Arkansas true Democrat., 1858-11-10
Col. Henry M. Rector

.4DAAo"'-Ooi. neCtOrS friends in pre- sentlns him to the consideration of the public as man m every particular worthy and capa- p'e oi place Tn the United States Senate. nave predlcated their support of him upon a lo"s ana intimate acquaintance with his public acts and the tenets of the political faith which He aVows' proving him. as they think, strictly a o1a'es rights democrat undefled by act or mo,d' uhloentlhed With that monstrosty upon southern rghts-southern conservatism.
 Your correspondent in the proceeding numbers o' 'hs series, has adverted to some of the pro- mlnent measures of State policy brouobt for ward and sustained by Col. Rector wh;lst . member of the State legislature, and from tbe beneficial influences arising from which tho people of Arkansas are indebted to him and to him alone.
 In 1854, and for years preceding. the State of Arkansas had been flooded with worthless foreign small note currency. Ragged. detesta. ble shln-plasters of various denomin natons from one to five dollars were circulated by bank emlSarles from other States, amongst the neo. pie of Arkansas, and amongst and chiefly to the detriment of the laborng population. The merchants and traders and shrewd men of all classes never retaining this currency moment longer than they could pay them out for change-slnking all the specie received in course of buslness because when taken to the eastern cities, 1t would command two her cent premium over par funds. By this process. these rags were in the pockets of all our peo- Ple-drivlng the precious metals and particu larly silver, almost out of crculation: the se quei oelng, that about once in two years. these owl-creek establishments, dignifed with the tltle or banks, would explode, leaving our de- serving and hardworking citizens minus all the money they had-robbing them of the very sweat of their brows. Such, indeed as you will recollect MT. Editor, was the condition of things during the years of 1853 and '54 that it was almost impossible to obtain silver enouob to pay post office, butchers or bar bills, and the simple sight of a half dollar was almost an n fallible cure for chronic sore-eyes. But Col Rector was sent from Pulaski to the lower house of the General Assembly about the time this evil had reached its eliminating point: and he with that promptitude that has ever charac. terlzed his acts, so shaped State legislation as to expel the miserable trash from the couDtrv- This happy result, all can now we'll appreciate Silver and gold circulates in abundance and after the days work done we reposa quietly with our money in our pockets, undisturbed by uneasy dreams of broken banks and staryino families. The laboring men say amen! to this: and for this, and other acts of disinterested na- trotsm are mar hailed almost to man under the banners of Col. Rector vet unfurled for place in the United States Senate This stroke of State policy has saved the people of Arkan sas already hints of money, and forciblv illus trates the proprety of further discrimination against foreign paper circulation of low demo- imitation.
 But as Col. Rector is now candidate for fe- I n1 off 1,1,,
 with others, in regard to federal relations Let us see whether, when called upon to define his position touching these things he was found dodSlng the issue and tllnching from responsi- blllty or crossed on "the other side of Jordan.n When southern rights were being invaded by northern fanaticsm, one of his opponents Mr. Sebastian, have charged "preternuttel' on the compromise measures--another one of them, Gen. Hampstead, as to the grounds assumed by the democratic party upon the subject of fede. ral relations the rights and duties of southern States as defined by the legislature of Arkan- sas during the session of 1850 and 1851. does not, say, stand as the party then stood and now stands.
 During the session above referred to, and when it became the imperative duty of every State to define its position--to take its stand either for submission to northern aggression or to link Its destinies for veal or woe with its sister States of the s0uth--defending, if neces- sary to the last extremity their institutions and ther soverelgnty-whilsts smarting under the menaccs o1 attempted usurpations of Vermont ana other northern States of lhis Union-" as- SeftlhS Oy Jont resolutions transmitted 10 the governor ol the State of Arkansas, that the federal government had the constitutional power to abolish slavery Tn the southern Statos'--a joint committee of the Senate and House of Representatives, known as the standing com mttec on "tederal relations,' against formida bIe opposition, reported and passed the follow ing resolutions:
 1st. ResolUed, that the several States con- posing the United States of America are not united on the principle of unlimited submis- sion to the general government but that by compact under the style and title of constitu ton for the United States and of amendments thereto, they constituted general government Tor special purposes, delegated to that govern ment certain definite powers, reserving each State to itself the resiGuary mass of right to ! thelr own self government, and that whenso- ever the general government assumes undele- | gated powers, Its acts are--unauthortatiye void and of no force. That to this compact each State acceded as State and is an integral party. hat ths government created by this compact was not made the exclusive or final iudge of the extent of powers delegated to itself, since that would have made its discretion and not the constitution, the measure of its power, but that as n ali other cases of compact among parties having no common judge, each party has an equal right to judge for itself as well of in- fractions as of the mode and measure of re- dress.
 Fl. That by virtue of the treaty of Guada- loupe Hldalso, the slave holding States acquired such an interest in the territory ceded to the United States by Mexico as entitled their citi- zens to emlgrate to said territory with their property of every kind.
 Ord. That the United States being cluster of independent sovereignties, eagued together for special purposes, this State had ri ght to expect such distribution to be made of their ac- qulstions, as would allot portion thereof to the slaveholding States under such circum- : stances as would allow citizens of Arkansas to emigrate thereto with their slaves in safety
 4th. That the irregular and premature ad- mission of California into this Union, with a constitution framed by irresponsible persons, with the view to exclude the south therefrom. and destroy the equilibrium in the Senate of the United States, we recognize spirit incom- patibe with brotherly love and affection, and at war with justice and equity.
 5th. That in the dismemberment of Texas. the organization of the territorial government of Utah and Mexico and in the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia. we witness a spirit of aggression upon southern rights, against which it is our duty to protest most solemnly.
 8th. That this spirit of aggression upon southern rights, manifested in the last Congress, the bold and reckless assumption of power by the federal government, in the premises afore- said, are alarming dangerous and perious to the slaveholding States.
 7th. That Congress has no constitutional right to legislate upon the subject of slavery and whenever this power is assumed, it is in direct violation of every principle of justice and equality.
 0th. That the domestic institution of Afri- can slavery, as it now exists in the southern States, is worthy of extension and perpetuitv, and affords happy facility for the moral ele- vaton of both the black and white races, and is fully sanctioned by divine law.
 9th. That in appropriating ten millions of the common treasure to the purchase of terri fran, Nayac ba f,Jo