Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-08-24
South Carolina Politics

y meeting was held at Charleston on the
10th inst, by citizens in favor of STATE
Rights and Southern Rights, and opposed to
the party known under the name of tho
American party Among other principles
which they adopted as the basis of orraniza.
ton, are the following -
ResOircd, That as citizens of the stote IF
0ou'h Iarollna, we recognize the ordinance
| adopted by the people OF the State assembled
in convention in 1902, as a part of the fundn.
mental law Of the body rolitic, equal 4,
authority as declaration Of right, with the
Constitution itself, and we proclaim, az n
cardinal principle OF the present organization
| " lhat south Carolina, III the exercise of her
sovereign VIII as an independent State.
acceded to the Federal Union, known as the
United states of America ; and that, in the
exercise OF the same sovereign will, it is her
right, without let, hindrance, or molestation
irom any power whatsoever to secede from
the said Federal Union , and that, for the
suihciency OF the cause which may mpcl her
to such separation, she is responsible alone,
under God, to the tribunal of public opinion
among the nations Of the earth
Resoted. That we protest against the pro-
position put forth by the Grand Council of
the Order, in Philadelphia, that /" the main
tenance of the union of these States is the
paramount political good"-a doctrine which
assumes that government is above the object
for which 1t was Observation-Disclosures ut the
very foundation Of the sovereignty of the
States and under every violation of the Con-
stitution, however fragrant, and under every
degree of oppression and injury, however de-
structive, demands of the State eternal
md cIott 10 81
power; and we disapprovc as heretical in
principle and cminently dangerous to the
South, the idolatrous devotion to the Union
of these States, so prominently and constant
~ lnculcated by the constitution and ritual
OF the Order, when contrasted with their
silence as to the necessity of preserving I'M
impaired the rights of the States respectively.
Resoired, That we hail with unfeigned
satisfaction the recognition by the Demo-
cratic parties Of Georgia and Louisiana of the
resolution adopted by the people of Georgia,
assembled in convention in 1851 ; and as, we
believe, South Carolina, too, Twill, and
ought to resist, even (as last resort) to
disruption of every tic which binds her to
the Union, any action Of Congress upon the
subject of slavery in the District of Column
bia, or in places subject to the jurisdiction of
Congress, incompatible with the safety,
domestic tranquility, the rights and honor
OF the slaveholdlng States, or any act sup
pressing the slave trade between the slave
holding States, or any refusal to admit as "a
State any Territory hereafter applying
because OF the existence Of slavery therein
or any act prohibiting the introduction of
slaves into the Territories Of Utah and New
Mexico or any act repeating or materially
modifying the laws in force for the recovery
Of fugitive slaves
The resolutions, also, express sympathy
with the friends of the slavery cause in
Kansas, and denounce tho Know Notbiurs in
every form
The platform of the South Carolina Know
Nothings contains the following resolutions
Resoired, That the term " Catholic" and
all semblance of a religious test, he stricken
from the official records and obligations of
the American Order of this State, and that
all natives be eligible to the Order, and
capable OF its suffrage, who shall renounce
all foreign temporal and ecclesiastical iuris.
diction and influence.
Resolved, That while we deprecate Romisb
politico- sectarian influence in America, we
arc inexorably opposed to any :" law respect
ing an establishment of religion OF prohibit
ing the free exercise thereof" or any law
which applies n 4" religious test" That our
opinions as men, however, approve only the
principle of self-government in church and
state, and we do not approve an ecclesiastical
policy which has its source and authority in
foreign land and single potcntate And we
lorbear to sustain those, who, from either
political or sectaran motives, oppose our
contemplated reforms
. Resofped, That we disapprove of the adop-
ton OF any law which shall effect or disturb |
ihe,.rrevious existing legal privileges confer
red on naturalized citizens