The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-10-10

INTO open ana direct hostility to the Govern
ment." The amendment offered by the Hor
W. A. Lake went further, and declared tha
the election of such candidate to the Presi
dency "would be just ground for the South
ern States to take counsel for their separa
ton, safety and protection" These declara
tions of principle were supported by the Op
position members of the last Mississippi Legis
lature Yet the Opposition speakers and edi
tors (and some of them the very
men who sanctioned the position of Messrs
Smedes and Lake, charge that the Democra
tic party is disunion party because, they
say, it occupies the very position which
we have shown they occupied less than twelve
months ago.
We propose now to show that Messrs Lake
| Smedes & Co., went further than the Demo.
cratic party ever went in demanding the pro.
lection Of our rights and equality. How.
ever, like the King of France and his army,
"They marched up the hill,
And then-marched down again"
On the Goth Of last December the Hon. ".
A. Lake introduced into the Legislature bill
to be entitled "an act to call Convention to
change the Constitution of the United States
of America" (See House Journal, page 279 }
On tn e 3rd of February following, the vote
was taken upon the bill; and we find in the
Journal (page 3S9) but few names recorded
in the affirmative. Among that small num-
Der Of yeas, however, we find the n4mes of E
P. Jones, A. q. Withers, Douglas Walworth
VIM. C. Smedes and w. 4. Lake-the lead
ing Oppositionists in the House. We publish
below the whole of the bill, although it is
quite lengthy; in order that the reader may
seethat we do not misstate its contents.
Mr.. Lakes bill proposes that Convention
shall be held, in accordance with the 3rd arti-
Gle OIL the Federal Constitution, 'ior the pur-
pose of proposing such amendments to the
Constitution of the United States as will Sc
cure the equal rights of each State in the
Union, or their independence out oft" He pro-
poses to offer amendments to the Constitution
that will effectually protect each State in the
enjoyment of perfect equality, both with re-
ference to the rights Of persons and property
under that Constitution, either in the States
or Territories - and 'f that cannot be ac-
complished, upon basis Of entire fairness
and equal and exact justice, then of making
provisions for the peaceful and equitable dis
solution of the Union of these States" Mr.
Lake in his bill further proposes, that it shall
be made the duty of that Convention, ''if af-
ter dispassionate and deliberate attempt to
reconcile and remove these differences (exis-
lation to slavery they are found to be irrecon-
cileable, then peacefully, and as independent
and honorable States, to agree to abolish the
common government, which binds into one
these discordant elements, and to divide by
just and equal means the common interests
and property among the different members Of
the confederacy."
" If such bill had been introduced by De-
mocrat, and had been supported by the lead
ing members of the Democratic party, cries of
disunion and treason would have resounded
throuhout the land. Mesas Lake, Smedes
and other leading Opposition men in the Mis-
sissippi Legislature, went farther than the Dem
ocracy ever went. That bloody minded precipi-
tator ofrevolutions,' VIM. L. Yancey, only pro-
poses to precipitate the cottonStatesinto revo-
luton" in cara the present guarantees of the
Constitution are not vouchafed unto us the
Southern League, that great boogaboo in the
eyes of Opposition men, only proposed to dis
solve the Union if the Northshould continue
to trample under foot the equality and protec-
tion which the Constitution now gives u.s.
Democrats have ever held that the
Constitution as it stands givs us all the equal
ity and protection which tn. South has ever
asked or desired, and they have battled to
maintain that Constitution n its integrity as
our fathers made it. But here we have de-
liberate proposition from Messrs Lake, Smedes
and Co., to demand additional protection and
suaranteas than those that ara narr-4e- -Aa
found in the Constitution, ant if it is refused
by the North, they would dissolve this Union
of States. And yet those men have the au-
dacity, the hardihood, to charge disunion up
on Democrats, who only demand the guaran-
tees which the Constitution now gives to us;
who are only battling for those rights and that
protection which we are cleargentitled to un-
der the Constitution and the laws Of the land.
We now ask our readers to carefully pc
ruse Mr. Lakes bill, which viii be found be-
low, just as it came from his pen, and see for
themselves that we do not mistake its contents
II they find its propositions 70 be as we have
stated, we think they will agree with us that
it would be profitable for Messrs. Lake
smedes & Co., ere they cry disunion again
to ponder over that Biblical injunction
"Pluck the beam out of thine own eye, ere thol
seest the mote in thy brothers.
A BILL
70 be entitled an Act 10 call Convention 4
change the Constitution Of ne United State
/ Of america.
Whereas, By the 9Th article Of the Consti
tuition of the United States Of America, it i
provided that the Congress shall, on the ap
plication of the Legislatures OF two-thirds Q
the States, call Convention for proposing
amendments to the Constitution and where
as, in the opinion of the legislature of tn
State of Mississippi, it is expedient and desir
able that Convention should be held for th
purpose of proposing such amendments to tn
Constitution of the United States as will Sc
cure the equal rights Of each State in tn
Union, or their independence out of it. Their
fore
SEC. 1. Bel enacted By tho Legislature
the State of Mississippi, That the Congres
of the United States is hereby invoked on Ii
part of the Legislature Of Mississippi, to ca
the Convention contemplated BY the 5th q