The Abbeville banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1847-1869, 1857-12-03
,NAuaunAt ur GOV, Ma,Yttils. i,

t"r. New iliir. OF Missis.irri, delivered his
inaugural ut incks"n, un Monday week. n l.
tnkru ny. municipality, with discussion of III,
slavery question. |r extract the mllrwnr:
nd"r ordinary circumstances I woull hc,,
clnS" this utllrcs, aud would To t;ni That | r,ni
n"w close it consistently with my duty To ,h,
state; hut this is u privilege not permitted tn me-
Ivy II" fault Of mnr uf yours. In, hv the lpllv
and ma,lmcss uf those who ought To have no con.
nccii"n with this days proceedings. I refer la
I'll" ",:ii"i"n "f the slavery question. beth IN and
"ui I'll Congress, 10y many of the ciiizrns Of the
non >lavcl"iding States. This is now the only
cloud upon our r".iii"a horizon either State az
| Federal. That cloud ought tn hc blottc,l out
and il had the power. it should he done, ,crurd
less al consequences. II Is "ilicous nm ullrn.
sly" iut"rinc!dl. .nI with our affairs. which ought
never I" have been permitted; in references either
/ To our rights ar duties. Why to those people
organize ;!"l ion S,cictirs! They have no slaves
! whom they lr"pcsc To cnIanci pate.
Why 81" they ngIntc the question Of slavery !
! They have none of lis or responsibilities
! its good az lis evils are al'our owm--,i,.y ou"lt
! I" hr silent. They ram have no motive inr their
conduct hut that of disturbances and agitation,
ns they have no legal institutional power.
over the question. They can do no good to
either the master ar the slave, but are in truth,
| the worst cn"ncs of both They impair the
loyalty "f the slave; they rurtail his privileges
they tighten his bonds while, at the sam" time.
they, i'll Il degree" lock mp to linn the more kind.
ly feelings "f the master aud all this they pre- E.
: tend that they Il" in the name Of God and r,-
gi'n. N"w. if Christianity be true, and the B
bic the wo!d Of God, there is neither wrong nor
sin i'll tli" institution of slavery. Under the
Government Of God himself during the Jewish
lhcocrh"y, slavery existed, and in the New Trs.
tamcnt the foundation Of The Christian .ii>,rn-
sa'"n, slavery is recognized, and the duty of tho
ria~'"r anil >avr prescribed.
Christ AMI his APOSTLES denounced all sin, but
never slavery, though they lived in the midst of
l..
and the w",d of God Il fable, the institution of
Sl"v"ry if Sr. is as m>iiahle the relation of
husband and wife, parent and child or any other
"'iI Institution oI The STATE and is most nrccss,l
ry I" tn" we'll being Of the negro. being the only
form at government or pnliaye which can raise
hiEi from i.,inari-in make him useful to HIM
self or other, and have no doubt but that tl,.
institution thus far in our country has resulted i'm
tl" happiness and elevation of both races: that
Is, tie ncar" ana The white man. In no period
"i the woild history have three millions of the,
nc:,r" hrcn elevated! il: t. sc,l, of
being, or innch civilized or Christtanizcd as
those in the niic.l States. as slaves They nr,.
better clothed, Letter fed better housed and
more cared for III sickness and in hclth than
has ever fallen To the lot of any similar number
OF The n":5r" rae" IN amy aye nation and ;,s
Christian people. feel that il is the duty Of the.
south to keep them in their present position ;t
amy cos, and at every peril, even imlcrcudcntlv
ol The Questions of interest AMI security.
Ii Is unacc"nniallc that the Abot ioniSt never
can lc made to ask himself what good cranci.
l'nli"n would 'ln he negro or what he has ever
done for the world but ;,S Il slave" or what woulJ
hrc"nc al linn II cEiancpntcl. Does he not
know that ll. would si,cc,li!v become Il s:tvar.
rs he has nlr"aiy done in ST. Domingo is now
.l"iuic in .Jami:ca AN: h:.s eyer been in A,ir,
or that he w"u d hc lr~;r": c.i l., III. superior
race! lie cannot exist aiiom, lis an equal God
separated u>. th"iiiunsin cannot unite us-
but notwithstanding all this. the Addition fanatic:
and dcnh""gue prctrnls that hc is striving not
only for ia: good of the slave but i"r that Of the
master also: in his phar>acnl heart he til: nks
1"'i he Is not is We are. Now do not hesitate
t" '!eclaro my conviction, that rs people. the
wiI!c race ui the SOUTH equal 10, If not SUI
rcrior to those Of the non-sl,vchoIiur States i'm
c"'rv quality that cnnobIcs human nature and if
IL wiS suitable I" the present occas ION. | could
prov" that We are better an richer individually
than thy are, and that this results from the in
st!inti"ii ul slavery among uS.
l Will not now further consider the question il,
this aspect but will proceed ly saying, that we
ought To hc fully prepared for the alternative that
those p""pic appear 10 be determined to force
upon us. They arc now movin. heaven and
Garth i'r The Snhjm-a,i"n Of the south, and the
overthrow Of her institutions. If not 81, why
Their nnX ciy TO make X ,n<:,s Il Free State, As
patriots they ought 10 desire to give to the South
til" power "f sclf-p,oiecti"n under the forms OF
the Constitution, III one department of the Gov
crniEcnt al least, 10y which harmony might b.
restored 10 the country and security given to
Ihr Union, which never can exist without it,
The North already has u large majority in the
House Of Representatives, II majority of two in
the Senate, and The power 10 elect The President:
further power they cannot want but for purposes
of aggression.
In this view of the question, it is our duty to
I've prepared for any contingency, never losing
sight Of that article Of the Constitution of tl.
United Stutps which I,rI.rns ibnn I,
that "wcl regulated militia, being necessary to
the security of u free State, the right Of Il pep
pie to keep and bear shall not be inlrnrrd,"
Our fathers well understood when they adopted
this provision of the Constitution, the dangers To
which institutions might be cxposetI, and
thereby secured the means of safely. This
however, to be available, must be accompanied
by the courage and the will to those arms.
when necessary, against all enemies, either for
eign or domestic. Our institutions are already
protected by The Constitution and by the decisions
of The Supreme Court Of the United States, but
rs constitutions DEGREES of courts have no self
executing power, it may yet be that tho duty
will be forced upon Of standing 10 our arms in
the maintenance Of our just rights
Constitutions sufficiently control aud guide the
patriotic and just, but they are not worth the
paper they are written upon to resist fmnatics
iIsurpers and tyrants. The bayonet, or the fenr
of il alone, alone can cheek them; and the only
liberty now in the world has grown out of the
fact that the Anglo -Snxons and Anglo Americans
have never feared to defend their privileges with
arms in their hands, even unto blood, when ne.
ccssary.
The late decision Of the Supreme Court, in re-
ference to the negro status, our right in the Ter
rItorics, and the recognition of the duty Of the
Federal Government, under the Constitution, 10
protect us and our property, is the end Of the ar
guuient and of the law, and beyond it there is no
appeal but to force. ii these rights, thus cstab
lisled sl,oiIIl l,e inyatIe1 or 1euipI In can
there be man in all the South so very n cow
ard, much trnitor, as to full in their vipdi-
cation, even though, that vndcation may come
through the instrumentaIity Of lead and steel p
five are true to ourselves we will not lacr.-
The Constitution has done its duty The Court
has established our rights; it has fixed tho point
mt whicl, rcsi.anceeto tyranny becomes u duty. |
1t has said to power, thus fars but farther; it
Gshti"g line, @ from wRiel, ws @ 'can take no step @
backward but with dshonor. This is all that
constitutions Or laws can do, the balance is for