Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1851-01-25
From the American Review.
PLAIN WORDS FCR THE NORTH.

startling interest. In oCr day the crisis OF tral
to our free government has approached imminent.
" near. In ile minds of those wise aud great
men who planned our government, no lti,e appre.
henson seems to have mingled with the hope
which they feel of success. Ii could not have
been Otherwise. They we're men OF deep e,pe.
renee, well knowing the weakness of mans ma.
ture, and the errors Of his Judgment. They per,
ceived that calm as was The outer surface OF the
young Republic, within its bosom slept the germs
Of future strife. True, that in the Constitution
which they gave were embodied guarantees, il
observed, amply strong enough to insure its per>
petuity. But they well knew that sectional zeal,
ousies partisan spirit, and selfish ambition would
seUn seek to crafty their Objects by avoiding those
guarantees and they toresaw that Eruption once
begun lis power must overflow the bulwark they
had erected. Those an,icipati0ns have proven
but too well grounded Effort after effort has
been made to set aside the Constitution, because
il was too stringent bride upon selfish rrelu>
dice and ambition. But lis inherent strength,
grounded on the good sense and sound princ
pie Of our people, has so far repealed uiumphsn-
Iy such lnsidious assaults. In ourtjme these as,
sauIls have been directed from a position pecu.
liary dangerous. The tervor of religious zeal,
the ardor of philanthropy, have been artiully en-
listed in most unholy crusade against the ca-
del OF our confidence. To meeta band of enc.
mics battling for wrong un6et Thc banner of right
has been difficult. In the early ages OF lslamsm,
vain were the strongest.wals The bravest soldiers
OF the East, when conendlug with the hosts Of
| errng enthusiasts. who deemed that in following
the banner of Calee aud Amrou. they fought for
the true cause of God. Fanaticism aud error,
honest bu, dangerous, have existed on the subject
ol slavery ever since the fund ton of our gov
ernment-error not confined to one section or
one slde OF the question. Where these exist, the
material is ready for the hand of the selfish and
designing. Ia themselves aiming at the right
they are the ready tools OF the most cgrpgious
wrong, The redaemer was crucifed by the hands
of men who waited tor he coming of the true
! Messiah; and in later times the ashes of here,
| tic have been deemed an acceptable Offering to
the God Of Peace ard Love. The effects Of the
sane spirits have nearly been fe in the destruc.
| ton of our liberties. Ii is useless to disguise
| that the existence of our Union has been by re.
/ cent events greatly endangered. 1t is folly to
| deny that few more sessions OF Congress like
! the last, and the Republic, ireghted with earth's
most glorious hopes, is forever lost. The ar"""
OF puUIIc I,,I disclosed this state OF danger
We have seen those bodies composed Of the rep
resentsives of the Church. wherein discofd and
fear, we should think, could find no ROOM torn "A
sunder by the operation Of this cause. We have
seen the two great parties, cemented by
strong bonds, riven into fragments by the deto
nation of this bomb. We have seen the Congress
IT.
in the most vuperaiye and ntiammatory debate
upon this aIl-absofbing theme. We have wit.
messed public meetings composed u Northern
men, Of those who pride themselves upon adhe-
renee to law and order, advocating theft, arson,
and murder. Onens grave aud serious, these,
But there are others, to Northern men almost un.
known, which to Southern hearts are even more
alarming. They are 10 be found in the condition
Of Southern feeling upon this subject But few
years ago not a man in the South dared to avow
himself in favor of Disunion. 1t was looked up-
on as the synonyme of reachery, and no man
dared to avow It. NV, how different is the fact
South Carolina is not only ready. bat enxious for
the conflict. Her people almost unanimously
look upon the Union as a tyranny. whose yoke
they would gladly throw of. Her children turn
consider their oPpressors. Mississippi and Ala
bama partake of the same feeling. In others Of
the Southern States there prevails less bitterness
and more cslmness. But in all is the conviction
fixed and fastened, that Disunion, ave, even war
is to be preferred to the horrible consequences of
of an interference with slavery among them.--
Georgia has called Convention of her people
The action Of that body was not difficult to tore.
see. They will not dissolve this Union, although
many Of her sons openly avow that thus only can
her wrongs be redressed. She will remain in
the conederacy, with the hope of obtaining there
under her rights. But she well Knows that but
step or two more taken, and size must defend
those rights at all hazards. She will forgive, III
1 possible forget the past But she warns those
who have attacked her privileges, that in defence
of them we will band together to resist any en-,
croachments. She presents to them the simple
alternative, 1--WE will have our rights in this Tn.
ion, or out of it. You must elect which you pre-,
1 er" But we, and we only who have lived
amongst her people, who were born and reared
, upon her SOIL know how great has been the strug.
/ gle in the minds OF her sons between an almost
| superstitous yeneratlon for this Union, and bit,
ter sense of wrong and injury. None else can
know how stern is the determination Of her peo'
die that these wrongs aud injuries must cease
now and foreyer;--cease, quietly and voluntarily
ifpossibe, but ii not, then terminate in the night
Of violence and bloodshed. This is the feeling
general nay, unanimous in the South. The
further progress of this article will show on
what this feeling is grounded, and how it is met.
But enough is said to show, that some step must
be taken to bring this most dangerous question
to an issue-that by some means thisheellng must
be Gained, or the end Of our Republic is not far
distant.
In government where sectional interests and
feelings may come into conflict the sole Secur''
ty for permanence and peace is to be found IN
Constitution whose provisions are lnvloiabIe'-
In framing ours, it was easily perceived upon
what subject would occur the most bitter conflicts
OF preiudice and passion. Nor was it difficult 10
foresee, that although sanctions might easily be
divised which would deprive this question of all
its mschievous dread, yet no security could be
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