Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-05-08

Nepresentatl0n-a question: Which, /" ouiu al
crease in interest and importante, in pTopor-
ton tothe greatness aid Importance of the
new Republic; and hence,I fear, be more
bitter at the beginning than at any subse-
qucnt period of our national career. Next
would come the establishment of the nume-
rous Offices pertaining to a Nation. and the
appointment of Officers, Clerks and Agents.
Foreign Ministers and Consuls are TO be sent
out, and the first furnished with out-fitsi
suited to their position and the Court where
they arc to reside. Treaties are to be made
with European Nations: and the times, modes
and conditions of crossing the Savannah Ri
yer and the N. Carolina line to be prescribed
by law. A Mint is to be built. Post Offices
are TO be established. and the carrying of the
mails let to contract. An Army or n substi-
tute of some kind, is TO be organized and
paid. A Navy is to be uilt;-Seamen
taught and Cannon cast. In truth, the whole
machinery of government is to be started
de-noro, and at what cost Heaven only knows.
But we will again suppose that the Repub-
lie of South Carolina has surmountcd MI the
difficulties incident TO withdrawal from the
American Union. and discharged the heavy
debt which was incurred in the organization
of her government. She takes her position
amongst the Nations Of the earth, with the
rights and responsibilities of sovereignty.
Her first and chiefest duty is to respect the
dignity and rights of other Nations, and to
cause them, in turn, to respect her dignity
and the rights OF her citizcns-cvcn on the
high seas. Can this be done by appeals to
abstract Justice? Or singing anthems to
Freedom? Or ranting about the qualities of
Sovereignty Did Right, Justice or glorious
Chvalry outweigh numerical strength" on
the battlefield, Ireland, Poland and Hungary
would at this day, each be Sovcreigns 1t is
useless to talk about the virtues of Sove-
reignty, unless it has the numerical" as well
rs the moral strength to sustain it. ROBIN
son CRUsoE, while on the island Of Juan
Fernandez, was sovereign and Friday a
slave; but it is probable that if Friday had
held the muskct, instead of ROBINSON, he
would have held the sovereignty also.
My readings of the history of Nations,
teach me that they have adopted the simple
rule of ROB Roy, that.
"He should take who had the power,
And he should keep who can."
With a different race in our midst quite
equal to our white population race whose
condition excitcs the false sympathies of the
world, and which by foreign tamperngs
could be made worse than valueless, it would
be necessary to enact the most stringent laws
and regulations, not only for the confinement
of colored seamen, whilst the vessels to which
they are attached remain in our ports, but to
enforce similar measures of precaution along
the whole line of our interior boundary, in
4 order to- prevent discomfort and insuCection
: Could we prevent this mischievous meddling
if permitted to enforce laws rs stringent as
ingenuity can devise them? And will Eng.
land, France and the United States permit
them to be enforced? The first enquiry is
answered by the fact that we cannot now do
so entirely, though protected along our long.
est boundaries by Georgia and North Carolina
and The second by another fact that England
and France are each complaining of our law
in relation to colored seamen. even while we
arc under the protection of the American
Flag. A correspondence between the British
Consul, at Charleston, and the Governor of
our State on this subject, has recently been
given to the public We all remember the
Commissioner sent by the State of Massa-
chusctts to Charleston, and the object of his
mission. How long after we have set up for
ourselves, will il be, before the Northern
States will memorable Congress on the SUBJ
ject, and urge the protection of her citizens.
1t may be that the United States Government
will declare all fugitivcs from Cuba, Brazil or
the Republic of South Carolina, found in its
Northern territories free, or if found in any
of its slave-holding States, forfeited to the
informcr. England or France may choose to
declare, and will believe that the imprison-
mcnt of colored cook, belonging to one of
their trading vessels, a violation of the law
of Nations and an insult to national charac-
ter Preparation be not instantly made they
have the easy redress of blockading our ports
and shutting us out from the world until il
is made What resistance could we make
against Fleet of fifty, or len, or five sail !?
Send out our Navy "rcsovcd to do or die" !"
and attack it? Where is our Navy? Where
our Seamen! | venture the assertion that
in the marine of the world, there cannot be
found of naiirc born South Caronians.
sufficient number 10 man and sail one Gun
Boat from Georgetown to Wilmington. 1t
is easy 10 say "let us man ships and defend
our independence on the water-let us arm
regiments and meet them on land" 1t was
also quite easy for the Irish soldier to sag he
had captured three prisoners by surround
ing them"
Perhaps, gentlemen who talk so hippantly
about manning ships" and earning Regi.