Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1851-09-04


South Carolina and the South, is feeble ir
point of numbers, and will not be felt in the
comirg struggle. The two divisions rst de.
scribcd embrace nine-tenths of the people Of
South Carolina. The two combined would
constitute as near an approach to unanimity
as could be reasonably expected OH any great
political question or revolutionary movement
whatever. Their opinions on all the abstract
doctrines involved in the controversy, their
views as to the aggressive policy of the North
The advancing power of the spirit that ami
mates it, the irreparablc wrongs and injuries
it has already inflicted, and the overwhelming
calamilics which it threatens-the opinions of
these two classes, I say, on all these SUBJ
jccts, ere identical. They are separated by u
very narrow isthmus. They differ only as
to time. Both are patriotic, and have the
honor and safety of the State deeply at
heart and the last as we'll rs the first would
be incapable of raising an arm against their
mother land believe, and unhesitatingly
express my conviction, that those q speak of
them rs class) who call themselves co-opc-
rationists, would, with the most patriotic de-
votion, sustain the State in any attitude she
might assume.
1t is unfortunate, it is deplorable, that in
great crisis like the present, where every
thing cherished and dear to us rs a free and
sovereign State is in peril and on the eve of
great revolution, there should be divisions
among ourselves even though such divi-
sons should be upon subordinate points.
They paralyzc our movements, destroy the
moral force of our position, and impair the
confidence of those who sympathisc with US
in the other Southern States, and look to.
our example and our lead, which they arc
hereafter to follow. Sr:.'E Cnrozinn is The
for7orn hope efkhe South tn'.sF -";.;,
the first blow, and co-opt r.,..t
will come. 1t is her pc .ay.j. -.
the van. She must enlo. ~.
tanned onlyby moral infussa 4e,a 80
high rcsnlxe; and thsa sbei ;...s'b2se -sis!ee<
will rally around her. Het
icaly theirs. Would they ;,s::. ~
gully of The suicidal policy 2i ai1i::. u ,"e
suhjugation of their gallant ,.,,,', 10. il"
other causc than her zeal in defending their
common rights, and to no other end than to
give strength to the arm by which they in
their turn, would be inundated ? In the
nature Of things this cannot be. There arc
adverse circumstances that will prevent the
cooperation of the Southern States until af-
ter South Carolina shall have scccdcd. There
are no indications 10 the contrary of this.
On the other hand, every indication favors the
correctness of these views. We are assured
of the truth of them by our warmcst friends
in those States. Yet there are patriotic
men in South Carolina, who still cling to this
deusive hope, who yet would be opposed to
ultimate submission, even though they were
assured that cooperation and assistance ncv-
cr would come.
The scccssonists and the co-operationists,
as they arc called, arc one party. Theymust
harmonic. The scccssionits arc not op-
posed to cooperation, but desire it, above all
things ifit can be obtained. But they arc
unwilling to let the secession of the State
rest upon that condition. The cooperation
lists desire, before the State shall sccede, that
one or more of the Southern States should
enter into some compact or pledge of co-ope-
ration and assistance. But then patriotic
citizens would be offended, and justly, to be
Included in the category Of the submission
lists. They do not hold that, if all hope of
Southern cooperation is lost, South Carroll
M must, or ought to, settle down in quiet
ahicct submission, and strike not one blow
for her lost rights, and for the maintenance
of the few that remain. These are not their
opinions and feelings; Il speak of them as
class on the contrary, in that event, they
90 for resistance, and resistance to the last
extremity. What is it, l repeat, that scpa-
rates these two classes of our citizens, and
prevents them from fratcrnizing? Why is it
that they snarl at each other, and utter mu-
tual rcproachcs through the dress and other
wise? Let such ill-omcned and mischievous
contentious cease between brothers and pa
triots. Let our people forbcar to give aid
and comfort to the enemy, by divisions
among themselves. Let them turn their in
vcctive, and their arms against the common
oppression.
These classcs of our citizens are scpara-
ted, as have shown, by no irrcconcilablc
principles. They only differ on the question
of expediency. Let high and feryid patri-
otism fuse and amalgamate them into one.
1t seems to me that neither of these par
ties have very well defined their PLATFORM u
While the +" secessionis.s," have not declared
with precision what they mean by immediate
secession, the "co-operationists" have not
explicitly said how LONG they are disposed to