The Feliciana Democrat. (Clinton, La.) 1855-186?, 1857-02-14
Tbs felitiana 9tnlotrat.
RESOURCES OF THE SOUTH.

The following are the concluding remarks of Mr.
Keitt Of South Carolina. delivered in the House Of
Representatives, Thursday, January Is. 1857.
approach now, Mr. Chairman, the second
branch Of my argument viz: the ability of
the South to establish and maintain separate
and independent government Stigmatized
by Northern legislation and disparaged by
Northern purists, it is well to examine the
r'sonrces Of the South and her self.snstaininc
capacity 1t is well, too, that the South should
examine them for her own sake for she is drv-
ing down the darkling tide Of events to the
moment when she will have to take her own
safety into her own hands. This Hall yet
rings with insolent and unfraterna homlies
against her honor, character, and morality:
and the statute hook is crowded with acts OF
oppressive legislation against her. What sin.
gle blessing has this Government bestowed
upon the South9 Has it covered her with
wealth? Has it cmbalmcd her in honor? Has
it guarded her peace? Has it shielded her
from the incendinry? No it has done none Of
these; hut through oppressive legislation il
has confscated the property Of her citizens;
and through the hands Of the fanatic. it has
applied the torch to their dwellings,. Threat
ened, then, with belt Of fire, and exposed to
the ravages of abolitonism, the South nav
and should look to her own resources.
| What. then, make up the power of M.
tion? Population territory, commercial facil
J tiles, and the va lie Of her material productions
What is the number Of the population of the
South. There are within her limits more than
eleven millions of inhabitants, four times as
m nc nha1, tod tho al raI~
nics, when they won their independence from
the mother country. With more than seven
millions Of whites, and fosr millions of African
slaves to till her soil, even amid the cXigencies
Of war can she not defend her territory from
invasion, and protect her flag from insult
against all comcrs? Is there danger of insur.
rection? Did the slaves of the South rise
against their masters in the war of the Rcvo-
luton, when her soil was scourgcd with civil
strife, when master was arrayed against mas
ter, and when British armies, cncampcd upon
her plains. offered them their flag, and urged
them to rebellion? No. Wives and daugh-
ters were guarded by their brawny arms and
unf,ltering loyalty while husbands and faith
crs. far away in the tangled swamp, and on
the rocky mountain top, were fighting the ene-
my In the Revolution, British emssaries
fniled to excite the Southern slaves to insnrrec.
ton. and the cmissaries Of Ynnkce philanthro-
ny will fail rs Signally now; for it is hstori-
cal fact, that more slaves have been stolen
from MS since the organization of the Govern
ment, in one month by onr Northern brethren,
than were se6nccd away by the British during
the whole revolutionary war.
Does the South, then, lack physical power
tn cfn1AI ItcI, t,,is s,,In
ernmcnt? If the United Colonies in ZIG could
establish and maintain an independent Govern
mont against the mighticst Power with less
than three millions of people, cannot thc South
do it now with more than eleven millions?
Is the South II mean the slave States) weak
in territory? She now embraces nine hundred
and twenty-cight thousand eight hundred and
ninctv-four square miles, exclusive of Kansas,
while there was hut eight hundred and five
thousand fonr,hnndred and fortv-two square
miles within the limits of the original Thirteen
Colonies. THIN, fonr-fifths of her soil was I'M
troddcn by the whites, and savage foes lurked
in every wilderness. Now, industry and her
arts nrc scattered all through her limits, and
her whole surface is breeding wealth while no
foes fcrmrnt within her midst. Her gcograph-
zeal area is greater than that of the mghtiest
nations which have ruled the world since the
dawn of civilization; and around her are fall
ing Governments whose fragments are within
her Grasp
What then, does she want of territorial
power TO establish and maintain an indcpend-
ent Government?
Does the Sonth lack facilities for CONNER
cial interconrSo? Look at the following table,
and tell mo what more she wants: