Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-10-27
Messrs. Stephen Whitney, Geo. Gr'swo'd,
Dan'l Ullmann, and the other s'gners Of
the address, &c, &c.


Dtn l OttfHahn, ami inc Ottef s'ehets "
the address, &c, &c.
-s -
The Great Issue in >. Carolina.
AT last we have dehuiie accounts from
South Carolina Of the result Of the great
struggle which has just been decided
/, rha; State between the Seccsstoaists
[t,iat is, the immediate, absolute, separate
scccssionisis) and the init Sccessionists.
(~ti,ose in principle opposed to secession,
combined With those who advocate ii, but
only in cooperation with other Southern
States.) The issue,we are happy TO say has
been the total defeat and rout Of the Scces.
ssDsts. We sincerely hoped for such a
result, but we confess that our anticipa-
tons fell short ofour wishes. We believed
that there was existing among the quiet
mass Of the people oftiie State a silent, la
tent loyalty to the Union, and an opposi-
ton TO the schemes Of the noisy a~eItators,
but we did not look for SO signal q victory
over the disorganizers. The Anfi-Scces-
~sionists have carried every Congressional
| district in the State with a single exception,
tlusclecting teeelre out ofthc fourteen Dele
gates for the proposed Southern Congress;
which, by the way, as none OF the other
| Southern States have agreed to it. viii be
no Congress at all. In the seventh disiric,
| alone have the Secession candidates been
elected, namely Messrs. Rhett AMI Dun
can, ard as Mr.. Rhc,t Is in Europe lis col
league viii be soius.
As we have remarked above, the point
at issue between the two parties t!caving
out that great body Of loyal citizens OPP
posed 10 disunion under any name or form
is that Of disunion now, or OF conditional
disunion at some future day. Tie "Seces
sionists'' desire the immediate ani isolated
withdrawal from the Union of the State of
South Carolina, while the "Co-Qperatfoa-
iists"insist upon waiting for the united and
Joint action to that end Of other Southern
States. Such was the question presented
to the People, and the judgment which
they have pronounced upon it is rendered
the more important from the fact, that du-
ring the excitement Of last winter, tie Leg
~islature passed an act authorizing the hol-
ding Of the State Convention, the members
of which were almost forthwith elected,
and to whose decision is to be submitted,
| whenever they shall have been convened
by the Legislature, the grave question of
seeding from the Union. 1t is hoped,
and not without reason, HAT the sense Of
the people, as expressed at the election
Just held, will have a controlling and bene-
| fetal influence on the deliberations both OF
the Legislature and Of the Convention.
We may with propliety add, that in de-
Gliding as they have done, the people OF
South Carolina have clearly indicated
their Willingness TO acquiescc in the Com
promise measures of the last Congress-
Such is a necessary inference Of th,ir hav-
ing rejected separate State %action, as all
the States whose cooperation Is sought
had previously acquicsced in thai measure
and this was avowed and admitted to have
bccn the true question al issue by the lead.
ing Secession journals Of South Carolina,
which held up to their readers, as a jus,
and comprehensive view ofthe nature OF
the contest. the following extract from au
article in the Georgia "Cons;itutionalst,"
written before the election took place.
"The contest. n~oninally Lctween Sc.
cession and Cooperation, bur in foot be-
tween Secession and Submission, is to be
decided in South Carolina rex Monday.
A full set of Secession candidates for the
~ ~,s on the ore side, and Of
Cooperation candidates on Tie otie., o.
in the field, and the result will be consider
ed in that as a test Of pub.c sentiment
Ii the Secession candidates are elected by
an aggregate majority Of he voters Of the
State, the Convention will look upon the
result as the voice of the State in favor of
the separate secession Of South Carolina
from the Union, and iii presumed will act
accordingly. II the Cooperation candi-
dates are elected it Nil be considered,
and rightly too, as the will Of the State in
favor Of co-opcration-alias submissions
AS there is no other Southern State to CO.
operate with in Secession, or any Other
mode ofresistance TO the compromise meas
urcs, all of them having decided in favor
OF submission, the term cooperation is .
mlsnomcr. If cooperation triumphs, thcr
submission triumphs, for it will be the de.
cislon Of South Carolina that she two viii
submit to the past aggressions Of the Fed
| eral Government"
The "Consiitutionalist" presented the
above as a PLAIN statement of the case, and,
having been endorsed by the Secessionists
themselves, tits not for us to question It's
entire accuracy. The paper in which it
originated has been heretofore one of the
warrnest opponents of the Compromise,
but II now frankly confesscs that the ques-
ton OF resistance or submission has been
every where else definitely settled, and ad.
,lses "Ihe people of South Carolina to pre-
pare to fight the demon of abolition ageres.
sion in the Union instead of oaf oft, for
which purpose cooperation with her SIS
ter Southern States will be a legitimate
subject Tor cousideraiinn."-Nat. Int.