The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1852-05-22
Southern Sentiment.

SOosuOAn C0ossMOuss
As the period for the meeting Of the Balti-
more Convention approaches, there is general
showing Of hands all round. The sentiment
of the Southern Rights Democracy is indicated
very strongly of late from quarters hitherto
silent. We have collected various expressions
of that sentiment from leading Southern papers
some of which we have already laid before oul
readers. We give a few more this morning
concsiving them to be more interesting thar
our own speculations, just at this time
They are taken from influential papers. w,
will preface them by the resolutions presented
by Mr.. WISE, which have attracted much atten
ton.
At the Democratic convention in the seventh
Congressional district of Virginia, held at Hamp
ton on the 18th inst, tho following resolutions
were introduced by Mr.. WISE and unanimously
adopted:
let. Resolved That the right of the fedora
and federal relations, are among the most invio
liable Of the rights of the States.
I'd. That, as the Union was formed, and the
peace of the States il best defended, by the
Constitution of the United States, every gross,
palpable and deliberate infraction of that instru
mont, by whomsoever perpetrated or persisted in,
whather BY State or federal authority, is an at
tack upon the Union, breach of the peace, and
m invasion of the rights Of the States, and
should be avoided by the federal government,
aud, if necessary, redressed by the sovereign
parties to the federal compact. TO acquiesce
in such infractions is not to consent to what the
Constitution is known to be, but it is either
usurpingly to claim or basely to submit that it
may be violated.
Sd. We therefore solemnly pledge ourselves
to each other, and to our common country, to
unite in enforcing faithful execution Of all the
provisions of the federal Constitution and OF
all laws made in pursuance thereof, whatever
may be the subject Of public policy which their
execution may involve. And the Constitution
of the United States, the rights of the States,
and the union of the States, must and shall be
preserved"
4th. Resolved, That our delegates to the Ma.
tiona Democratic convention be instructed, in
case resolutions restricting the execution Of the
fugitive slave law and the other compromise
measures of Congress, be offered to that body,
to present the three foregoing resolutions, a.
containing our sentiments and resolves on these
and all similar topics.
The above resolutions were sustained by MIR.
Wise in speech of marked ability, and, on mo.
ton, were unanimously adopted by the conven.
ton.
On motion of NJ B. Seawell, esq, it was
Resolved, That our delegates be instructed to
advocate strict adherence TO the tWo.thirds
rule in the Baltimore convention.
The Montgomery Advertiser and Gazette re.
Ill 1att g. Il,
ont and thus endorses one of It's main state.
ments.
SENTIMENT OF ALABAMA, REGARDING THE
PREslDENcY.-We take the following letter
from the last Southern Press. We are quite
sure that it speaks the sentiments of quite
large and influential portion quite too much 80
TO be disregarded) of the Democracy of Alaba-
ma. We have already warned the Democracy
of the experiment of again nominating General
Cass Combinations of our opinions of his un-
popularity in our State reach us by every mail
Wesay, most emphatically, that the experiment"
would be dangerous even ia Alabama. No
thing on earth will save him the vote of this
State should he be nominated but the difficult
ty which would arise between the discontinued
portions of the two parties uniting upon third
candidate. We are not at all certain that the
nominations of Gen. Cass and Gen. Scott, by
the Democratic and Wing conventions, would
not remove this obstacle.
The Mississippian, referring to the Baltimore
convention, speaks OF the two thirds rule in the
following terms:
There is proneness among the great mass
of the people to distrust the action of party
conventions and while We yield most hearty
assent to their necessity as means of embody-
ing party strength-as the only fair means-we
would rather still further restrict, than to re-
move any impediments to their action. In most
cases the candidate of bare majority will not
possess a sufficient title to the confidence and
support Of the party. Although it is an estab.
iished maxim in our party and government
that the majority shall rule, the fact should not
be lost sight of that majority, from the nature
of things, never have, and probably never will,
participate directly or indirectly. in the getting
up of conventions, save by tacit assent.
The two-thirds rule ia the guarantee of the
rights of the minority against The majority. 1t
has been happily called the constitution of the
Democratic party. 1t has worked well. In
1874 it prevented the nomination Of Van Buren,,
d at that convention and four years later was
acqulesced in as the regular, fixed policy Of the
party. The Virginia Democracy at their late
convention, Instructed their delegates TO dis
countenance all movements for it's repcal---to
insist on it as the settled usage of the party
ana many prominent Democrats declared that if
the convention should refuse to re-enact the
ru'e' their representatives should unhesitatnply
ABANDON the convention. 1t is peculiarly the
safeguard OF the Southern Democracy, whereby
tney are enabled to protect themselves against
the nomination of men who might be dispo,ed
to barter their peace for the support Of hboli
tiOnists. NV"
We have said thus much, not becouse wo %,
any serious attempt to repeal the rule hu, hs.
cause others of our contemporaries, oppo,.d n
its repeal, have appreheDded such danger. and
that there may be no doubt of the DISCRIMINATION
to insist upon it as a settled and vital rule o,
policy of the Democratic party"
Responding to the CassviIlc Standard tn,
Columbus Times uses this language, reiteratn.
the warnings made in Mr.. FoRsYrH's letter
The Standard sneers at our character of
"Peacs-maker." That is but repetition of
folly enacted by the Standards peculiar adher
ents ut Washington Take care that YOU d,
not repent the rejection of these ovort,r.. q