The southern press., 1851-12-25

South gain by delay! What can the citizens OF
The cotton States gain by postponing this con
troversy. lfyu know that you have deadly
enemy, and that he is determined TO destroy
you--that he only waits for midnight TO light
the fire that viii involve your family in flames
will you wait until the night comes and the
torch is applied or will you not meet him in
open contest and in open day, aud settle for him
and for you, and for those dependent upon YOU
the great question whether you shall live or die
The Sou;h, can gain nothing by the delay
Hence il is, that ] have been for secession with
other Southern States and il they would not
secede with Us, have been for secession OF
South Carolina alone She can but be subjet.
ed and enslaved we can but have those guns
now mounted at Fort Moutre and the bayonets
OF the soldiers within its walls used against us.
We are now nothing bat an outraged and de
graded colony Worse than that--we are an in
suited and endangered colony; and if we do not
shortly right ourselves, in my opinion, We must
soon be ruined colony Thafate Of Jamaica
must be ours, although our country is different
from Jamaica, where the beasts Of the field and
the African, do not necessarily take possession
of the home of the once proud Anglo. Saxon. !
am for meeting the difficulty now. The sooner,
in my estimation, the better for the people rep
resent--the better for the whole South. If the
South cannot unite in making one common eff
fort, let one State, it she has the courage and
the power, do it, and, for good Or evil, bravely
dare the consequences. That is my counsel for
the State represent-my counsel for the South
But we are told, that we have no right to &c.
cede from the Union, and that the general govern.
ment will bayonet and shoot US il we make the
attempt. Sir, what the government will or will
not do, lis not question for freemen With them,
mere force never yet satisfied or dcters Has
State right to secede from the Union That
is the question. II she has the right, what mat
ters it that mere brute power stands in the way :
| am not to be deferred by the accumulation of
force recently sent to the United States forts in
Charleston bay. No, sir; if needed anything
to inspire me to march on, it would be that ;
because it proves that this government is pre-
pared to be a despotism--a military coercive,
bloody despotism--such as lately subjected
Hungary to Austria. In that attitude, so far
from shrinking from the controversy, my spirit
rises higher, and am more prepared than ever
to meet the conflict, whatever it may be, and to
carry it on to the last
But, sir, will now endeavor to show that the
State Of South Carolina has right to secede
from this Union if she thinks fit The right of
secession is not right derived from the Consti-
eueiOH VI WIG Ouittu oiAtcS OUStTVeu LudI, III
some resolutions which were laid before us the
other day. it was spoken of as right not granted
by the Constitution. Why, sir the right to hold
Legislative assemblies, and of taxing our people,
and all the other powers connected with State
government existed before the Constitution,
and are not granted by the Constitution of the
United States. The right to secede, like all
these powers, is reserved right. 1t is neccs.
sary incident connected with the reserved soy.
ereignty Of the States One State could not
give to another, and the Constitution could not
give to the States, the right to secede They
had it previously. The first question for us to
consider is, were. the States sovereign? If they
were sovereign, is there anything in the Consti-
tuition OF the United States to impair that sover-
eighty! II the States were sovereign-f the
Constitution is compact between them, and if
in that Constitution there is no concession no
grant of the sovereignty of the States-thai
sovereignty still exists. Although the Const-
tuition does not and could not contain in it
grant of sovereignty, yet it does in several
clauses, and in particularly, distinctly recog.
nize it. allude now to that clause concerning
treason 1t reads thus:
Treason against the United States shall con-
slst only IN evying war against them, (the States)
or in adhering to their enemies, (he enemies of
the States) giving them aid and comfort -
Treason is violation of your allegiance to
your sovereign. Allegiance, according to the
laws OF nations, is a co-relative to protection
The sovereign protects; and on that ground al
Iegianee IS due, and treason is violation of that
allegiance. See the close connection between
the sovereignty the State and treason Against
whom can treason be committed under the
Constitution of the United States Against the
government of the United States--against the
Union, or the people of the Union aggregately
NO, sir; the government is only the agent of
the sovereigntes of the States 1t is the crea-
ture Of these sovereignties- for certain
purposes, and endowed with certain powers to
effect them. But the soy, reignties are the
States and hence, the Constitution speaks of
them as the sole objects of treason. Here is,
then, in this article, (athough there can be no
grant OF sovereignty di-tnct recognition of
1t in the Constitution. Treason against the
United States is violation of allegiance TO the
sovereigntes who established the system of
government; aud those soveregnties are de-
scrlbed in the Constitution as the States. A
person levyng war against Them, or giving aid
and comfort to their enemies, is guilty. of trea-
son-sho wing distinctly that treason can be
committed against them and against them only
~" 'e' "9 'e"No ti'hi tutSboii, anu 70 UigutT
up in the argument | pray the Senate to bear
with me, because, if my conception of public
Affairs is correct, this is no idle dissertation it
is no by-play here for the entertainment of the
audience; but it is question upon which bay
onets may be crossed and blood may be spilled
Therefore it is important for every man in the
present state Of things a the South, to know
where his duty lies, in order that he may dis
charge it faithfully to that authority which has
right to demand its exercise
Let us 90 back of the Constitution, where this
question properly belongs. The Declaration of
independence declares the States to be free,
sovereign, and independent States. Il have heard
it said, that that was united declaration, and
that, therefore, it only meant that the States were
sovereign and independent uniiedly. The State
represent, did not wait for the Declaration of
Independence, to establish her Independent ex-
istence. Neither did the people of Virginia, nor
the people OF New Jersey. In March, l776, the
people of South Carolina set up for themselves,
government and constitution of their own.
Pardon me here, sir, if dgress, and state how
they accomplished it. They were not very