Semi-weekly Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1851-1852, 1851-07-25
Letter Of Hon, J. T, Wi,hers,
Anti.seeeessio" ss on 6sls5ra.ioa ] at ~ dtssnyl; 4sS III
Julu: 1851,

Received by the Committee of limitation Of I'M
Anti Secession Celebration at dreenuale, All
July; 1851.
Gentlemen: I acknowledge your invitation
to join the citizens of GreerviIle, ON the ensu.
ing 4th Of July, in a meeting, projected and
intended, as you inform me; to express opposi::
ton to separate State secession. You will
see reasons Il am pursaaded,) to excuse my abb
sencej and accept this manuscript as my rep:
rcsentative. TO be a faithful one, it must cons
tain no adulation, no hobbfng compliments;
no ca jollery, no cunning reservations, no arro4
gance, on the one hand, no hypocritical humili!
| ty on the other. These may be useful tools
for political jugglers; have not the art to use
them, nor do wish to be taught the accom-.
plishment.
| proceed, therefore, to say to you that if1
were in the Convention, this day. l would vote
against an ordinance abrogating the Constitu.
ton of the United States, and separating
South Carolina from all the other States OF
this Confederacy. Yet I would promptly
vote for one that should abrogate that instru.
ment, and at the same time, introduce this StateJ
as an Integral element, into another Coufedera'
ey, preconcerted, and calculated to organize
sIaveholding power adequate, by numbers, by
extent and contiguity of territory, in wealth
and homogeneous interests and pursuits, to in
spirc confidence in each citizen, as well as in
other communities, that it was competent and
determined to protect life, liberty and proper
ty, by the safeguards which the present age
and our circumstances have rendered neces.
sary; adequate to give assurance that it could
vindicate its title to respect and to justice, in
external relations; adequate to resent, in fact,
affront and aggression; to work ont, in short, By
sure and steady steps, and byrep.blica1 ins9iy
tut,ons, the great end Of all; 1igbtaous govern:
nent. / repeatsit, Republican Government,
ment; if am to be made Robinson Crusoe, in
his solitary isolation from all friendly sympa.
thy, without his insular protection against any
annoyance, but open by sea and by land to all
that are possible; if must be exposed to every
Robin Hood spawned upon mankind by the
vagabond benevolence of this pfuirent age and
country, who, by my own act, shall find sanc-
tuary 10 every point beyond the limits of my
narrow domain-I shall not deem that man
eunatic who betakes himself to the study, with
favorable eye, of the energetic virtues OF mon
archical government, to grow the more accep-
table as pressing necessities may inluse the ele.
ment of military vigor under that most euga.
ging aspect, "the pomp and circumstance Of
| glorious war;"
l do not think it would be inpertinent for q
member of the convention, whenever it may
deliberate, to suggest to that body something
like this. to wit: the people of this STATE are
entitled to expect the security Of such a repub.
lican structure as is above described: the past,
the present, all the portants of the future, pro-
claim that they will need it; their compeers
are in precisely the same circumstances the MA
terial are abundant for simple and solid mum
icipal and federal polty in the patriarchal form
of society, in which African slavery has placed
us of the South, in the recent experience (alI
our own) of certain quicksands 10 be avoided
in constructing federation, abundant for hap
py relations to the external world in that se-
curity for peace and good behavior which is
found in the value, to all civilized man, of COT
ton, sugar, rice and tobacco. Are those ma.
terials organzedl If so, let US take the final
steps, If not, let US observe to what extent the
organization has proceeded, and join in any,
the most earnest and solemn effort, to forward
the process. Let US not despair of those who
are in the same bottom with ourselves, whose
eyes and brains and hearts, we have no reason
to affirm, are inferior to our own; especially
may we halt, while we perceive our comrades
working up to the designated level, and refrain,
with long patience, from taking an irretrievable
step, while any hope remained that they would
reach the elevation that should disclose to them
the land of Canaan. We are not yet driven
to that sort of policy which, under the stimula.
ton of an impetuous, though intrepid senti.
ment, would subject an army, all sufficient,
being iudiciously ordered, for victory, to be-
come prey to the cunning adversary, by pre-.
senting to him the force, not in column, butin
advance guards, or in successive regiments.
1t is to be hoped that the convention may
bear to be further told, and some member ven-
ture to suggest that masses of men, of agri-
culturists, free from the heat and discipline Of
perpetual association and contact even moro
than individuals, are slow to discard, in proper.
tion as they are sincere, party associations,
long standing and cherished; are slow to sur
render to trust, though no longer deserved, in
familiar leaders, though artfully contrivng to
betray them; are most OF all slow to rupture
fundamental structure long admired, the theme
of impassonned and perpetual eulogy; beauti.
full and noble, in reality, when seen in its ori.
giual and genuine proportions; justly to be cal.
led land a thousand times declared by US all, }
the most magnificent monument of a glorious
generation. Slow to abandon all these in or
.,lo,,;t,, rotbor 1oon,;,, a., a. :.