Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1859-05-20
Dong, IN the Southern Convention.

Southern Convention met at Vicksburg on
the 9th. On the first day, seventy-tour dele
gates were present-Mississippi, ffy-a-
mong them two reverend gentlemen; South
Carolina, eleven Louisiana, four; Tennessee.
four; Georgia, two; and Texas, Alabama,
and Florida, one each.
A citizen of Kansas, by birth a Georgian,
who CHANGED 20 be in the city, was invited to
take seat in the Convention Another
gentleman from Tallahassee, Florida. who
was not II chosen delegate, was admitted as
one: and finally n resolution Was offered in.
viting all gentlemen now in the city, though
not elected delegates, to take their seats.--
The remark of Il delegate that under that
resolution gentleman from Massachusetts
might take his seat, afforded some amuse-
ment.
The Convention did not favor the propo-
sition, there being but three votes in its favor.
Several more delegates arrived on the 10th.
Gen. Charles Clark, Of Mississippi, was cleo
ted president.
Gov. j. X. McRae, of Mississippi, was not
present, but submitted through delegate,
resolutions declaring that the success of the
Republican party in 1860 would be virtual
dissolution of the Union, &c. and that the
interests and necessities of the South, rs well
as of the entire country, require the perma-
nent ascendancy of the United States in the
Gulf of Mexico; and to secure this end, the
Cult must be made an American sea, Cuba
an American State, and the Isthmian transit
to the Pacific, placed under American con-
troll and demanding the abrngation of the
Clayton Bulwer treaty. These resolutions
were referred to the Committee on Business.
Mr.. Spratt, of South Carolina, called up a
report made by him at the last Convention,
held at Montgomery, Alabama on the revi-
val of the African slave trade, closing with
the following resolutions:
|. Resolced, That slavery is right, and
that being right there can be no wrong in
the natural means to it's formation.
. Resolced, That it is expedent and pro-
per the foreign slave trade should be reopen
ed, and that this Convention will lend its in
fluence to any legitimate measure to that end.
g. Resolred, That Committee consisting
of one from each slave State be appointed to
consider of the means consistent with the du-
ties and obligations of these States, for re-
opening the foreign slave trade, and that
they report their plan to the next meeting Of
this Convention.
Mr.. Spratt, in the course Of speech i'll
support of the resolutions, said:
1t might be said that the slave trade could
not be legalized within the Union, and that to
re-establish it, the Union would have to be
dissolved. Let it be so. The men Of the
South had higher trusts than to preserve the
Union. If the resolutions proposed by him
,-oso "a, ad nv, ba n bo ,o oman
ing of the slave trade would have all the sane
ton which, rs Southern men, they would ask.
Applause If the principle should be APP
proved by Southern sentiment, it matters lit
tie what might be the course of Congress
The profits of the trade would compensate the
risks of the adventure, and slaves would be
brought into the country. Besides that, there
was point of honor involved in this matter.
There were men in the South who felt that
in this way only could the South take the po-
sitiun that was consistent with the maintain
ance of her rights. His friend Lamar had
already hoisted the slave trade flag, and that
flag now foated at the masthead. Zap
plause.) If this government in that madness
which precedes dissolution, should send its
agents here to spy out the acts of Southern
men, to enforce this law, to seize Southern
citizens, and take their property for acts
which they recognise as right-as sure as the
sun should rise it would rise on the reeking
blains of another Lexington and Concord
Loud applause.)
Several other delegates spoke in similar
strain.
At the evening session Mr.. Moody OPP
posed the slave trade. lie said that if they
came here to talk treason and preach dis
LOYALTY to the Union, he had heard so much
of that from Mississippi politicians that
he was nauseated by it. 1t could do no good
to rail against the general government
If the gentleman who introduced these reso-
lutions (Spratt Of South Carolina). wanted
to set men of the North against men of the
South he had done all in his power to effect
that object. Flre-eaters from the South
and he never knew any Of them who would
fight-spoke of a dissolution of the Union,
but he regarded that az utterly impractica-
BILE. As to the argument that the law pro
hibiting the slave trade is unconstitutional,
it did not amount to decent sophism.
Before Mr.. Spratt, of 5. c., or Mr.. Davis,
of Miss. made such declarations ar they did
to-day, it would be better for them to begin
and missionaries here at home. In no less
than ten Southern States are there laws on
the statute books prohibiting the importation
of slaves from Africa. The code Of Missis
sippi, enacted i'll 1857, makes the introduc-
ton of single African slave into the State
an offence, punishable with Il fine of 81 900.
And yet it was preached here that they
could 20 before the Congress and ask Con-
gress to repeal its law prohibiting tho slave
trade The law of Congress on the subject
has an express provision that no penalty
shall be inflicted on any one who Introduces
an African in accordance with the laws OF
any State, not in conflict with the Constitu-
ton of the United States. There was moth
ing to prevent II man going To Africa, and
making contract with free Africans to serve
him twenty, fifty, or ninety years.
A motion was made that Mr.. Spratt should
be requested to furnish the Secretary with
his speech, to be printed for the use OF the
Convention.
Ex-senator Foote was Immediately on his
feet, and yehemently opposed the notion
He said, charge and ! am prepared to es.
tablish it whenever have an opportunity OF
doing so, that that speech is fraught with
reasonable doctrines | speak deliberate
ly. ! speak not as a partisan or sec
tionalist. ! belong to no political party I'M
der the sun. No party is responsible for me,
and am responsible for no party. ] am
affiliated with no body of men on any po-
litical question. But | say deliberately