Weekly North Carolina standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1850-1858, 1851-03-12

SOUTH CAROLINA.

SOUTH CAROLINA.
We copy the following from the Charleston Mer-
curry Of the 9th February, with the view of furnish
ing readers with some idea of the spirit pres
ent pervading South Carolina. The Mercury no doubt
speaks the sentiments and feelings Of large maor-
ty of the people. of that State:
"SoUTH CAROLINA, THE HOPE THE SOUTH.
We copy interesting letter from Mobile to the Co.
lumbus Times. The reader will pause on the en-
phatc assertions that the of the South s in the
patriots in other States have their gaze fixed upon her
as the star of destiny ready to draw omens OF go-
rious success gloomy defeat, from the brighten
ing pang of her light. 1t is arrogance to as
sumo that this is true. The position OF South Caro-
lima is peculiar One Of the Oldest of the States, her
sympathy that lead back to the parent heart, pene.
trate the circle of every Southern community, ana
make the remembrance and veneration of her, part
of the traditional sentiment of many States. She
cannot be isolated. Everywhere she must find friends
and adherents. In this respect, no Southern State
Virginia has abdicated the rights that all, and none
cheerully than South Carolina, conceded to her.
Virginia has shrunk from the glory and the peril of
marshalng and leading the South to the vindication
of her rights and the defence of her safety. Her
word, which she pledged so freely and bravely, she
has left at the Pawnbroke''s too poor to redeem it,
After drawing the sword with the air of hero, by
some miraculous mistake, Virginia has cast away
the blade and retained the scabbard. hugging the
empty assertion of State sovereignty, while she has
dsowned the only means of making it good. Never
did great people, loving honor and alive to distinc
tion, so tamely sacrifice the and forget the other
And for what reward, has Virginia closed her eyes
hac inno
of the past and the noble hopes of the future Who
shall pay the price to Virginia, for condescending to
transform the native land of HENRY and WASHING
TON, OF JEFFERsoNand RANDOLPH, into the wretched
neutral ground, where the pride of State sovereignty
and the subservience of venal courership hold a
doubtful contest and wriggle around each other in
fantastic dance? We say these things in sorrow and
modification, and if there is bitterness in the words,
it comes from the fountain Of hopes detroyed pledg
es violated and proud position abandoned to her and
our enemies.
Next to Virginia, we have said South Carolina,
without arrogance, has claimed the leadership of the
South. She has not claimed it any one of them.
Gladly would she have seconded North Carolina, or
Georgia, or Alabama ;-whatever one of the States,
though the Youngest and weakest of them all, had
placed herself in the van to champion the cause OF
the South, would have found South Carolina an hon
est and devoted soldier in her ranks. But when all
the multiplied difficulties Of stepping toward alone
the face of the threatened vengeance of the General
Government, of the newness and strangeness of the
step, of the imposing force OF those thousand assoc
atioEs that have made the Union venerable-when all
this is considered is not wonderful that the younger
States refused the Office. and demanded rather to be
guided than to guide. The Southern mind too, has
been sorely perplexed by the supposed conflicting
claims of separate State action, and action by the
operation of all. They have been taught and warned
by all their wisest COZ nseors that the cause which
is common to the whole South, must be cherished
and defended by the labors and patriotism of the whole
This is right. But these sprung from vague hope
that by some means, miraculous mysterious. a
Southern Confederacy was to spring up like tree
from the earth, without hand to plant the seed to
into power and strength within the existing Confed
eracy, like the ichneumon wasp in the body of the
caterpillar! The thing is impossible. The action
must either be popular, like that of the Nashville
Convention, and wholly without a1thorty or it must
be by the States acting in their sovereign character
sive sep in advance, and whatever the form of that
act may be. it is, practically, SECESSION. 1t is
useless therefore to give itany other torn. and it will
only weaken its orce to disguise its character, and
whether from fear or policy, TO deny or conceal its
purpose.
and decisive step can be taken with the general ap
proval of the people. Her action is not obstructed
by the jealous rivalry of parties, accustomed to war
upon each other long that they coalesce without
and look upon every concession to the
cause Of the whole as possibly surrender of their
own hopes Of ascendency. In South Carolina there
are no parties. small fraction of the people dis
from the policy of separate State action, because
they say it may interfere with the united action of the
South. They, too, desire as much as the majority,
the independence of the South. A few individuals
may be found who prefer submission to all things; to
whom the very dust that Federal heel that is grind
ing US down is something sacred. and which giveth
beauty and honor to him on whom it falleth. Wedo
not take account of these.
South Carolina is then at this time the natural
leader of the South, because she can act because
she is free to follow the general conviction of her
people. Heraction, we are persuaded, will be but
step in advance of the other States. But in that one
step there is the immeasurabe space between resist
ance and submission; between future glorious,
prosperous, secure,-and future of cowardiy con-
cessions, of darkenng hopes, of decayng patrotism
and finally of utter and ignomnious destruction"
RETURNED CALIFORNlANS.
We had the pleasure, few days since, of CONVEX
sing with couple of returned observation-disclosures.
Belts and Pearson, of Morganton, in this State
They showed quantity of the " raw material,
which thew were carving home to exhibit to their