Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-08-04
slmK1Ns, DURIsoE d CO., Proprietor,.

tached to their company and to the absorbin
tolls of the field. 1t was known that, whe
called by the voices of many in the State t
leave his peaceful avocation of agriculture, h
was 10th TO relinquish his abors; in fact, he ha
almost an aversion 10 being taken from the han
dies of the plough, as it were, and placed by hi
beloved State in the august council of the con
f.deracy of this vast nation-a council in th
! keeping of whose wisdom and power was all tn
honor and safety of our country; council com
posed of the elite of the lands intelligence, ant
equal to that of any other country in the world
Taken somewhat unprepared, on this occasion
while feeling the arduous duties and labors q
the last six months, and returning home to Ell
joy rural quiet, he was not forgetful of the cS
TEEN Of his friends and the complimentary al
lrisiunS to his services. These he would accep
as the evidence Of good will on their part, rattle
than any great merit ON his. lie would frankly
say he was no orator. Orators arc not, likt
poets, born; they are made by practice; ant
he vas not skilled in she consummate art. Fo
twenty years he had been devoted to agricul
ture, and agriculture and oratory were not il
the same line of pursuits. He would, therefore
make but a plain speech, giving an account o
his stewardship and the results Of his ohscr
vations.
When he went TO the federal Congress 81,
months ago. he found the admission Of Kansas
under the l.ecompton Constitution, the allah
sorbinS md exciting subject before the repre-
sentativeS of the people and the government
To him the whole theory and scheme of squat
ter sovereignty was matter Of disgust. The
kansas-Nebraska bill was delusion and deccp.
ton from the beginning. He felt satisfied that
on that basis the South would never unite. The
President plead and tried to do his best, North
and South; but ii was evident that it was a
subject fraught with trouble. lie (Ar. II. was
ever opposed to this Kansas Nebraska bill: and
if there was a single good feature in it, it was
that it allowed the people, free from Inference,
TO frame principles for themselves after their
own fashion. 1t was snare to those at the
South 1t was rotten with fraud, and those
who made it tiinehed from its consequences. Its
only effect was to add another State to the
Union. His hearers knew thai Kansas, so far
as Congress can admit it, was now admitted,
with the Lecompton Constitution, and without
the Green proviSo. Mr.. II. reviewing briefly
the admission of Kansas, under the Conference
bill, questioned if Congress can call q State
Convention, and considers it a dangerous precc-
dent He alluded to his own position and that
of Mr. Bonham tie Representative of Edgeiied.
He found no fault with the honorable gentleman.
Mr.. Bonham may have been right, aid he may
error was on the safe side. lie was worthy OF
nil confidence, since he acted from the honesty
of LBS S9nctons and such man should be
Mr.. Hammond then alluded to other TOPICS
before Congress during the session. lie voted
for the increase of the Army and Navy. lie
had heard number Of sophomore spceelliS
against increasing these arms of the national
defence. They were worthy of college students,
rather than grave Senators of the nation. lie
little danger from staniine army !:
and, as to the extravaganza OF these measures,
he replied to Senators that if the expenses OF
the departments had been examined, they would
be found double that Of the army. The navy
should he incl eased, because the South was Mt
terly ndefenSiblc N its present condition. IN
the port oi Charleston there was but one naval
steamer of light diaught, The Sout-ern coast
needed for It's protection numerous iiget pi
small vessels. Tue fact is, our n~y was nov
what it was forty-five years ago, aud Is in a sad
and disgraceiul condition.
Senator Hammond said lie would now address
himself to the great question OF tie relations OF
the North and South He would spck as Ec
thought and it would give him pleasure for his
hearers to take what liz said in the spirit in
which it was uttered. In his opinion there
were many grounds for apprehension at the
South: but there were also strong reasons for
hope and confidence. Whatever relations might
eyentuate between the North and South, they
would be in the end consistent with the rights
and security of this section. Indcr the present
aspect OF affairs the South would have to re'hRln
in tue Union. lie would rather see the game
PLAYED out between the North and South, than
see the Union brought to an end. Ii ne had
dissolved the Inion and had engaged in brush
with some pcople (Which must occur in setting
in for ourselves and lawfully establishing our
ins,itution$), it would have been best for MS.
But now il we can rule in the Union, let lis
remain. By tue word rute, lie did not mean
tho SECURING high office to Southern men. The
achievement of SUCCESS in elections is inSignlil-
can't in comparison with the establishment ol
those great principles OF free government on
which the South has fixed its samp-thosc
true and Just principles which should govern the
world. The United States now stands IN the
first rank of nations. To obtain this position
out Of tha MON. the South would require
many years.
Mr.. Hammond then took up Senator Seward:
remark, that the battle of the sections wa:
fought and won in 1850. He admitted that {
baltic lsl been fought between the sections ant
lost to the South. There vas; lllowevCr, anothc
greater battle fought and won. Tlhs thFeW th!i
lartLing candle-light Of the New York Senator
victory in the shade. The New York Senate
meant that at the North they had majority
and finally succeeded in drawing sectlom'
lne-that they were united in Congress an'
! were nineteen free to fifteen slave States twe!'
it not for the gallant little Delaware we migh
have said twenty to fourtcen). This was tn
result of the physical or numerical battle AM
victory. Our battle and triumph was mora
one, in stemming and checking the false ant
absurd philanthropy Of the civilized world o.
African slavery, lie did not heed, then tn
boaSt of q Northern supremacy: yet he W9!
say to the people of the South, be prepared
! for if the North, in order to subServe her pnl
pose OF ambition or fanaticism, should attcmF
! 10 rcorganize federal courts OF law on the rel
rsseutaIjvp basis, and thus destroy the conse,l
ya!iye nature Of that COURT, and thefeoy ger On
government into their own hands. then the pee
ple of the South mnst dissolve the Union. "
must dssoye the Union if they effect any on
Of their aggressive purposes-tarlfts, banks,
direct t8,np.Fing Nth slagps: But he dI4 =;
think to-day the North could. Even u az IL
NEXT Presidential election the North should, =
combination. elect an AbotiQnist, he did ny
think that on that issue the great body 81 II
South Hqnld 60 pnt Of the Union. But il tn
were flllowed by 2 secqnd electian ar the SAT-
Eial, be thought they wopl4
Senator Hammond alluded to the fact th'