Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-09-08

ciple, and by controlling Northern party associ
ates, reform the corrupt and plundering Govern
ment, re establish State Sovereignty, not only il
party Platforms" as they are called, but il
fact, and make the South secure in the Confed
eracy, is to expect of Southern politicians gen
erally more wisdom and perfection for the tim
to come than the past has ever witnessed. ul
to the present time, we have seen a continua
process going on, by which the rights and inter
ests of the South are compromised away for tn
sake of preserving party aScendancy, and n
equivalents for the honors and emoluments en-
ioyed by Southern politicians. I perceive nj
reason to anticipate cessation of this process
so long as the Southern people look to part
management at Washington for safety. To th'
great majority of that class of men, whom
moderate degree of intellectual power, united tt
auency of speech and popular address, qualife
to take the lead in the contests of popular par
ties, the objects Of ambition, though they ma.
be intensely sought, are not Of high order. No
to do something worthy of remembrance, but t.
stand well with party, and to attain the prefer
ments bestowed by it, is the aim of such men
Send them to Washington, where in place of be
ing suitors for popular favor, they find themselve
courted for the power of dispensing office ant
profitable jobs of all kinds which they possess
and where their social position rs members o.
the governing body, is such as to fatter aut
please theEs, especially those to whom such so
cal circumstances are new. Give them sala
ry from the Government, sufficient for theil
wants and their amusements, and it will not bt
surprising, even if many State Rights men, who
went to the Capital as reritable Catos, yield Il
the alluremcnts around them, grow reconciled tt
their position, and come home much tanned
down, and far better subjects Of the Government
than they went away.
The party which is commended to US as tho
kind protector of the South, through whose de
voted friendship all our rights are to be thank
fully enjoyed, is the Democratic party. The
price for which this protection is to be afforded
is our amalgamation with that party. The name
is q bad one. The party is the degenerate sue
cessor of the old Republican party. Mr. CAL
MoUN, for reasons which to his clear and power
full intellect were sufficient. studinnSly avoided
calling himself a Democrat, even when acting
for long periods in alliance with the modern
Democratic party. He acknowledged himself a
member of the old Republican party, but never
consented 10 merge State Rights in Dcmocracy
1t would be better for State Rights men to fol
low more carefully his example in this particular
and to eschcw the name which was so distasteful
to him.
To commend the name of Democracy to us,
the appcllation " National" is added. The adj
dition is still worse. The "odor of Nationality
ought to be an abomination to every State Rights
man. "National" and Estate Rights" are
terms of necessity contradictory and incompati.
ble. If the GdSernmcnt is "National," the
States cannot be Sovereign, except according to
that fraudulent gihberish suited to what is called
in the dialect of politicians platform" Mr..
CALHOUN carefully avoided applying the terms
Nation and "Natonal," to the United States.
He uniformly said, Confedcracy" and Fed.
eral" 1t would be safer for State Rights men
to adhere to his example. When, in the decay
of the old Republican party, popular name was
wanted to cover the advances of consolidation,
"National Republican was the term selected.
If there is any reverence left for the State Rights
lessons of Mr.. CALHOUN, "National Democracy"
ought to be exccrabe in South Carolina.
But of late, the policy Of abanding our State
Rights distractions and solitary position, to
amalgamate with the Democratic party, and set
our hopes on everything coming right at last in
the existing union, is dignifod by tavorsrs with
the name Of Conservative" Conservative y
is good word, and the innovators should not se
allowed to usurp il. The true Conservatives in
South Carolina ure those who desire to preserve
our State Institutions and political usages as
they have been; to re-establish, if possible, the
rightful sovereg gnty of the State, not in the
" platform" sense but as our safeguard in reali-
ty against the prepondcrant power Of per6dious
Couiederates and to avoid being drawn into the
downward progress Of Democracy through mob.
government to anarchy, which has already pro.
ceeded so far in the Northern States, and which
by this time would have approached nearer to
the final goal Of military dcspotism, but for the
great Western outlet, checking temporarily over.
population. The true Conservatives in South
Carolina aLhor the Union, because they see III
its continuance long prospect of further
changes from bad to worse:
The sentiments which now avow, are those
which prevailed in both the Secession and the
Cooperation party in the contest which termlna'
ted in 1852. The people of South Carolina in
Convention assembled, in April 1852, solemnly
declared,
"That the frequent violations of the Consti.
tuition of the United States by the Federal Gov.
ernment, and its encroachments upon the re-
served rights of the Sovereign States of this
Union, especially in relation to slavery, amply
Justify this State, so far as any duty or obligation
to her Confederates is involved, in dissolving at
once all political connection with her co.Statcs
and that she forbears the exercise OF this mani
fest right of sclfgovernmcnt from considerations
of expediency only"
This Declaration was adopted in the Conven-
ton by majority of seven-eighths; and of the
small minority who voted against it, q large pro.
portion were Sccessionists, who could not stonl:
ach the adoption Of what they accounted so fee,
BILE measure, as the Resolution, and the ordi-
nance declaratory Of the right of Secession.
The greatest and most venerable of the States
men who opposed and prevented Secession, pro.
nounced the Government to which we are in sub.
lection "a Vulgar Tyranny"
know not what has since occurred at Wash:
ington, to reconcile lis with this Vulgar Ty.
ranny,a beyond some new party tricks and
compromises, such as We hul been long before
accustomed to. But causes have been at work
amongst ourselves, powerful enough to produce
change, both in upIiiIking men and in that class
of ambitious politicians to whom ] referred be-
fore. 1t was natural to expect gradual acquies,
eence among the mass of men, in an order OF
things apnarently established and too strong to
be resisted. And to the ambitious politicians,
absteuton from the prizes of the political game,
and resistance to the allurcmcnts Of Washington
life, were likely to prove greater sacrifice than
submission to the "Vulgar Tyranny" Itis true
that on n refined calculation, IN independent po-
sition of the State Rights party of South Caro-.
lima might command from thier allies, the Dem
ocrats, a larger share of honors and promotions,
than would he accorded to q small and entirely
subscrvient section of the great Democracy.
But then; while the entire amount Of favors be.
slowed might be greater in such an independent
position, each aspiraut would imagine that bis h.iis