Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1857-11-26

American boeoms every Nuete Nof-u 4ho
South.
Nationality in opposition TO Democracy o.
State rights, | oppose. ! oppose al that sort
Of Federal Nationality which would ~cons0li-
date Us into one centralized despotism. /
loathe that sort Of Nationality which proposes.
and adopts compromises Of any sort, Of the
Constitution or for the Constitution. Bot the
Nationality Of Democracy, which supports
and defends the Constitution and lie strict con-
structiOn, which maintains Safe rights and
State equality and keeps The faith ng cohpaets,
which guards The Uni0n and the country
against foreign aud domestic foes, | honor and
cherish and glory ini And this Is the Eational
Democracy which this opposition, openly de-
velopei as early as April last, In the South,
asssiis- II this be stricken dowh, what have
we 70 rely on or to ally with IN the North z
And, yet, IL was to strike a. this-it was to
follow up, not TO begin the blows, that the mo-
Dent a Governor was SEPT to Kansas, and be
moved in bis Office, his spcrches were seized on
as a pretext to sssaii The Northera Democracy
and the Admins ration and is friends. De-
stroy confidence IN these, and then the riot OF
ruin would begin. Il was then that conserya-
tive Democrats began TO ask Is this opp0si-
ton or not?-If this be what is called the
backing Of friends, what is the opposition Of
foes2 Is this opposition dangerous or not ?
Whose is iti Who are responsible Tor III
Who backs it2 Whence does il come ?-to
what tsndf Il was no time to stop and daily
with the minor matter Of Mr.. Walkers stump
observation-disclosures with what motive, to what
end-pro or con sisvsry--with good or bad de-
sign, no one could fairy decide, without know
ing all the surrounding circumstances and dim
cultiss In which ne was involved. He had been
a Mississippi Senator. He had been honOFed
and tausted by the South. He bad done more
for the annexation OF Texas than any Southern
Senator. H had been Secretary Of the Treas
ury under a Southern President, and had done
more for Free Trade than aLy MAJ before or
since his time in the Cabinet. Surely the
President could trust him not TO betray the
Sosth which ae had thus served and which had
thus honored aid trusted bin, aud not to betray
the North which had borne him. And be Is an
able and ssgaciOus man, too, whose talents
night be trusted TO form the best judgment on
the spot as to the best and most polite move
ments.
But whether he acted wisely or foolishly,
sagacioasly or had Numbered, or his intentions
we're good or bad, his acts aud motives we're
nothing compared with the weightieT matters
Of the country involved In this sudden and in
sidious opposition which gave no time for de-
velopments, or for dispassionate examination
and proof, or even for just condemnation Of
him, IL be hal done wrons-but began = hot
and heavy war upon him as a corrupt "sairap,n
a felon trsitoTi This could not bat reject
upon the Administration and the party which
appointed and retained him in place. Il was
not ingenious 70 pretend to discriminate be-
tween the s. President and the Governor Of the
Territory" " Like man, like master" II he
was this criminal, Mr. Buchanan was bound to
know it. and if be knew it, he was no better,
but rather worse that Gov. Walker. This res.
soning this opposition knew would seize on the
public mind, and would, il uneontradieted. i'm
pair confidence in the Administration. Il was
making an adverse Impression rapidly, when
the ~Ea0atrer1 interpOsed with lis trenchant
pen, as Of Old, and arrested the rush Of the
charge on the National Democracy and IT'S
representatives in power. At took up the in
CURRY Is not this rank hostility? Is not this
a prepared and premature opposition before
the Administration has begun its couFse-be-
fore it has met its first Congress, or sent its
first message What does it mean? Whose
is it? Whe backs it?3 / thank the Eaq1ircY
for that blow. The shade Of the Old Napoleon
Of the press smiled Ia his parental lowering
over the Enquirer, when that sturdy blow fell
in its stroke for his darling Democracy. In
my iBmOst heart | felt right well when that
brave blow was struck. It was brave and bold
to strike IL; for the Pdblic Printing, as well az
the Ssnalorship, was at stake, it sesms. Tke
activity in the elections last spring locked not
only 20 the iucnnbsncy Of Mr.. Hunter, but 10
the ~incumbeucy Of the EHqairer too and.
doubtless, 70 all the great interests involved.
The Enquire, assuredly, has saved the De-
moeTaey Of Virginia from being involved in
this porcupine opposition.
All this time, twas not known whether SIR.
Hunter took any partin this opposition, though
many Of bis lpDss active psTtisans did and
hence IL was suspected that II he was not a
participant in it, be was 10 be the beneficiary
Of Il, If il should succeed. Certain il is that
what was at first Tumor and strmise about my
alleged design to contest with him his seat In
the LavaFa H. H--waM a. La inf. d. @-r-e .,
me and my friends. "Rin, IF You dare, YOU
cannot beat Bir. HIHtsr.' L was vain TO re-
ply: " do not desire to besthim." The taunt
came back: " You do, or you do not desire to
beat him.. # you do, Vi are taking tia steps
to defeat you ami, Il you d0H't, you viii Be
defeated anyhow. In either event Il will be
seemingly manifest that be il stronger 10 VIZ
GINA ,haa you sTe.o Il was useless 10 protest
that here was 10 desire to impair his strength
an issue with him was seemingly prepared 10
be forced upon me, knowing hat be was safe
10 incumb-ucy, and that there could, perhaps.
be no issue joined except a personal one.
When, therefore, nv friends demanded Of me
70 meet the defiance, ! positively declined to do
90 unless Mr.. Hunter should svow hat be was
OF this opposition and backed l., took its re-
spOnsibility ami rendered 10 issues against The
Administrators AID the National Democracy.
| hadno Issue with him, unless be bad issue
with them. If he bad, was ready 10 cross
swords with lin, not Otherwise. was not
wiling to part from him and yieldbimu up to the
extremists, who were endeavoring 20 claim his
authority, and exclusively 70 appropriate his
reelection - The Senate as a triumph to them
selves. He has come out and his letters are
open to the fair Interpretation Of all. think
their meaning is: that Re does not express any
warm or strong confidence AZ the Administra-
ton that he does not wish 90 be understood as
being one Of its especial friends OF psTtisans ;
but, that ne does disciaim the opposition to IL,
by saying that be hopes and expects 10 be
able 10 support The Administration in the
main" Nov, hope " is made mp OF desire,
Alliance and expectation He desires, then.
and dOubly expec.s 70 be able to support the
Administration in the main. And this being
50, be cannot, Of course desire to expect the
opposition thereto to succeed. Saying that be
knows CT no pracfi-altss.s at this time, which
Will bring him into collision with the Admin
i~stration, he distinctly disclaims, for aught be
can see a. present, both The intent or will and
the spirit or purpose of the opposition. He,
in a word, ignores responsibility for this oppo-
sition, which has risen 80 suddenly and which
is 50 sweeping in the South. With This decla-
ration OF bis, so understood, I have no issue
with Mr.. Hunter.
l. is true that he seems to be opposed to the
submission OF the Constitution Of Kansas, by
her convention, TO the bona fde inhabitants and
lEEdA VOLTS OF mat lFTElLOEN. he taxes the
ground, that if the people are silent, about the
power Of the convention in this respect nat
II the convention was not expressly restrained
from prOclarminE whatever form they adopt as
the Constitution Of the State, thea they have
the power to proclaim il, and to send il 70 Con
gress, without submitting IL TO the people. I
know there are Frecedents for this exercise Of
power by the convention, but the precedents are
in their inception exceptionsble cases. and the 4
darFrfna uunfrh nuhnfAa them il IL. r.- h--hH. D
opinion, anti Democratic TIE true doctrine
is, that the powers not delegated By The people
are reserved to them. They may grant such a
power to th. convention but II net granted, il
g reserved, that a Constitution. formed and
proposed by a convention, which is bat a rep
TeseEtative body, shall be submitted 10 the
people, who alone are sovereign. The eOnveh-
tion 70 form a Constitution ia not sovereign or
supreme. The act Of making a State IS the
highest &C. Of sovereign power, and is The act
OF humanity, next highest TO that OF Deity. in
making a being Of any sort. The act is 20 less
than to create a sovereignty itself. A a Dem
oeTstic Republican, then, | would never dele
gate conventional powers to any body Of agents
to create a State, without reqniring themto CUB
nit the act to their principals, the people. In
lTf6, an unauthOriZsd body OF patriots assem-
bied al Williamsburg, constituted themselves a
convention, and f0rmei and proclaimed a Con-
s~iitution for Virginia, without submitting il 70
The votes Of the coioaists. But revolution be-
gan in that way. There was no time and no
opportunity TO poll votes, in a moment Of re-
bellion, under the domination OF British arms.
The masses never did make a revolution,
never can and never will. Adeyotei and self
sacrificing few must ever take The Initiative
and lead the first movements Of resistance. Il
required a Patrick Henry 70 ssize the powder
OF The old magazine, and the Convention Of
i776 snstched liberty for the people, rather
than . consultation from them. Ia such timrs
intsr anna silsaf leges. Inc salEs p9Fuli was
then The plea andthe justih -ation. Bot what
doesthe sGlHs PoPaii call for in piping times OF
peace, when there are none 10 make Us afraid
at the polls Of a Republic? Why a very diff
ferent rule and order Of proceeding, when there
10 time and place and opportunity OF consult
ing the sovereign people themselves, protected
IN their assemblies aud votes. Accordingly, I
when Virginia formed a Constitution a second
time, in lS19-'30, and third time in iS50-'5I,
the form adopted by the Convention was 10