Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-03-20


adoption of the measures known as the
Compromise, which many, who had OPP
posed 1t as aboriginal proposition, accepted
as an offering of peace upon the altar of
the country whose harmony and Union
they were axious TO preserve. These were
derisively styled TRAITORS and "submis-
siomists" by those who continued to resist
ticse measures as unjust, ini1uitous, I'M
constitutional, and oppressive, and who
therefore must have desired their repeal,
and Of necessity re-openlng ofthe whole
question, with all Its attendant dangers
Or failing in this, as honorable men they
must have courted, as a political blessing,
a separation from the tyrannical and un-
scrupulous majority who had thus wanton-
y imposed upon them series Of laws to
which they could not submit without a
compromise of honour. So that in either
aspect of the case in which the course of
the resistants is viewed--whether in seek
ment, or whether in refusing obedience to
laws which conscience nor right could toll
erate-we contend that such course tends.
legitimately and practically, to dissolution.
But fortunately we are not without evil
dence as to the design of this party. 1t is
palpable and unmistakable. Nay,we have
the direct admission of the leaders of that
party themselves, that they desire a separ-
alton, from what they are pleased to term,
this nation of free-booters Their newspa-
per organs, their public speakers in the
market place and the bar-,oon S, openly
proclaim their intention to resort to this
ultima ratio of nations. We might multi
ply evidences Of this purpose, but we need
only Introduce an extract from the speech
of the venerable Langdon Cheves, Presi-
dent of the Nashville Convention, who was
but the mouth-piece of the party he repre-
sented. On 18th November, 1850, In Con
vention at Nashville, Mr.. Cheves said
Il shall erumerate more of the wrongs that we
have suffered, the dangers with which are
.hrt atenel. II these, and atrocious are
not sufficient to the Southern mind, our case
sdesperate. Bnt supposing that shall be reused,
and that shall act like freemen, and knowing our
rights and wrongs. shall be prepared to sustain
the one and redress the other-whai is the remcdyl
answer: scccsson-unted secession of the slave
holding States, large number of them. Nothing
else will be wse-nothing else will be practicable
The Rubicon is passcd-tle L uon is already dissol-
vcd!'
With this party the public may legiti-
mately regard Messrs Bocock, Powell, &c,
together with the Lynchburg Republican,
as identified. They use the same argu-
ments against the Same Objectionable meas
ures; they denounce the advocates Of them
in the same unstinted measure of reproach;
they make the same appeals to the public
mind to render them unpopular they
pursue the same system for preserving ag-
itation and for keeping the public in a fe-
verish state of excitement in regard to them;
and we have right therefore to infer a
common motive from common action
We wish to do them no injustice, and we
give them the benefit of the disclaimer
which they are understood to make, of this
natural inference. In South Carolina, dis
unionism ispopular; in Virginia tits not; and
the politician here is too well aware that, he
would become a. felo de Sc, openly to avow
that disafiection to the Union which, in our
less timorous neighbour, is a passport to
public favour. When politicians acts
contradict his professions, it becomes
matter of obvious prudence to receive the
latter cum ,graao sails; and he is asking too
much of public credulity, to insist on ex-
emption from the application of this. law of
nature.
Much more might be said in support Of
the reasons we have endeavourcd to pre-
sent, for believing that the policy of the
"agitators" tends TO dissolution, notwith-
standing their professions to the contrary
but we forbear for the prcsan., trustino
that our neighh,cc,r.r will receive what we
have said as an answer to his inquiry
But he says if its friends are disunionists,
we are also, for we opposed the Compro
mise, advocated the right of secession, was
a warm Southern man, and favoured the
Nashville Convention. To all Of these
charges we plead guilty, but not in the
sense in which the Republican wishes it to
be understood. The length to which this
article has already been necessarily extern
ded, will prevent anything like an elaborate
examination Of the several points which
are presented for our confusion; but never
theless, promising that we do not recede
one iota from the positions heretofore as
sumcd on these several subjects, we shall
very briefly refer to them.
After Mr.. Polk gave his official sanction
to the Wilmot Proviso, the advocates of
this measure, so justly odious to the South,
gained new strength from their success
and boldly threatened to apply it to allthc
territory acquired from Mexico. This Of
course the South resisted, and the very ex-
istence of the Union seemed to be staked
upon the issue. Nearly every Legisla-
ture of the Free States had instructed its
representatives to advocate and vote for the
measure, whilst the Southern States were
less united as to their ultimate course in the
event of its adoption. In a word the
Southern Ship seemed to be sailing with
out rudder or compass, whilst the crew
were divided in opinion as to the proper
disposition to be made of her. Virginia