The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-02-04

supposs thai ssea a sejsaEssr. in your hahslf
would be kindly received, il not cordially vel
coined. But you give me 70 understsnd that you
regard your injuries in the light Of prerqgsiip<.
al exalted and sacred. that you will allow no one
interiors with il, even for your benefit; and that
if undertake to espouse your cause, you will con-
slider my advocacy such breach Of privilege, that
! you will unite with your oppressors in whipping
| me into courtesy to you, submission to them and
endless fellowship with both Would not this be
rather a return for weII-aimed kindness,
sister K.' Aud yet it is very much like you. In
the case put, | suppose could not even hope for
a compromise with you. Fortunately for me,
have no idea Of interfering with your prerogative;
though as u matter Of curiosity should like to
know when and how you mean to redress your
grievances, and stop the recurrence Of them! If
twenty years plumber of you by " thieves" has
not yet fetched grunt from you, sister, how long
will it take you to bring them to justice'
But let me set you right, as TO the grounds Of
my discomfort. II springs from nothing that you
have suffered. have long since ceased to regard
you Southern in feeling and spirit; and be
sured shall never obtrude my services upon you
for redress of your wrongs. | reSd in those
wrongs, however, solemn warning that they
soon to be repeated upon me; and that when they
are, shall be hopeless of redress for them from
| my federal relations, al you are now. find my
self despsed, insulted, and threatened with vio-
ence. for no higher crime than insisting upon my
| 6uuedvOT0
them. perceive spirit ut work among the sis
ters of the North which regards neither promises,
oaths, justice nor humanity. have seen il spread
until It has poisoned the fountains Of justice, cor
rupted our deliberate councils, disarmed magstra-
cy Of its power, and gathered to itself all power.
And stih It spreads, and as it spreads it becomes
| every day more intolerant to the South. With u
people thus possessed. can hope for nothing but
unmtigated oppression. From this see no es-
cape but In immediate secession; and marvel that
my neghborng sisters do not these things az
| do. As for you, you have nothing to fear. Even
abolition cruelty will spare you, seeing that you
always offered to it the best atonement that, a
slave holder, you could, for our common "sin, /"
viz: the privilege stealing" from you at plea
sure without account. But the rest Of us in this
latitude, will not fare quite so well. In your Sc
cond letter you say: Suppose you pass an act
of nullifcation or secession, which is but mere
sweeping notification, will it release your
from their obligation to obey the laws of the
United States, relieve the President and iudici-
ary from the duty of enforcing them. 1t is suf-
6cent 10 say that numerous judicial decisions and
the common opinion of the country have answered
this question in the negative. 1t is settled law and
common opinion that no act of State by legisa-
ture, convention, or popular acclaim, can release
it's citizens from their obligation to obey the Con-
stitution and laws Of the United States. Such an
act, like recently passed by the legislature Of
Vermont, would be absolutely void, &C."
Now, this is strange doctrine as coming from
any one, but coming from you it is positively
shocking Now, the right which, / claim, Of null
y lifyng any law that believe to be unconstitu-
tonal, Il claim other) and the right of seeding
from the Union when it ceases to obey the Const-
tuition, learned from you. On 1893 you held the
following langunge
"Resolred, That the several States composing
the United States of America are not united on
the principle Of unlimited submission to the Gene
raj Governments; but that by compact under the
: style and title of constitution-and Of amend
ments thereto, they constitute a government for
: special purposes, delegated to that government
certain definite powers, reservng each Slate TO IT,
se!f the resduary mass Of right to their own self
government; and that whenever the General Gov
eminent assumes undelegated powers its acts are
unauthoratve, void, and of no force; that TO this
compact each Sioe acceded State, and ia an in
tegral party; that this government created by this
compact was not made the exclusive or final Judge
of the extent Of the powers delegated to itself
since that would have made its discretion, and
not the Constitution, the measure of its powers
but that as in all other Of compact among
{ parties having no common judge, each party ha
an equal right 10 Judge for ITSELF ,ost Of infac
n lions, as If the mode and measures Of redress"
This was your teaching in time past, and
: adopted it as orthodox. That it contains tru,
exposition Of the principles Of our Government
II am perfectly satisfied; and upon it shall act
, all hazards. How we'll it becomes you to ectur,
. me for becoming your political disciple, leave yo,
and the world to judge. You draw dismal pic
ture Of the consequences Of notification by me
tell me, if you please, why we do not see them il
, the case Of Vermontl | hear Of no force-bilI,
upon her--i see no interference with her from thu
Executive or Judiciary Of the United States. Yet
she is warning against law, the constulionality
8 of which Is questioned by no one Of common
/ sense. Have you word of warning for her
She has done no more than several of her neigh
bors did long ago; yet what have they suffered
9 from their nullifcation' The people of Massa
/ chssetts have trampled the laws Of Congress un
. der foot; what has the Executive done to her
Am to be selected as the only object Of Execu.
: tive wrath, for an offence of every days occur
: renee at the NORTH Well, let it come. 1t can
4 not be worse than the torments which see befor,
me, from abolition domination. Give me the
despotism Of RUSSIA in preference to that. | fiat
: ter myself however, that shall be allowed tc
s depart in peace, while there some five ant
h twenty thousand resistance men on either side o.
me. Condemned rs am by all North and many
South, should suppose that these at best would
I be glad to get rid Of me. II is strange that they
cling TO me while they despise me. should GER
lainly not oppose the secession of every State ia
3 New England; ard | marvel tina, they do not
withdraw from the Union. seeing they cannot en-
= dure Its pro slavery government. Let me say in
4 conclusion, that nothing is more easy than to
. quiet all my discontents. Grant me my constitu-
tIona rIghts--and let the government be admins
tered mparialy, and nothing is to be feared from
} me- But until this is done, your lnudaions of the
: the Union, your pictures Of the horrors Of civil
war, your eIegiacs upon hbecty's dying hopes,
and your eaicglss upon the greatness and grandeur
of the republic only bring your judgment and
discretion into disreputs with me; and inAsme m
wrath against those to whom these things should
be addressed. To turn from "thieves" confessed
to lecture me upon the dangers Of resisting them,
. or quitting their society, shows exceedingly
tender heart in sister Kentucky and n still more
tender head. lf you wish to save the Union, keet
your compromises to yourself for the future, and
exact at all hazards, strict fulflment Of those
I that you have already palmed off upon the coun.
5 try. Go, and with becoming spirit, demand your
stolen property, and arm your children masse to
] recover it if it be not delivered up. Go, hold up
> your ragged Constitution TO those who have rid
died it, and declare that the next rent which they
make in it, shall drive you them from the
Union. In word, put yourself on the side OF
r justice and equality, and to the death agains,
i aboIiionism all its forms. Quit daIlying with
It to get your son in the White House, and quit
, pampering it, to secure by ts help good price
for nd hap 10