Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1860-12-19
COL PHILIP ST. GEORGE COOKE, OF POwHATAN,
nv T1F WRONGS AND Duty OF THE SOUTH.

L ".
stake-who has one spark Of mind OF spirit or OF pa
triotsm-s mperayely called upon to speak out ana 70
| act out-as is every ireemans duty-as becomes one
whose destiny well that Of his ehldrens cniureh
ndssouby bound up for veal or or for voc with tha1
of his feou-cizens, with whom he must cooperate
whose acts nav nav whose must forever decide,
in the brief period Of the next few weeks the most mo-
mentou question that any people under heaven were ever
called upon to decide decision which, II ngny mace
and firmly maintained will secure the peace, the pros
perity liberty and happiness Of the Southland may be-
as well the reformation and preservation OF the North
If wrongly made, viii precepate the desoatoh Oh gu,
homes the destruction of lives OF our liberties ana
of our country go
feel that need make no apology to my folow-coun-
tymen to whom am well, and, trust, not uniavor-
ably known Nor do | need any Introduction 10 thai
wider circle of friends and acquaintance throughout the
State which am proud 10 claim and to enjoy. To the
many Who may know me, have simply TO say that
am pain farmer aud planter that have, however
every tie material human aud divine that eau bind
man 10 bis fellow mento home to State, and to coun-
try; that few any, have TO lose and less TO gam
by Revolution than have; that born Virginian,
as were nv fathers before me from the remotest coleman
times; that their honorably enrolled amongst
those of the earliest and rmest patriots OF the Amer
can Revolution that consider have the mid to grasp
the body Of the tmes to see clearly its complexion
and 10 comprehend its tone and tenor, as trust
also have the moral courage to meet and to fulhl all
those high and holy responsibilities, which, in crisi,
such this devolVe upon every true loyal and patriotic
| citizen.
| Nv felloE-countymenl Ny lot is cast with yours
Your destiny will be my destiny The misery or the hap
puess OF your posterty will be that OF mine also and
my chdrens children are interested IN all you think and
say and in connection with this momentous Crisis In
the affairs of our common country-as you and yours
too have corresponding interest In whatsoever AND
others may think and say and do!
Let u.s. then reason together! "0ut Of the funess Of
the heart the mouth speaketh!' Bear with me, then,
whilst say few brief but burning words 10 you from
| nv inmOst heart
What does it become us of Virginia and the South to
] do in the present condition or our country!
l. How many thousands OF men have asked themselves
this question since the 9th Of November last and how
many thousands will continue to ask this question in the
course Of the next FIVE weeks l. too have propounded
this question myself have propounded 1t 10 others.
have anyiousy and attentive heard read and consider
ed every argument from every quarter aud on every side
have endeavoed to grasp much oil the height and Of
Depth Of the length and of the breadth OF this ggau
c question in all its bearings my utmost capacity oil
mind xl enable grasp. After long and laborious
effort in the course of which have stryen 10 discard all
prejudice and passion and be influenced solely by
son and by truth, at last for one, prepared to an
sWer this question
Nevertheless presume not TO Obtrude my own solu
ton upon any one ask merely that il may be fairly
considered II in the end shall be found that there IS
really any more safety wisdom and honor in any other
solution will drop my and heartily adop. that 9th
err But until then, until a!l men OF all parties shall
agree together for the common defence against
the common danger the imminent peril which surrounds
u.s. for one will to address words OF reason
entreaty and exhortlton to my elloScountrymen, so
long as have life and reason left TO me.
What do behold under the forms, but directly con-
iary TO the spirit Of the Constitution Of the United
Sates Notwithstanding that three national and conser
vaive candidates for the Presidency presented to
the people OF the whole Unon purely Northern, see
tona natical and revolutionary majority have elected
their exclusively Northern sectional ianaucai and
revolutionary candidate.
The party which has thus triumphed is one which pro-
claims through its leaders mpacabc hatred OF, aud
terminating war upon, the institution OF slavery.
This party arroginy assumes moral and intellectual,
as il now claims numerical superiority the South,
aud with lasting hypocrisy, il procams It's religious and
conscientious obligations to intermeddlc in the private
and domestic siiAirs OF its neighbors.
IL boldly asserts that the institution Of slavery shall
not be extended into any of the common Territories o.
the United States that the contrary, slavery where
il now exists shall be surrounded by Gordon OF free
States infested by AbOitoniss liberty shrekers under
ground railroads and border ruilns Il is the party
which but yesterday sent its emissares into Virginia u-
der the lead VI John Brown, to shed the blood Of our
people and to instgate slaves to Instruction pge
and murder, and which 70 day backs up Montgomery
Nth arms men and money TO slaughter the peaceful and
innocent in Kansas. Il is the party which proclams
that black ia white and that white is black that all
are free and equal Th0t would make the negro the equal
socially intellectually and politically OF the white man,
and would degrade tho white to the level Of the
slave.
IL ia the party which for thirty long years has sought
to poison the minds Of slaves and iustgate them
10 INSTRUMENTATION, 70 POISONING arson, pulage ana muir
der.
Ii is the party which claims that the whole political and
moral force and power OF the Federal Government shall
be exerted traduce degrade and harras and, finally
to overthrow and eXtrpate institution which Is not
oly recognized bu. the unmoesed existence of which
l, tod 10 ha LA flp
Of the United States-an institution which is bound up
with the very social aud civil existence OF the Southan
institution with which the North has rightiuIy nothing to
DO, and Zoe which the North is no way responsible.
il is the party which proclans fercely that in execu
ting its ubiquitous purposes h will be controlled neither
by the Constitution of the United States, the laws OF
Congress- by the decisions Of the Supreme Court that
it, own he'll inspired conscience is the higher law by
which il its obligations and the rights OF
others.
IL IS the party which even says that Nature herself is
false aud the Revelation OF God lie! when either
contradics its doctrines rebukes the infamous and per-
iured souls Of its fiendish followers
Such ia the party which has just elected Abraham Lin
coin to be President of these United States.
The election Of such man, by such party il itself
revolution.
What then, shall we Of Virginia and the South do?
We should promptly, and with voice, say to the
Norh-Yoa have violated the spirit and broken the let
ter OF the great constitutional compact which fathers
laws Of God and and you have broken all the bonds
that can bind to his fellow You stand convict
ed of sedition perjury and You have rendered
impossible that we Of the South consent longer to
live under the government with you. You have
subverted the Constitution OF your country. You have
destroyed the Union Of these States.
The supreme law OF self defence and selfpreservstion
our duty to ourselves and our property-to mankind
and TO God-rsquire that should separate from you
peaceably if We can, forCihy if we must.
Lat us, then, body, promptly aud untedly exercise
the naiecabe right OF freemen. Let there lie dis
cord and divisions amongst u3.
five hesitate divided, enemies viii triumph
and We shall soon be made to bend the neck and pass
under the yoke Of slavery and despo;isn of Northern
masters, who will quickly naugurate in midst 4
reign of Of which history has yet recorded but
faint and feeble prototypes the massacres Of ST. Do
| mingO and the horrors OF the French revolution.
IT, on the contrary the South is true hers l-.rue
to here rOs.erity-true to aud to Gol--she will
arise in the majesty Of her night She will shake oil
| her eneme.l she will defy them And she will roll
back upon the demon Of Abotonism of Red and Black
Repubicanism, whitening and damnng df-ad
Let US Of the South then invoke the spirit Of our faith
ers Of the first American Revolution when they declared
themselves independent Of Great Britain. Let
SANITY prepare ourselves and let u.s. IN due time aud
FORM proclaim separation from the North and our
separate and independent existence people; and like
our orellher pledge TO each other in the maintenance
of that position lives fortunes and sacred
honos. Your iellow-citizen,
Nov 80, 1860. PHILIP ST GEO COOKE
| n. b. not to be understood as advocating or
advising what is called immediate secession indeed
any precipiie aggressive action that might invite
provoke physical contest with the North We are in
the Gight--et us by all continue occupy that
position. We have only 20 know our rights and to be
a