The Opelousas patriot. [volume] (Opelousas, Parish of St. Landry, La.) 1855-1863, 1858-05-08
s,syss, i Az
the wrongs, If .

d slavery 1l,grss1, ~ ,,,es. a
Ia VIE belon 3. deal with tns w.
os slavery IL aug form, and VINO Gnu
'.aala with II only for mischievous pnrPoseS !
- i violation of its constitutional idvY.
" me consequence Of this aet has been " /,
Ans,,no. nat only allstkyAsluices Of aDuss y
"a Sa,rsctions of 2the South, from more, .nAn
.ma onirter. aud especially from the tgpA.
Native If Tie great State Of New Z Pm, y
q, csnate IN whom, it has been pfocsaluieu
. y. rebuke from any Northern Sepstor,
~. GO m, slaye-owners Of the South, are y
" nnrsned from Maryland TO Mexico, aug !
,o,t NJ Il order u strip US Of . home ana =
.ss,,er across the Gulf Of Mexico lnto lns
leland Of Cub, by the i~nsatiate appeti!e anu
n'ran;ona demands Of free labor and the ~
,,,,.me JUDICIARY il to be corrupted and dsgfa.
Ssa haco,se the present illnstrious pench has
Non trna 10 lis oath aud the Constitution
s,Hs,s u make our bondage sure By securing ~
y s..y,n,,s af,hroval IF vicious and unconss'.u'
is.a .' Ines TN a corrupt and plant judiciary
'''o " thase things shall continue, and be pefsls-
!. H. eyerv nian must perceive Thai the a'tef-
~. y, !; ID rrese,,ted 10 The South viii be roill'
as .,ace ana bondage. on the Que naho, y =,
aan,ndpnce Of her prosecutors, and oPpresso1s
ae : ,he other. he will be compelled 70 asser'
ber lnaIenable right, and refuse loager s n,asns.
w. .;aa to tho AVS Fl : perverted Union, pre'en'
ded TO Be passed under . IA Ast mus which,
Whether sirlit which dictated by these
events will finally prevail, and lis purposes be
cousnmmated, Us far as Congress can consul
mate them, we will not, because we cannot
predict. We would hnmbly pray to God that
they may not, for we would, if we could, per-
petuate the Union Of the States, under the
Constitution, as its immortal founders made it.
We would prefer to die as we have lived. under
one flag, with one rnne with the Constitution
which our forefatlicrs conquered and consecra-
ted with their blood, like the rainbow spanning
our beloved country, still .the land of the free
and the home Of HE brave"
But it cannot be disguised, and must not, il
it could, be thatihe free States, as they are called
constitute now the majority and upon their
\ will, upon their wisdom and patriotism it de-
ponds, and not upon the will of the South,
whether the things which we have indicated
shall be done or not. But this we may and
must say tharS--S South, is now forewarned,
and she will be recreant to herself, and all the
great hopes Of liberty and happiness to the
white man, and responsible for much of the i'll
which may follow if she be not forearrned II
she does not proceed, without delay, to provide
all the peaceful and constitutional means with
in her power to place herself in a condition to
Nneet the crisis wien il comes
First among these is y restoration q her
commerce, and the encoui cement of her own
manufactures. VI
We urge you, therefor most respectfully,
but most earne tly, to SO d delegates to the
approaching Convention ~ Montgomery, and
let them be Of your ablest, Jest tried and most
trusted sons--for the pre- ence Of such is d.,
nanded by the %distenpere state of the times.
and the magnitude of the interests to be con.
sidered. Let not the s}.ers or denunciatiun4
OF your opponents or your enemies deter you,
and shrink not under the cry Of 4 disunion."
Fhe Convention will not consider the qles
ton OF disaniuli, or any question tending to
produce that result. Its hopeful, peaceful. pa
%triotic object will be to promote the prosperi-
ty, and increase the wealth and power of opr
own beautiful aud beloved South to make
her people happier, if possible, and more will.
ing, as we'll as more able, to perform all their
duties in the union, to the Union, ii returning
reason and patriotism shall arrest the march
Of tanaticism and stay the hand OF oppression
But ii lost reason shall never be found, and
patriotism and sympathy lrrve been extin.
guisled-if those who should be our brothers
should prove to be NAL gnant and implacab,t
foes, and cupidity and ambition shrll dissolve
the tie which binds US together, still our work
will have been well and wisely done, if we sue.
coed IN restoring the commercial independence
of the South, and build up our own towns and
enrich our own people by our w means
which now build up and enrich otbers-fol
the Southern States will then be prepared
more fully to meet the issue thus forced upon
them, and able to defend as we'll as iustit,
their. position when they shall be co npellet
Ito assume among the powers Of the earth
the separate and equal station to which the
laws Of nature and of natures God entitl,
them" @
Earnestly we beg you then, men of thu
South, turn out and send full delegations O.
your modest sons to the Convention.
JAMES LYONS, Of Virginia,
I. B. BETHEA, Of Alabama,
". NJ. CHURCHILL, of Tennessee, Committee
c. YANCEY, of Georgia,
". w. BOYCE, of South Cnrolina.