The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-03-07
Votes on the Mississippi Resolutions
vindicaIing the Truth of History
from the Misrepresentation Of the
Natchez Courier.

the subject, and therefore they present an III
terly false view of it.
OIL The Courier is mistaken in its premises, ant
n hence is entirely wrong in its conclusions
which are that there was respectable mi
s nority of Democrats, opposed to State action
! in the event of the election of a Black Repub
a lican to the Presidency to the appointment
! of delegates to the Atlanta Convention, and oi
a Commissioner to Virginia. So far from this
being true, the resolutions, which were finally
adopted and which embraced these very mat
: ters, passed both Houses BY THE UNANI-
: NOUS VOTES OF THE DEMOCRA TIC
MEMBERS. On the final vote in the Senate,
= Mr.. Buck, of Vicksburg, recorded his name
against them. In the House the ayes and
noes were not called, and upon the showing of
, the journals, they passed 'oitHoa opposition
but it is due to justice to say that they had
been openly opposed in debate by Messrs:
Smedes and Lake, of Warren. Both of these
gentlemen had pet measures of their own
which were defeated Mr. Lake advocated
convention ofall the States to amend the Con-
Stitution of the United States, so as to secure
additional guarantees to the South, or a
separation and division OF the common pro-
perty, in the event such guarantees were not
afforded He, also, offered an amendment to
the resolutions, declaring that the election of
a President upon the principle that it is in
the power Of Congress, or Territorial Legis-
lature, to prohibit slavery in the territory,
swould be but just ground for the Southern
States to take counsel for their separate safety
and protection These propositions were
defeated by the majority, on the ground of
| preference for the remedial measures en-
braced in the resolutions which were finally
adopted
| The error of the Courier consists in its taking
the votes in the House upon the original
Senate resolutions, acih the amendments pro-
posed bysMr. Clark from Select Committee, |
as test of the sense OF the House, and as the |
final action of that body, when, in truth, the !
negative UOtes were not designed to express |
ference, &c, bit simply to declare a preference
for the resolutions as they came f'om tie |
Senate, which they deemed sufficiently ex-
plicit on these points Ithe negative u9tes on the
Senate resolutions with the committee amend
ments, are to be taken as proofthat the mem
bers who cast them are opposed to resistance
to Black Republican President to the con-
ference of Southern States; and to the Virginia
h.
perfect knowledge of the facts, has feicitated
ITSELF the Mississppian is to be reckoned
against those measures, because we earnestly
urged the adoption Of the Senate resolutions.
In connection with the foregoing statement.
Svo eepy 5sszz ;ss5 sslie loIn,tting tiIe-ayes
and noes, which we have heretofore publisheD
of the Courier, to which we append some ad-
ditional facts
THE MISSISSIPPI REsoLUuoNS.-We have
not seen copy of the resolutions on Federal
Relations, as they finally passel both houses Of
the Legislature. Two amendments We're
made, we believe, after they passed the House;
not effecting, however, their general import.
The first resolution asserted the duty of the
United States Government in all its branches,
legislative judicial and executive, to give
adequate protection to slave property. This
was adopted without division.
The second declared the selection of
President by a sectional party, with views ad-
verse to slavery as it exists in slayeholding
States or Territories, or ofOne who is opposed
to the grant of protection above spoken OF, to
be sufficient cause for the slaveholdng States
to take counsel for separate protection and
safety-in other words to dissolve the Union.
This was adopted 81 to 20.
The third resolution approved the Atlanta
Convention, and provided for the election of
delegates. The yeas and nays were 20 TO
15
The fourth resolution provided for a COM
missioner to Virginia, to invite her to cooper
ate in the proposed Atlanta gathering. Adopted
4S to 35.
We have stated above that the votes record
ed by the Courier were upon the Senate re-
solutions Nth the Committee amendments, and
that the negative u0tes indicated not opposition
to dissolying the Union if Black Republican
should he elected to the Presidency-nor op-
position to the Atlanta Conference and the
Virginia Commission-but preference for tie
resolutions as they came from tie Senate, which
were thought to cover the whole ground.
The resolutions as amended by the House
went back to the Senate, and after discussion
in that body, were returned to the South, sub
'stantiallJ as they were originally passed, with
the exception of concurrence in two slight
amendments. And in the House, February
9Th, the following proceedings took place, as
recorded in the journal:
The House took up the Senate resolutions
upon Federal Relations.
Mr. Wilson moved that the House recede |
from its amendment to the third resolution |
striking out the words, "and that this Legs
lature at its present session, proceed to cleo
seven delegates" and inserting, "and that the
Governor be authorized to appoint delegates
not exceeding ten in number"
Which motion prevailed.
On his further motion, the House receded
from its amendment to the second resolution,
which amendment is as follows
Strike out all after the words ''United
States,' in the first line, down to and includ
| ing the words, compact of Union" and insert
'fby sectional party with views adverse to
the institution of slavery as it exists in the
slayeholding States and Territories, or of one
who is opposed to the grant of the protection
claimed in the foregoing resolution"
Showing that the majority in the House re-
ceded from their original position, and con-
CURED with the minority in support of the
Resolutions as they originally passed the SEN
ate. There did not exist in the beginning a
difference as to principles, or in reference to
the pan of action contemplated, but merely
concerning the precise form of expressing ideas
which were common to all.
In the same issue of the Courier from which
the foregoing is copied, the following additional
: paragraph occurs
} We observe that the Woodville Republican
(dem. \ censures Maior Van Eaton, the Demo-
cratic Representative from Wilkinson county,
for having voted against the resolution, which
virtually declared the election of Republican
President sufficient cause for disunion. That
paper claims that the resolution asserted
principle of vital importance; upon which De-
mocracy is almost unit; and that Major
Van Eaton's course, besides being erroneous,
! was inconsistent with his previous declara-
tons.
To us, it is a source of qualification that the
, Democratic representatives from Wilkinson,
f Franklin and Claiborne, all voted against this
J imprudent dogma--one wrong in itself, and
| impolitic as it is wrong. We trust that Their
D own honest convictions of duty, and their con
a sciousness of having performed it, will remove
: the sting of partisan censure.
!, The Woodville Republican has already
: mrde the ameade to Maj. Van Eaton (who vo'
ted with the minority in favor of the Senate