The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1860-12-27

'etter OF considerable length, from which we max
the following extract
l say, then, without hesitation, that in nv iudy
ment,th enactments of our Legislature which ar
intended, or calculated, to impair the force AM
effect OF the fugitive slave acts of Congress ar
wholly unconstitutional and void They shouI,
never have been. passed; and ought not to be per
mitted to remain on our statute book. denounced
them when they were first projected, aud have
never failed to feel and express deep regret tha
any OF our people should have been led bv acts n
injustice on the part of any of sister States to
retallate by an act of indefensible wrong on oul
own part The Personal Liberty act, as it is com
monty caled,was first passed over the veto of Gov
Gardner in lS55-at a time when the wild surpe n
the know nothing tempest was sweeping through
all our halls of legislation. Many of its most OBJ
noXlous features were stricken out at the earnest
recommendation of Gov Banks in 1858. There was
an intention Of entire repeal manifested in the Leg
lsature IN 1856; and bill for that purpose had ac-
tuaIy passed the trial stage in the House of Repre-
sehtatves and with every prospect of final success
| When the news of the assault on Mr. Sumner SO
moved the public indignation, as to arrest for the
time every useful effort in that direction Bv this
means some of the obnoxious provisions of that act
still remain, and are incorporated into our general
statutes, and stand reprOach to the usually lust
and conservative character of our State legislation
| NO case has arisen under them, nor is likely to
| arise, which would enable our Judiciary to prO-
nouIce on their validity; but have no doubt if a
case should be presented, that our highest judicial
tribunal would declare them null and void so far
as they 90 to defeat impair the true intent and
| purpose OF the acts of Congress-
! 1 our letter suggests that, for this purpose,
should take the lead in signing a memorial address
seq TO the Legislature, asking f a repeal of the
objectionable provisions of laws which have been
referred to. They ought certainly to be repealed;
ana nave faith that they will be repealed at once
But the mode which you suggest OF approaching
the Legislature has been so much abused of late ia
/ mi ptS to ,F,o
sent public opinion that have no taste for it If
| my opinions can be of any value to ANYBODY to-
wards the accomplishment of the desired end this
! expression OF them may go to the press. 1t NAV
! stand there for my testimony. With renewed as
surance OF regard, Yours, truly,
GEo, AsnaUx.
From tie Albany Erening Joatrna71
MIR. WEEDS VISIT TO MR. LINCOLN
Since the newspapers have made our recent visit
10 Springfield the occasion of remark it NAV NOT
be Improper TO say that an interview with Mr. Lin
com mas confirmed and strengthened our confidence
IN MS htness Tor the high position he is to occupy
oil his eminent qualifications for the great trust re-
posed in him; of his enlightened appreciation of
the dIllcultieS and dangers that surround US of
his desire that the free States, if in anything dein-
quent, should fulfill their constitutional duties: of
his determination to require from all the States an
enforcement of the laws and obedience to the Com
stitution; and finally, OF his earnest and iaaexbIe
deyotlon to the principles and sympathies of Re-
publicansm.
THINKING OF HIS MOTHER IN His LAST MOMENTS
Herbert Bowen, l6 years of age. a promising son
OF n Z. Bowen, of Norwich, Conn, was drowned
while skating on the river below the rolling mill
on saturday week. His companions tried 10 save
MN, and train passing at the time was stopped
and the passengers tried in vain to effect rescue
lie cung to the ice as long as he could when losing
us h0io ne crled-"Good-bye, boys. God bless
me-. Tell mother" and with the sentence unGnisb-
ed, ne sank into the water and was drawn under
the ice by the current
THE SOVEREIGNTY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
The Address Ofthe People of South Ca roiina
Assembled i'm Convention. to the Peo ole of
the siaVehoidinS States of the United States
1t Is now seventy-three years since the union he
tween the United States made by the Copstitu-
ton OF the United States During this period their
ADVANCE IN wealth, prosperity and power, has been
with scarcely parallel in the history of the world
The great object of their union was external defence
from the aggressiOns of more powerful nations
now complete, from their mere progress in power
thlrty-one millions OF people, With commerce and
Navigation which explores every sea. and of agri-
cultural productions which are necessary to every
civilized people, command the friendship of the
world.
But unfortunately our internal peace has not
grown with our external prosperity. Discomfort
and contention have moved in the bosom of the
Contederacy for the last thirty-fve years Durinp
this time South Carolina has twice called her people
together in solemn convention, to take into con-
sideratlon the aggressiOns and unconstitutional
wrongs perpetrated by the people of the North on
the people of the South. These WRONGS were sub
mitted to by the people of the South, under the
nope and expectation that they would be final.
But these hopes and expectations have proved to
be void Instead OF being incentives to forbear-
ance, our submission has only instigated to new
forms OF aggressons and outrage, and South Caro-
INA, again assembling her people in convention,
has this day dissolved her connexion with the States
constituting the United States.
The one great evil, from which all other evils
have flowed, is the overthrow of the Constitution
OF the United States. The Government of the
United States is no longer the government of a
conederated republic, but of a consolidated demo
cracy. 1t Is no longer a free government, but
/ despotlsm. 1t is, in fact, such government as
Great Britain attempted to set over our fathers
and which resisted and defeated bv seven
years struggle for independence.
The revolution of l776 turned upon one great
principle, self-government and selftaxatiOn, the
criterion OF seltgovernment. Where the interests
OF two people united together under one govern
ment are different, each must have the power to
protect its interests by the organization of the
ernment or they cannot be free. The interests of
Great Britain and of the colonies were different and
antagonistic. Great Britain was desirous of car
rying out the policy of all nations towards their
colonies, OF making them tributary to their wealth
and power. She had vast and complicated rela-
tions with the whole world. Her policy towards
her North American colonies was to identify them
with her in all these complicated relations and to
make them bear in common with the rest of the
empire, the full burden of her obligations and ne
ceSSities.
She had vast public debt she had a European
policy and Asiatic policy which had occasioned the
accumulation of her public debt and which kept
her in continual wars. The North American colo
nies saw their interests political and commercials
sacrificed by such policy. Their interests re-
quired that they should not be Unidentified with the
burdens and wars of the mother country. They
had been settled under charters which gave them
selt-gOvernmeut, least so far as their property
was concerned. They had taxed themselves and
had never been taxed by the government of Great
Britain. 70 make them a part of a consolidated
empire, the Parliament of Great Britain determined
to the power of egislating for the colonies
in al! cases whatsoever Our ancestors resisted the
pretension. They refused to be part of the con-
solidated government of Great Britain.
The Southern States now stand exactly in the
same position towards the Northern States that our
ancestors in the colonies Gid towards Great Britain
The Northern States, having the majority in Con-
gress, claim the same power Of omnipotence in
legislation as the British Parliament "The general
welfare" is the onl V limit to the legislation of
either; and the ma jority in Congress. as in the
British Parliament, are the sole judges of the ex-
pedency of the legislation this general wefare''
requires. Thus the Government of the United
States has become consolidated Government, and
the people of the Southern States are compelled to
meet the very despotism their fathers threw off
in the Revolution of l776,
The consolidation of the Government of Great
Britain the colonies was attempted to be car
ried out by the taxes. The British Parliament un-
dertook to tax the colonies to promote British in
terests. Our fathers resisted this pretension.
They claimed the right of seIftaxation
through their Colonial legislatures They were
not represented in the British Parliament and
therefore could not rightly be taxed by its Legisa-
ture The British Government offered them re-
preventative in the British Parliament but was not
sufficient to enable them to protect themselves from
the majority, and they refused it. Between taxa
ton without any representation, and taxation with
out representation adequate to protection, there
was no difference. By neither would the colonies
tax themselves. Hence they refused to paw the
taxes laid by the British Parliament.
The Southern States stand in the same rela-
tion towards the Northern States, in the vital mat
ter OF taxation, that our ancestors stood towards
the people OF Great Britain They are in minori-
ty in Congress. Their representation in Congress
is useless to protect them against unjust taxation
and they are taxed by the people of the North for
their benefit, exactly the people of Great Britain
taxed our ancestors in the British Parliament for
laid by the Congress Of the United States have been
laid with view Of subscribing the interests of the
North. The people of the South have been taxed
by duties on imports, not for revenue, but for an
object inconsistent with revenue-to promote, by
prohibition, Northern interests in the productions
OF their mines and manufactures
There Is another evil in the condition of the South
ern towards the Northern States which our ances-
tors refused to bear towards Great Britain. Our
ancestors not only taxed themselves but all the
taxes collected from them expended amongst
them. Had they submitted to the pretentions of
the British government the taxes collected from
them would have been expended on other parts of
the British empire. They were fully aware of the
effect of such policy in mpoverishing the people
from whom taxes are collected. and in enrchipp
aJrhN f,ah hapaG oF tbo;,,