panic in our ranks,
ordered retreat, advised capitulation-yea hui
initiating, unconditional submission-and great
" magnifed the strength, as we'll as the gen.
crosby of our invading enemy. Thus the
South has receded and the North has advanced.
But little confidence is now reposed in Southern
resclpes by the enemy; and, what is still worse,
we have lost much of our own self-respect and
reliance. Can we yet make stand upon our
rights, or shall all be lost in the bottomless
gulf of consolidation?
Under the existing state of public affairs,
there is lust cause for alarm at the attempts to
form new party at the South, styling itself
"the Union party" A party whose only avowed
officers of the country both State and federal
see already enrolled ia the ranks of this party
Wings and Democrats, shareholders and Adolf
tonists, Nulfers and Submissionists and don't
know how many other strange cOmponcnts
Some of the organs Of this party are already
advocating the doctrines of consolidation.
Should this party triumph, we have n consol-
dated government, without n constitution, a.
though they have prefxed the word conSitu-
tionol to their PARTY name Is it not SURPRISING
strange, that in this year of our Lord 1851, that
party should rise, styling themselves Union
men, whose purpose, if successful, cannot fail
to destroy the Union of the great American con-
federacy of State!
am, gentlemen, very truly, yours,
WILSON LUMPKIN
offer you the following sentiment:
The sovereignty of the States, and the Union
of the States, one and indiuisible.
Committee of Inuitation.---Messrs. c. s. Tar.
ploy, Geo. II. Swami, ID. n Barrows f. Banks
dale, and c. b. Green.