The southern press. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-10-22
From tho MIRO York Tibu
Tho Bugbear Secession.

's From the MIRO York Tribune.
The Buybear Secession.
South Carolina, it seems morally certain has
put an extinguisher on the bubble--disunion.
The signal triumph of o-operation"-tha IL,
of the party which opposes immediate secession
from the Union, and insists that South Carolina
shall consult and cooperate with her sister
States of the South with respect to their mutual
grievances and the best means of redressing
them-sa substantial counterpart Of the Union
victories in Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi.
There may be some secession triumphs in the
plantation parishes; but we know that the
mountain districts are almost unanimous against
accession, and their strength added to that of
Charleston is decisive. South Carolina will not
secede, nor even make a feint OF so doing. Her
shareholders, notwithstanding all the clamor of
restless intriguers for office, are quite aware that
their slaveholding interests are decidedly safer
in the Union than they could be out Of it, and
they will not be driven into secession. Her
merchants and capitalists realize that their bust
ness il far better and their property worth more
in the Union than they would be out of it. And
her large class CT poor white men, deprived OF
any equal voice in the government by her aristo-
cratic constitution, which allows small minority
of her freemen, residing in the great slavehold
ing parishes, TO overbear the great majority in
| tial electors, &C., are regularly chosen-though
these poor whites are of little account and have
but feeble voice in the usual direction of her
public affairs-will make themselves potentially
heard whenever she shall undertake to secede
| from tn. Union. Notification had scarcely
foothold in the mountain districts twenty years
| ago secession is weaker in those districts now.
! Could the question be submitted directly to the
| " hite freemen of South Carolina-"Shall this
State secede from the Union-Yea or Nayw
we have no doubt that twothirds would
thunder out an indignant and determined No!
The dsaffecton is mainly confined to the great
planting districts; its fomenters are nearly all
lawyers and office.seekers, who deemed this the
royal road to popularity and power. But they
have grievously mistaken
The people even of South Carolina, though
they may grumble at this or that act of Con-
gress, or exhibition of Northern sentiment, are
at heart attached to the Union, and do not mean
| to leave it. The cannon which the chivalry'
Rave been ordering cast at liberal cost, will be
laid by to rust in the arsenas. The Commander
and Quattlebums who seek glory in the tented
Fl, Id, must turn their arms against Cuba, North
ern Mexico, or some other foreign territory
which lies temptingly convenient to slavedom
| The last hope of secession has vanished and the
business of saving the Union is virtually extinct.
| The fate of Gorsucl, and the rescue of Jerry,
have been dinned into the drowsy ears Of the
South to no purpose. Gov. Johnston's defeat
ought, for the credit of cotton patriotism, 10
have occurred some weeks sooner. As it is, 1t
cannot well be made the cause of events which
| took place previously or simultaneously with
ITSELF The Union will endure for some time
yet, because no influential party concerned in it
has as much to gain as to lose by its disruption
Castle Garden may continue to resound with the
notes of Maretzek, rather than the honeyed
| tones of persuasion which fall from the lips OF
g Little Biiters" and kindred spokesman of the
Union and Safety Committee" tor the peril OF
disunion is no more. "Othello's occupations
gomez
And now word on secession in the abstract,
which has held prominent place in the discus
sions of the late summer at the South, and has
enured largely to the advantage Of the secession
lists, who, by holding up their a6versaries as de-
nying the right of secession under any circun,-
stances, have been able to represent them rs cut.
ting off the South from all chance of redress in
case of the infection of unbearable wrongs upon
her by an omnipotent Northern majority.
Whether State has a constitutional right To
secede from our Union, upon the occurrence oil
circumstances which in her own Judgment rem
der such a step necessary, is question which
we will not now discuss. That she has no right
and can have none, TO nullify law OF the land
vet insist on remaining in the Union, was abund
| anily established by Mr.. Webster in his great
debate with Col Hayne But if We regard the
several States as sovereignties, and the Union
as confederscy, The right TO secede from thai
Union in ease Of the perversion Of its powers to
the vital injury Of one or more Of the high con
tracing parties, would seem legitimate infer
ence from the premises.
But cur view Of the practical question strips
the abstraction Of much IF its shadowy magni
tude and importance. Suppose State TO be
earnestly convinced that the Union has become
curse 10 her, and thereupon TO have resolved
10 secede from it-whqt shall be the fedora
governments Shall we call out the militia
reinforce our regular army. cast cannon, a
pour down upon the seeding State an ayalanch,
of bIoodshed, devastation and deathi Shall
We retain sister State in the Union by fire anc
sword, and compel her TO send memters OF Con.
gres-, and seem 10 be our associate and eqnn
when she is in fact our vas'all We think not
If a State, by n decided, unquestioaable MAORI
" Of her people, should resolve TO quit the
Union, we should prefer 10 let her go ratheI
than retain her by military force. This Unior
il not a slaye-pen, though Il pnbappily con
tains slave pens Il would be perfectly fail
TO insist that seeding State should not per
nit her territory 10 be abused TO defrnud the
revenue laws Of the Union by smuggling. or IL
any way to irjure her neighbcrs; but do mo-
have her retained as a captive and a subject !
she is unwilling to remain a. partner
We do not believe IL the door Of the Unior
were held wide open, State could be induced
10 walk out in the course Of the next half cen
tury. Ifany did, she would be glad to walk IL
spain before she had been out " o years. OuI
Union is maintained by force stronger thar
fortress-wals and more impregnable than ser
RED ranks-that Of enlightened selfinterest and
general security. A dozen Rhetts aud JEFF
Dayises could go but a short way towards IL
dissolution.
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