The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-05-10


Fhe consumI patioq no devowtiy wished my
not be accomplished 10 day o. year, but r.
he parey Of the 9outh perssysFs, and The resnSe
d inevitable. This will b. true Of Virgiuis and
Georgia. AZ we'll n Of other Shtae. LIST no one
believc that the recent acts Of theae States t<ny
express the will and determination OF the people
Of these States. They will take new counsel
and finally be governed by lheiv old pesnesp!es
Let the question be distincuy put, at the polls,
to the people, whether they will submit to the
present subversion or their rights and the pres.
emit degradation Of the Southern people, and,
think, the result il not questionable. 1.-The ques-
ton is, really, one between the South and the
North, aud whether we shall be governed abso-
lutely now and forever by people whose
ayowed objects are to annihilate US
have, finally, my dear sir, 10 AK the favor
Of you 10 communicate this letter to the conven-
ton, if you be member Of it, which believe
you are, or, If not, to engage some other hand
to do 30. My object is to show those who APP
pointed me, that their delegate. though unable
personally to attend the convention, has not
been wholly unmindfnl Of his duty to them.
i ! am, my dear cir, with great respect and
LANGDON CHEvEs.
G. A. TREEHoLM, esq, Charleston, 8. C..
P. S-Since writing the above, | have seen
it intimsted that this convention will be called
upon 70 act much more largely than was at first
suggested, upon the difficult questions between
the South and the general government. II It
shall do 20, / have no doubt the action will be
unfortunate. It will, among other evils, divide
the people Of the State into parties, instead Of
presenting that unanimity which now does it 90
much credit, and will probably, under future
contingencies, give itmuch strength. The great
activity and zeal Of South Carolina, have de-
stroyed her moral and political influence. That
zeal and activity were not commendable. in
themselves; but, under actual circumstances,
were impotic. It was slanderously called am
bition and desire to dictate, that excited the
jealousy of other States. Measures, right and
proper, and patriotic, were condemned, simply
because they came from South Carolina; and
every dastard has justified his recreancy under
this preiudiced and slanderous condemnation.
If South Carolina be wise, she will wait upon
her sister States yet long while. Let her be
prepared to act, but leave other States time to
deliberate and determine for themselves. Great
changes must take place in the sentiments of
the Southern people or history is fiction, and
the nature of man has changed. Let South
Carolina be prepared to join other States; but
she cannot 90 foremost without injuring her own
and the common cause.
There has been, / think, another error in the
management of our great controversy, (not Pc
culiar to South Cardinal 1--WE have had too ma
ny conventions. Such assembiages are proper,
and only proper, on great occasions-when the
sense Of the people is doubtful. In almost all,
if not all occasions, the organized power of 90
vernment is the safest ground of reliance. 1t is
particularly so in this case; which ia a case of
usurpation and tyranny on the part Of the ge-
neral government, and our wise ancestors, with
great jealousy, reserved and secured the indie
pendence of the States, as a proper power to
control the ambition of the federal government
when it might arise and our great error and
misfortune has been, that we have allowed the
State governments to be virtually nullifed, by
not calling them early and vigorously into ac-
ton. concert between the State governments
is the great want of the South at this time and
this great object will best be attained by the
legislative and executive functionaries of their
respective governments.
Col. Mickey Gregg, from the committee of 81,
submitted the subjoined resolutions and address,
which, on motion of Gen. Adams was made the
special order Of the day for Wednesday MORN
ing. The convention at 81 adjourned until 10
o'clock the following morning.
l. RESOLVED, That, in the opinion of this
meeting, the State of South Carolina cannot
submit 10 the wrongs and aggressions which
have been perpetrated by the federal govern
ment and the Northern Sites, without dishonor
and ruin; and that it is necessary to relieve her.
self therefrom, whether with or without the CO.
operation of othcr Southern States.
3. Resolped, That concert of action with one
or more of our sister States Of the South,
whether through the proposed Southern Con-
gress, or in any other manner, is an object worth
many sacrifices, but not the sacrifice involved in
submission.
8. Resolred, That we hold the right of seces-
sion to be essential to the sovereignty and free
dom of the States of this confederacy and that
the denial Of that right would furnish to an in
ured State the strongest additional cause for its
exercise.
a. RESOLVED, That this meeting looks with
confidence and hope to the convention of the
people, to exert the sovereign power of the
State in defence Of its rights, at the earliest
manner and to the legislature to adopt the most
speedy and effectual measures towards the same
end
ADDRESS
From the Delegates Of The Southern Rights As
sociations of South Carolina, assembled in
Charleston, 10 the Southern Rights Associa-
lions Of the other Southern States.
| Having met to take counsel together. and
having agreed upon that course which we think
it right and necessary to pursue, we wish to lay
before you the considerations BY which we have
been governed with that frankness which our
respect for you, and our desire to merit your
good opinions. require.
We regard the position Of the Southern States
In this confederacy as degraded and ruinous-
The manifest tendency of those systematic ag-
gressions which they have suffered for many
years past ia to subvert the institution Of slavery
If those acts of hostile domination, which have
been rendered more insulting by mockery of
language, under the term OF compromise
were final in their nature, and were not to be
followed by any further aggressions, we should
still regard them as outrages to which sovereign
States, possessing the spirit of freedom, ought
never to submit. But those measures only
form part Of system, gradually commenced,
steadily carried forward, gathering strength from