Southern standard. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1851-1856, 1852-08-07

and the letter of the Constitution was violated in
the admission of California That the power to
'.admit new States was, in that instance abused I
for the purpose OF excluding slavery from her
broad limits. 1t was my opinion then, and is now,
that the unpre cedented means used to bring about |
dismemberment Of Texas grew out of dispo-
siton to curtai the territorial area of slavery. l
believed and still believe that the bill to suppress
the slave trade in the Federal district, and which
also asserts the right to emancIpae slaves therein,
makes an insulting discrimination between the in
stitutions of States, that by the constitution and
bond of union are equals in rights interests and
dignity. l believed, and still believe that, by
these oppressive measures fatal blow has been
struck at States rights, and that under their in
fuence, if not averted by Providence, the institu
ton of slavery must perish, or the union of these
that the fugitive slave law, passed mainly by
Southern votes, and worthless, unless sustained
by public sentiment in the free States, merely
permitted to become a law as blind to hide the
vast sacrifices demanded of the South.
! OF such material is the boasted Compromise"
How fallen from her high estate is the South,
when she ask its maintenance, extreme
concession, from the North For myself, as an
humble citizen | reject the terms.
! AS it is easier to defend fortress against an
open day light attack, than to guard against the
secret approach of the sap and mine, | have
less fears of the open of abolition and freesoil-
ism than the slow and insidious, but not less
dangerous, effects of compromises that take away,
but never give. l regarded these aggressions SO
serious to require extraordinary action on the
part of the aggreyed States to ward off, if possi
! Bile, the impending peril.
These views and opinions were formally, and
without reserve, communicated to the public in my
message to the Special Legislature of 1851, Sub
sequent events have impaired my confidence IN the
resolutions of meetings, conventions, and leg
islative bodies, but they have not diminished my
apprehensions of the tendency of these measures.
Painful as these conclusions are, they are the con-
vCtions of my Judgment, founded on the history
of the past. | devoutly pray that my gloomy
ticpations may never be realized While they ex-
list, however, would be faithless to my section of
the Union were | to sustain these acts. Yet such
pledge is required from the supporters of the plat
form adopted by the Democratic Convention at
Baltimore. The record of the proceedings of the
convention does not furnish with sufficient
reason why the support of measures, so obnoxious
to large majority of the southern democracy,
was engrafted into the democratic creed. The OBJ
iect, probably, was to commit the northern democ-
racy to the execution of the fugitive slave law
But the terms of the resolutions 90 further. They
require that State Rights democrats, their part,
shall not disturb, complain Of measures by
which they believe that the South is virtually ex-
Ciuueu HOID dill SndIc III lHt COHluuOu Vi
the States and by which the STAKEHOLDER is dis
franchised in the Federal District. If there be
any meaning in these resolutions, they constitute
contract between the Democracy north and south,
that the former will abstain from repeating the
law for the restoration of fugitive slaves and the
latter, admitting the right and justice of the pre-
cedents established by the admission of California,
the dismemberment of Texas, and the bill to abol-
] ish the slave trade in the Federal District, will ad-
here to and abide by them In other words, SC
far as the democracy is concerned, to make the
Compromise" ''fnalty.''
If these measures are so benign as to deserve
place in the democratic creed, we should raise
affairs to those who planned them and put them In
4 operation. If they not we, who opposed
them, should not stultify ourselves by forma
y pledges to maintain them elementary principle:
= of party. As | believe the principal measures O.
the miscalled compromise will be fatal in their re
o suits to the southern section of the Union, can
not even for the sake ofattaihing temporary good
pledge myself to sustain them. l submit to then
= as evils for which | see present means of cor
e rection but is asking too much of sincere south
ern State Rights Democrats; who, last year, advo
:, Gated united resistance against them now to pledge
q themselves to sustain them, and to forbear the us
of such means, as time shall disclose, to correc
them and thus avert from ourselves and Our pos
terity the fatal conquences which we believe will
y follow in their train.
{ As heartily concur in all the remaining arti
cles of the platform announced by the convention
, land hold The qualifications and character of it
s nominee high estimation, shall, while the pres
ent issues before the country, vote that ticket
But for the assigned; Idecline to take al
tactive part that may directly or in
+drecttybe constructs support Of the ohnex
y -ieus-peftien- of the platfoEm.-
---Regfetting the necessity Of speaking 50 mucb-a
my own position and opinions
y l remain gentle
With the highest respect,
CT Y our obedient servant,