Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1851-10-25

Mr.. EDIroR-l have compiled the opinion:
of Mr. Jefferson on Secession, and for the ben
eft of your young readers, place the same at
your disposal.
"Secession is a revolutionary right that the
members Of every political compact posses, but
should only be rcsorcd to, where the sole a.
Iternatiyes left, are the dissolution of the Uni
on, or submission to government without
limitation of power. Between these two evils,
when we must make choice, there can be no
hesitation.
"But if on temporary superiority of the
one party, the other is to resort to Il Secession
of the Union, no federal government can exist.
Ii to rid ourselves Of the present use OF Mas
sachusetts and Connecticut we break the Uni
on will the evil end there? Suppose the New
| England States alone cut off, will our natures
| be changed? Are we not men, still, to the
south of that, and with all the passions of men
Immediately we shall see a Pennsylvania and
Virginia party arise in the resduary confed-
eracy, and the public mind will be distracted
with the same spirit What 4 game too will
the one party have in their hands by cternally
| threatening the other, that unless they do so
and so, they will join their northern neighbors.
"If we reduce our Union to Virginia and
North Carolina, immediately the conflict will
be established between the representatives of
these States, and they will end by breaking
into their simple units.
.Secins therefore that an association of men
who will not quarrel with one another is n
thing which never vet existed from the greatest
contederacy of Eatons down to a town meet
ing or vestry; seeing that we must have
somebody to quarrel with, had rather keep
our New England associates for that purpose;
than to see our chickering's transferred to 9th
ers. But who can say what would be the evil
of secession, and where and when they would
end Better keep togethersas we arc.
"The cement of the Union is in the heart
blood of every American. | do not believe
there is on earth government established on
so immoyable basis. Let the disailected in
any State raise the standard of secession and
the citizens will rise in mass, and do JUS
tice themselves on their own incendiaries.
"To perpetuate the Union-educate and in
form the whole mass Of the people-enable
them to see, that it is their interest to preserve
the Union (and it requires no high degree of
education to convince them of this)-they are
the only sure relances for the preservation of
our liberties.
ain the strong government of England and
Spain, where the heavy hand of power rules !;
or even in Turkey where the sole nod of the
despot is death, these governments would be
weak compared to our own government, sup
ported by we'll informed citizen population.
But after all it is my principle that the major
ty shall prevail"
These are the opinionsof the author of the
declaration of independenee-the expunger of
the,laws fprimogenture and entails from the
codes of the old Dominion-the opposer Of the
Alien and Sedition laws-of one, who has
done more than any other man (save the father
Of his country to equalizc human rights and
human enjoyments-of one, who is acknow-
lodged to be among the chief founders of this
glorious republic, and the chief apostle of
American libcrty,-in fine, 81 one who has
been. slandcred by the demagogue, when
charged with being the advocate of secession
ss -s Hs4s4 r. A. STEWART.