Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-07-24
TIE EnCEFIELD RESOLUTIONS.

THE Southern Standard affects such dnllness Of
apprehension as to the spirit and character of these
resolutions, that we will endeavor, in few words,
to awaken his perceptions into their proper and
hcalthful exercise. For this purpose, We take as
our text the third resolution, which reads thus:
"Resolrcd, That South Carolina cannot with
honor or safety retire from her present position,
and we pledge ourselves 10 sustain her in it,
whether it ends i'll joint or separate secession
This the Southern Standard says, is no seces-
sion resolution. And why Because he has proved
to his satisfaction, that the position Of the State is
one of patient endurance, until some Other State
shall be hold enough to take the lead and strike
the blow which his poor South Carolina has neither
the nerve nor the ability to do. With this under.
standing OF onr position, hc is ready 10 swallow
the resolution, head, tail, bristies, and NIL. The
Editor Of the Standard is classical scholar, and,
we doubt not, will anticipate us, when we say
that his construction forces him to swallow spcci
men Of most hcathonsh English, one which yo-
latcs the plainest rues of common sense as we'll
as correct composition. His stomach may rossi-
bly, bear it-but VIC can assure him that, 'DiM has
construction upon ii, the Resolution under con.
siderntion would have been spcwed out by the
Edgcficld meeting with incf1abie disgust.
Let lis examine tho language for moment.
sSouth Carolina cannot RETIRE" Would this
be the language used, if she were no. understood
to have occupied an advanced position7 Would
sensible men have indited such phrascology when
speaking of State, which hnd not only failed to
take any such advanced position, but which had
pledged herself never to occupy it! (rhis is the
Standards assumption in reference to South Caro-.
lina's present attitude.) Would they not rather
have said, "South Carolina cannot with honor or
safety ercscd her present position!' Assuredly,
the Standards appreciation of plain English and
Of plain sense will, in reply TO this last question,
whisper 'syes!' - Either then, the Standard must
deny us of Edgecld the ability to understand the
force Of the simplest terms, or he must admit that
he misin;erprots tic palpablc meaning of that
| Resolution.
But, if this be not sufficient to show the forced
character of the Standards exposition. it is only
necessary to read the concluding part Of the reso.
luton, and the absurdity will be apparent Mt n
glance 'We pledge ourselves to sustain her in
it. whether it ends in joint separate secession" "
Now, il it were meant, by the first part Of the
resolution, that we only declare orir resolve to
"follow the lead" of SOME other State, where
would be the reason or propriety of saying that
we s:pledge ourselves to sustain her in separate
secession ~
Would moi this expression, according to the
Standards understanding Of the resolution, con-
tradict the foregoing part! Evidently. Observe
too that :his expression is connected with what
goes before it, by the copulative, no; the disjunc-
tive CONJUNCTION, clearly showing that it is n con-
cluson directly inEcrablc from and compatible
with the foregoing premise The very face Of the
resolution will show to the hunlblest individual
pretending to en- acquaintance with his mother
tongue, that separate secession" is expected to
be the consequence of South Carolina's ''prcscnt
position"
How does the Standard reconcile this c1pecta-
ton, heartily expressed rs it is, with his under
standing of The position and duty Of the State I!
Ifshe is to wait fxci1y ard doggedly to Tie end
ofthe chapter unless some other State show Eer the
way, where We ask, is the possibility Of squeezing
IN the lQcC Ol separate feccsSion. ihc PcpI'S Va
E,lgcfeld and the Standard read the course and
attitude of South Carolina, very differently, as the
above resolution, conclusively proves. The Stand
ard condemns others for attempting "to mann(ac-
tnrc public opinion in South Carolina" and yet
struggles, himself, to nisconstrue n plai': senti.
ment direct from the people," "Iakc first The
beam ont fhhinc own eye
We recommend to the Standard tic example Of
the Patriot, who being STRAIGHTFORWARD in his views
however wrong, frankly admits, without the show
of cav, that the Edgcfed Resolutions are scccs.
sion resolutions.
1t has been complaccntly said that the genius
of the State is against action, ("scl praise, half
scandal and we were led to think that this genius
was to pour It's concentrated tide Of light through
the columns Of the Standard to illuminc the igno.
rance and dspel the fatuity Of the urgif!cd sercs-
sionists. And yet it will be admitted, by candid
Judges, that no secession paper has yet been re-
duced to such sad captandum" shi(ts-such shall
low sophstry, as has this Great Exponent of Caro-
lima intellectually, during its brief career. We
do not say, gentlemen, that you lack either tran
sccndancy or transparency Of genius,-but we do
Gay that the Fictitious political miss with which
you have surrounded yourselves, arc fatal to its