Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-03-06
THE AUGUSTA CoNsTITUTIoNALIST.

course Of the Augusta Conshtutlonallst.
made .plain,. in reference to the policy Of
Southern Resistance. From personal knowl-
edge, we had expected better things from
that source. Blasted be the influences that
have operated to lead astray heart and a
head, fitted to achieve laurelsi in nobler field.
That which was dashing cascade, from Il
pure fountain, fastening to contribute its all
to the free "occan wavc," has been CONVEX
ted, by the ditching of utilitarianism, info the
tributary of a stagnaut pond. Be it so. 1t
is hard to part company with IN old friend !;
but it is harder still to follow him in.the
sway that leadcth to destruction"
The definite expose to which we allude, is
made in recent article of his, entitled ."Plain
talk for the Scccssionists." This aplain
talk is little more than plain acknowl-
cdgement of past errors and plain adoption
of a new political phase, as cxpounded in the
Mobile Register. .'...i<.''' ~
This latter paper has virulently attacked
the Secession resolutions Of the Alabama
Statc-Rights Convention, and has styled this
attempt to carry Alabama for secession,
"Quixotic." With this the Constitutionalist
"co.incides and then, going a step farther,
he pronounccs it "intolcrant arrogance.o
This is harsh expression truly, and one
that should never be applied to any man, or
set of men, without the fullest evidence to
conviction. To whom is it here applied, and
for what? Toa body of intelligent patri-
OTIS, any one of whom, perhaps, is as rational
and as consdcratc and as enlightened, rs he
who hurls this shaft ut them. And, the rea-
son for sending the missile is, because they
vcnturcd to oGer, (not to dictate, as the Con-
stitutionalist implics,) q plat5forn, for the
Southern Rights party Of Alabama. Where
then is the feature that deserves the appella-
ton of "intolerant arrogancc?" We answer
it has no existence, unless it be in The brain
Of him who made the charge. But we will
not entertain the belief that an imagination,
once so glowing and so full Of noble impul.-
scs, has been metamorphoscd into generator
of the noxious gases of spleen and suspicion
and distrust. We prefer to think that this
WIS slip of the pen, or at least, that the full
force of the words were not carefully
considered.
But it is also worthy of observation, that
this party, thus characterised, are not from a
section inimical to our interests and institu-
tions. This would have been to us somcex-
cuse for even stronger language. No-they
arc Southerncrs, like ourselves, struggling to
find the most direct road to Freedom and
Equality. Their conscientious convictions
lead them to believe that South Carolina has
found that road: and they therefore advise the
people Of Alabama to the same line of poll
cy. 1t is because they are, as, ;Southcrncrs,
thoroughly. identified with us, because they
are bone ofzoursboneand feshzof ourifesh,
because they fully realise the mighty dangers
that hang over our common destiny, that they
venture to make known their belief as to the
OILY adequate course for the preservation of
our liberties. And for this, an Alabamian calls
them a set of crazed fools, and 4 Georgian
adds the term "intolerant arroganccm
But we do not design being unfair in our
estimate of the Constitutionalist's views, as
set forth in the article alluded to. We will
therefore give brief dclineation of his poll
tics, nearly in his own language, and make
our comments in passing. 1t will serve per-
liaps to show our readers what we have to
expect from Georgia politicians Of this COM
plcxion. We trus. there arc not many, so
deeply "dycd in the WOOL"
The Constitutionalist says that in Georgia
and in erery other Southern Statc (cxcept Car
olina) the idea of secession for past grieran=
ccs is oJsolcte This is a sweeping assump-
ton of our neiglbor's, which rests partly
upon his individual slrmise. 1t is wrong to
make any such surmise, the basis, even in
part, of so express an assereration. 1t is
about equivalent to what the logicians term
"petitio principii."
lie further says that "the movement to-
wards a Southern Congress may be looked
upon rs complete break domn."
And this he denominatcs one OF those
stubborn facts which the high excitement Of
the resistance party, is unwilling to look
steadily in the face. Let this fact be first cs-
tabishcd by the action of the Mississippi
Convention, before it is declared to be set
tied point. That noble State may yet, des-
pite these vaticinary dreams, determine to
send delegates to such Congress, and South
Carolina certainly has already declared her
preparedness to meet with any single sis
ter. Here then at least may be Congress
of two independent States, and although it
will not be Congress of the Southern
States, properly speaking, it will yet be a
Southern Congress; for besides being meet
ing of Southern sovcrcigntics, its objects will
be Southern, and the principles and feelings
by which its members will be guided and ac-
tuated will be Southern, out and out. Nor
will it fail to carry with it that moral weight
which is necessary to make it useful" at least