Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-05-17
The South Carolina Secessionists.

stand. From the extract we make below from
the PienYNac, it seems they recommend lmme'
dlute secession from the Union-and we have
now TO see if the people Of that State will sane
ton the wild and fanatic propositions Of hel
leading men. The Ficayuue says:
Without adycrting to the wonderful change
which the South Carolina politicians lave I'M
dc9gonc in giving up the doctrine OF nuIIlilea'
ton, n"ce their rrcat panacca for every evil
AND proclaiming secession to be the only true
remedy, we cannot hc'p comparing these SEN
;imcut5 with a paragraph Ill another portion o.
the address. III which they speak Of the lower
ing Of the fee white population of the South
to i level with that "lgfar!an rabbit which
, seems destined to BE- the controlling power il
the Northern States" 1t i'll becomes that State
10 accuse the people Of the North OF agrar1an'
ism and lcyrlIng tendencies, h:@t under plea Of
exercising 4 sacred right, sets the example {!
rcbc lion against TIE law, and is itself the first
to conspirc for the overthrow OF existing and
timc-honored institutions.
The right of secession being assumed as in.
contestiblc, it dcyolycs on the authors of the
address to prove the existence Of a necessity
for exercising it. TO effect this there is no
lack of assertion, which we presume, for want
of something more convincing, must be taken
for argument. We are told that the position
of the Southern States in this con!ederacy is
degraded and %ruinous; that the North has Gu
tered upon Il course of systematic aggressions
tending ultimately to the abolition OF slavery:
that the compromise measures we're outrages to
which sovereign States, possessing the spirit
pf fra,Inp, .hDulI spnyar submit. that fhnrp IS
no remedy or safety for The South in the pres
ent Union; that South Carolina, with 4 modes
ty we suppose peculiar to herself, has hitherto
been backward in asserting her rights, having
waited to follow the lead Of the venerable Viz
Gus Mississippi; that though she would desire
cooperation she cannot consider it absolutely
necessary, and finally that she is determined to
commence her mourntul march out Of the Uni
on: confident. however, that should the Gene
raj Government attempt 10 prevent her exit, the
other Southern States, seeing their own rights
attacked in her, will he compelled to come to
the rescue and follow her example.
This is the plan of the dominant party in
South Carolina. 1t is a wise one? viii the
result answer their hopes! We believe not.
1t is true, as the address says, that the cause
Of one Southern State is The cause Of ak; but
it does not follow that they are all bound to
look through the eyes of South Carolina.
The convention admits that the failure Of
the South generally to accept the doctrine Of
d~isunion, brings her 10 the alternative of sub
mission or solitary secession: yet she thinks
that what the other Southern States will not
do for themselves they viii do for her. That
is, all the Southern States standing in the
same position towards the General Govern
mcnt, are equally INJURED by its acts. if any in
jury has been done. One State thinks the
wrong warrants disunion; the others do not
think SO; the one State seccdes, and looks to
the Others to support and initiate her, because
she is enforcing Il right which they do not con-
slider ought TO be enforced. The idea is ab~
surd, yet Notwithstanding its folly, we have
good evidence that it is seriously entertained,
and will be acted on, unless an unlocked for
opposition among the people of the State, or a
sober second thought of the leaders induce
wiser c%ounsels and mere j~udieious measures.
There is but little ground for hope that such
opposition will arise, or such sober second
thought prevail: yet there is 4 possibility.
Accustomed to govern, habituated to authority,
the men who now control South Carolina, may
have mistaken the popular mind, or nave reli-
ed too implicitly on their own power with the
masses. They may find, when the moment for
secession comes, that the people Of the State
have some lingering attachment for the Union,
or Mt least are not willing to risk the destruc-
ton Of their interests, the depreciation of their
property, and the horrors of civil war, BY
plunging into the midst of a revolution, mere
" for the sake of developing a]theory, or of
gratifying the ambition of politicians.