Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1858-09-15
BLAcrv1LI.a, S. c., Aug. 3lst, 1858.

10 meet the citizens of Ed@rfcli District, Oh the
occasion to which you have invited me, aud to
ioin in the compliment 10 your Representative III
Congress, the Hon. NJ. l.. BoSHAH.
From the bold, independent and sagscious
course which that gentleman has parsued III re-
lation to the recent legislation of Congress on
tho subject of slavery in the Territory ot h'tn-
sas think lie richly merits all the compliments
Won csn pay him and although We may not DC
able to point to any brilliant or elaborate speech
which he has made in his short career IN the
Federal councils, upon which his fame might go
down to posterity, there Is think lmperisAaDiee
honor in that vote against the Conference biii.
It gives us an earnest of the iirnness, the SELF
reliance, and the instructive wisdom OF the man.
and his uncompromisiag devotion to the rights
Of the South.
OF course we cannot question the patriotism o:
those who voted for this measure; and, as
nmono the South Caroiila delegation there arc
men Of acknowledged powers of intellect and
pr.at political experience, all of whom, except
Gen. BoNHAA. supported the Conference BILL, 1t
becomes us to look well, and examine thorough
ly before we venture to express dissent from
the policy they have adopted, and then to eX'
nress that dssent with Difference to their supcrl'
or abilities. | must be permitted to say then,
that having given Il candid and impartial consld'
rration to the various reasons which have been
assigned for this measure, have been unable TO
find one upon which its principle or ITS pohcy
can he vim licutcd. | cannot but regard Il as
g, con,pro,uise" to secure the integrity and har'
nony. Nor,:, and South Of the Democratic party.
Its ius,:ii;':,,ion has been put up ON tour sew
cru! grounds:
!. Tia, it did not refer the Constitution back
% .n,,hsr r.,pular vote, aud therefore WAS lao
concession.
.. That the measure secured tho harmony Of
,lr south upon the question OF is'ire resistance
ru slavery agitation.
,. That the application Of Kansas. the l.e'
COMPTON Cons!irGiion, bei:. rejer;rl' ":!s' ah"l
.r m:,,i.sayery instrument aud her admission IN
rho face of the iaw reqairiag a certain nn"In
Of population, would aIllrd better lss;p i'r IT,
sistarce.
a. That Kansas was q sovors'sn-;hr l.rr'iai''
To, Convention a sovereignty; and h2Nrr mus
he treated with us :. ,,r2rei pn; a:a 'hera';'lc.
apulyine witt. an or'ii.;,nrc claiming l1,Hl;',Guu
acres Of hand. could nyi lie admitted without g:r.
inc her the land, or submitting to her Heoi'e ;.i'y
modification of the terms she prop'.ed To enter
the Union upon.
So much has already been said on the first
three propositions, that deem it proper to say
but little in regard to them. As to the first, |
nre,ume that Gen. McQuEgS'S candid arowai,
that the Constitution WAS in fact referred back,
and the subsequent re- jrction of the Constitution
bv the popular vote in Kansas, has pat a qnetu.
upon all efforts to maintain i; any longer,
AS TO the second that it rromoted The harino'
nv of the South, would ask, if We have ever
found any difficulty in harmonlzlng the South
upon measure Of submission to Northern as.
gression on the institution of slavery! Further
moro. what il the worst that could reSult from a
division of our people ON resistance question
1t is compromise and concession to preserve the
Union. No body fears that any antl-reslstaLce
party would 20 for any palpaIle surrender on
the slavery question. But they might eompro-
mise away our rights which i'll our Judgment,
practically, in the end amounts to the same thing.
To prevent this compromising then, by trl-
umphau: auti-resistancs party IN Georgia, Ala
bana, &C., South Carolina has been induced to
make "the compromise hcrsc!t.
shall say nothing upon the third head, as
cannot believe that any sane mind, after our re-
cent experience of compromises at least, can be-
liere for moment, that the admission ot Nan
sas, by the next Congress rs n free State would
excite ripple upon the smooth stream OF South
ern Submission.
Upon the fourth head, propose TO remark
more at length as l cannot but think that here
wa have the root of the whole evil. If Kansas
was sovereign, of course it becomes us to treat
with her as a sovereign; and she, proposing n
bargain to us, we could not change the terms OF
the bargain and then bind her TO it, without az,
certaining her views as to the change made.
Now, believe that all our delegation, with
the exception of Mr.. BoYCE, have maintained the
sovereignty of the Lecompton Convention, and
hence OF the people of Kansas. Mr.. ORs, be.
lieve, has from frat to last, advocated the doc.
trne of popular sovereignty" in the Terrific
ries Mr.. KEIrr, III his speech on the at'miS iion
of Kansas under the Lecompton Constitution.
seems to take the same ground and spoke Of
I" the dangerous hereSy," the mischievous here
sy," "the ominus heresy," &c, &C., of referring
constitutions from sovereign conventions back
for popular ratification Senator HAMMoSDs
position on this question seems to be somewhat
obscure. lie says in his speech, the Conven
ton was an assembly Of the people IN their.hgh
est sovereign capacity, about to perform their
highest possible act Of sovereignty" and after
wards he saws "and when q State has grown in
to rightful sovereignty, when that sovereignty
which has been kept in abeyance demands re-
corn;ton when u community is formed there, q
social compact created, a sorsreiymty bora as Il
acre upon tic soil, then Congress is gifted with
the power 10 scknowle lgc it, &C., &c" l would
infer from these expressions that Senator HAM
MoSu regarded kan:as at the time of her aDpi-
cation as sovereign. But there this is negativcd
in thi. passage OF the speech. Nor does Com
grass hold The sovereignty of Kansas. The
'.sovcccic,ty OF Kansas resides. if it resides any
whore, wa; the sovereign States Of this Union"
But whatever may be the position Of individ
uas d! oar delegation, It is certain that the great
majority of the statesmen Vi The Southern de
mJcracy, are firm in their belief that the Lee
compton Convention was sovereign and hence
tina, Kansas WAS the same; and they have made
n r,si absurd distinction between "squattcr
sovereignty and popular sovereignty
il Kansas was sovereign, when did she he
col.e 20? Not from the fact Of her entering
upon the formation of a State Constitution TO-.
ii 50, this she could do at asy time in her optic
and hence she was sovereign from the moment
of her being populated. The k.nsas and Ne.
L.a.ka Act Of lbs could not make her sover.
ei.n; for it organized 4 government fur her,
which she could not change. and with a Governor
appointed by the President Of the Cniied States.
No people are sovereign who do not organize
their own government and elect their own officers
1t seems impossible to point out the time when
she became sovereign, unless we take the posi-.
ton that by population she Grc'c into sorereiyty.
Now the question arises can people grow thus
into sovereignty? Does q certain density Of
population always necessarily of itself carry
with it sovereignty? If so, then Ireland, Hun
gary, Poland, and all populous countries arc
tI,ar nf thn i, hon,