The western Democrat. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1852-1870, 1858-08-10
From the atlanta Ga. Lntelligeneer. }
SOUTHERN LEAGUE.

Constitution Of The Montgomery League cf United
Soudterners.
Believing that the South is in need of some eff
cient and organized mode Of concentrating public
opinion upon public men and measures; and of in
fuencing and guiding political parties with view
to the advancement and protection of her Constitu
tional rights and that the want of this has enabled
all political parties to sacrifice those rights to their
own necessities
And believing, further that it is the duty of
the South to all proper means to maintain her
rights within the Union, with view to being justi
fed before the world in resuming the powers she
has delegated to the General Government, in the
event she fails to obtain justice in the Union,
organize ourselves under the following COnstltu-
ton:
Art l. This Association shall be known as the
Montgomery League of the United Southerners.
Art 2 Its officers shall consist of President,
Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, who shall
hold their Offices year, until their successors
shall be elected.
Art g. Election of all officers shall be made an
nually, and by ballot
Art. 4. Any person may become member of
this League who shall pledge himself to carry out
its objects, and shall sign this Constitution.
Art. 5. The object Of this League is, by the use
of proper means, to create sound public opinion
in the South the subject of enforcing the rig hts
of the South in the Union. Among its primary
ideas arc: |. No more compromise of those ghts,
either in party platforms in national legislation.
2 full recognition and maintenance of those
rights paramount to the safety of the Federal
Administration or the success of national parties.
3 The elevation to the public councils OF the
ablest and purest Southern men.
Art. 6. This League will nominate a candidate
for no office, State or Federal-but its members
are pledged to use all honorable means to secure
the nominations by the respective parties to which
they belong of sound, able and pure of the
Southern Rights school
After this Constitution had been adopted, Col.
Yancy was called upon to address the meeting.
His remarks were, in substance, as follows:
at has been said to be a disunion movement.
The Constitution report puts an emphatic denial
upon that charge. 1t expresses its aim to be to
uphold and enforce the Federal Constitution in
lieu of the fundamental law of national parties
compromise 1t expresses its aim to be to main
tain a Constitutional Union. Its great design is
to create public opinion that shall enforce all
parties to strict observance of the Constitutional
rights Of the South to be paramount to the politi
cal necessities of national administrations nation
al parties. These constitute a sure basis Of Con-
stitutional Union. The attainment of these ends
will perpetuate Constitutional Union, and there
fore league which devotes itself to their attain
mcnt, never be truly branded disunion
movement.
at has been denounced as a new party, and
therefore desi gned to sub, ort the Democratic
and American parties. The charge is entirely
without foundation. party means an organiza-
ton Of individuals upon agreed principles; whose
desig is to control the government by eectng its
members to its Offices A party, therefore, nomi
mates some of its members for office, and all its
members are pledged to support the nominations.
Now this tut aynrrSSlv this lead
ing and necessary element of party-it declares
that the League shall never nominate candidate
for any office. This league is based upon the same
system of organization as that of the American
Bible Society, and American Tract Society. Each
of these Societies are composed of members of diff
ferent religious sects-not for the purpose of form
ing a sect and opposing all Others but for the
purpose of distributing widely amongst their fellow
men knowledge of that great fundamental rule
the rule af God, upon which all the evangelical
sects base their faith Each member preserves his
standing in his own church, yet is member of the
American Bible Socety-and it is we'll deemed
that by his efforts as a member of the American
Bible Society," so far from being less valuable
member-we will say of the Methodist Church
he is in truth promoting Methodism in its purity
and vigor. i.
$50 of this League. It is formed to create
stronger and healthier tone of public sentiment in
oHtAiAo
to all parties precisely the Bible does to all reli-
gious sects. AS the Bible is the common bond of
Union between those sccts-so the Constitution
should be and is professed to be, the common
fundamental law of all parties And yet, as par
ties have departed largely from constitutional
standard, in their course upon the rights of the
South and always have avoided its application to
those rights from selfish fear as to the effect
their organizations, and it is desirable that here
after rights should be no more compromised,
this League propose an organization of all the
est and true men, of all parties, for the purpose of
influencing parties to the adoption of the Constitu
ton as their only guide. If the idea be car
ried out, in short time there will exist through
its means strong, healthy public opinion, among
men of all parties, to hts and duties.
Good and able men will be elected to Office who
will abide by other rule than that of the Consti
tuition in settling rights-and the day will soon
arrive in which it will be tested whether there is
justice and honor and equality for in the Union.
If the Leagues produce these results, they are
worthy Of trial"
THE TWO EMBRYO CITIEs.-We learn (says the |
Fayetteville Observer that there large |
attendance at the sales of Lots in Carolina City and
Morehead City, on Beaufort Harhor, last week