Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1851-02-08

purposes of free soil, and come into the Union as
free States, unless some action shall be taken by
the South to break this current of events
Bv this adjustment a Southern State has been
dismcmbered, tax of ten millions of dollars inn
posed upon the people, two-thrds of which, must
be paid by the South. Why has this been done
That territory enough for large State-slave
territory under the resolutions of annexation, might
be converted into SOIL and come into the Union
free State Such the object and such will
be the effect of Remembering Texas. No other
consideration could have secured the passage of the
bill. BY the adoption of this scheme of adjust
ment," the South has been surrounded by free ter
rtory, which WILL if, no counteracting influences
are brought to bear come into the Union as free
States One great object for which e-soilers
have been contendihg for years, is likely to be ac
complished, to wiz To surround the South with
Gordon OF free 3satcs.
By anosherrahture of this scheme, the slave trade
has been abolished in the District of Columbia
This is but the entering wedge to the assumption
of Jurisdiction slavery, within the district, and
to general emancipation. The next step will be to
establish it. The bill provides that if slaves shall
be brought into the district for SALE the owner shall
forfeit his title and the slaves shall become free If
Congress possess the power to Gberate the slave
because he is brought in here for sale, for what
purpose they not declare him free The bill
does not stop here EVENTS operation is not con-
nned 10 the DlStllcI OF COlulnDla alone. LII IS an
interference with the slave trade between the States
The rights of both Maryland and Virginia to carry
on the slave trade with the other Southern States,
are impaired by it. This right is not left free and
unncumbered as it existed heretofore, but is clog
ged and INSTRUCTED. The citizens of these States
can longer collect their slaves in Depots for sale
here or to be carried to other States. They are
excluded from this market and turned beyond the
limits of this District. The South should demand
III IL
provisions of the Constitution, and common justice
to the Southern States.
| The Southern portion of this Compromise, " is
the fugitive slave bill That bill is intended to give
force and effect to an express provision of the Con-
sttution. The bill conters no right. The right
of the Shareholder to recapture his slave was con-
ferred by the trainers of the Constitution and the
bill is only designed to give practical operation to
that provision, which has been imperative for sixty
years, in half of the -savehoding States Tito
enforce express provision of the Constitution, be
a concession, then | should be willing to admit this
a concession, provided the Northern States would
enforce the law. This, however, has not been done,
and | fear will not, In one State it has been rem
dered dead letter by Legislative cnactments, (Ver
mont, and in the others the efforts to enforce it
have been wholly Intellectual in most cases.
Such being in my opinion the character of the
acts passed at the late session, | am not for tame
acquiescence or submission | am fully aware,
however, that but little can be done by the South
in her present divided and distracted condition to
stay the hand of the aggressor. There is too much
division of sentiment feeling and opinion, in the
Southern States If the South had been united,
and spoken man through her delegation in
the last Congress, against the adjustment it
would never in my opinion have passed. The di-
visions of her people at home on this question, have
brought her to her present lamentabe condition
and will continue, if not healed to invite aggression
till her fate shall be sealed, and she become to this
government what Ireland is to England, or Hun
gary to Austria How is the South to be united
on this question, in defence of her ri CHS l know
of better plan than the suggested by the Oc-
tober Convention of Mississippi-a Southern Con-
vention Let all the Southern States hold Con-
vention composed of delegates formally elected by
the peOpe-let them meet and consult together
for the safety of the South and the preservation of
her constitutional rghts-for the preservation of
that Union of the States bequeathed them by the
patriots of 70; the Union of which the Constitu-
ton is the bond. In this way the South may pos
slbly be united man-speaking but one voice,
made by a common feeling-occupying the same
common ground and when thus united, and shew-
ing determination to defend her rights at all ha-
yards to the last extremity, aggression will cease,
and not till then. This in my judgment, is the
only plan under Heaven by which the Union can
be preserved-I mean Constitutional Union wor-
I Constitution. If the South would thus unite and
demand of the North a recognition of her to go into
Utah and New Mexico with her slave property the
right would be conceded. If she would demand a
division of California on the line of SO deg. 80 min.
California conserving, and this she would undoubt-
edly do, she would in my opinion, get it. She
should also demand of the North, and have per-
manently settled the question, that slaves may be
carried into territory hereafter acquired and Slave
States admitted into the Union. This is point OF
vital Importance to the institutions of the South
that should be settled without delay. If no more
slave territory is to be acquired, and more slave
States admitted into the Union, the overthrow OF
the institution of slavery is not only certain in the
States where it exists, but the day is not very
distant when it will be done. Confne it within its
present limits, and there finally will be war OF
determination between the two races in the South.
They never live upon terms of social and po-
ltical equality there And | do not hesitate to say
that l would prefer seeing the Union dissolved a
thousand times over, or the South filling COM
mon, but honorable grave, rather than the whites
and blacks living terms of social and political
equality in the Southern States.
| am then, gentlemen, in favor of Southern
Convention, called for the purposes briefly indica-
ted to unite the South to if possible, land
believe it possible the Union and the Constitution
which revolutionary patriots gave us. | am
also in favor of State Convention and the adop-
ton of the measures of non-intercourse. Let Mis-
sissipp and every other Southern State, to
buy manufactures in the North-bud up railroads,
establish arsenals and armories. In this way the
South will be rendered independent of the North,
of the Union. This is her true policy, whether
CHI rapainc in or shall ba driven out Pxy tbo