Daily gazette and comet., 1860-12-12
ESSA 6E
or rus
Governor of The State Of Louisiana.

s,.satafires n ne gsn,roi dsssnbiy u hs
! state II tavi'ia7g:
| have convened vour Honorable Hpdle'
~ this unusual time tp consider The condi
'irn 81 90, present. aud future relations :"
the Teiptai gnvarnmant. before the con
uul nf that Government is lodged IN the
hands or y party. whose avuwe1 principles
.re 10 antaprnism w. the interests, the dig
nity. sni the we'll being pf Louisiana. The
ocrasirn calls irr grave del,hp'ation. wise
counsel proi Judgment. and manly pc'iDn.
" will he your province ~ decide whether
ps imroftsnrs iss,iHes the assembling of
the people Though their Delegates. in es
HaotdinarY Convention, 10 detetmine, in
that sovereign capacity, the remehY proper
| ~ be Applied tn esisting evils. Never have
| vp been Move ~ need of the protecting
csra ani wise guidance cf that Divine
Frovidence. whose ai1 and Influences II be
enrps States NJ we'll "a individuals 10 in
. yoke.
An event he's now occurred If the Vrs
vest import ~ the people nr this whole
country. hut especially ~ those Of The
Southern States Abraham Lincoln and
Hannibal fiamlin having received the ~
lr,sempnt ~ tho political party calling u
self Republican. the fundamental p'inoi-
pla " which IL az M, assoning en1 fansti-
. raI hrsfilf'F W slavery. nave now NArN
elected 10 the two highest offices ~ our
Federal Government by . purely section
si vote, and IN rrn'emrt of the rn,ne@'
protest rf thn other SECTIONS. thai such eler-
,ien wouli ha considered evidence of le
lhetale design ~ pefvett the powers ~
/ the Eovetnmeut tu the immediate Injury
end ultimate destruction nf its peculiar in
stitution Thirty years ego. the public
expression Of such opinions a. are now en-
,a,tained and svowei by these two men,
~ any part of this country, outside of New
/ England. would have Insured 80 their Mt
ter swin aud ignominous punishment .-
/ The representative man of those opinions.
chosen "a the instrument To effect their
practicsl operation upon the sdministrs
ton If the National Government ia nuw
ahout tn occupy the chair Uf Washington.
So pteat hss been the change cf public
sentiment IN the non slavehulding States
ef this ronfedefsey upon a question. vital
~ our interests. aud intetwpven with ev-
cry tsmifcetion of eut social system
I feel myself oppressed hy the magpi-
inie nf the ,ssne Involved IN the action of
on, state at this crisis 7 have heheld with
admiration the beautiful aud we'll ptopot
| toned fabric made by our fprafathars'
hsnds. of a 1uiuu ot Equals. under ssfe
guards provided by q Constitution adsr-
| ted ~ the wants Of the age In which IL vac
made. ! have clung with warm affection
~ the Government, under which We have
! become 40 prosperous aud great and have
endesvoref ~ repel the con vietipn, which
events have furoed upon me that thst
Government is about 10 he perverted 10
/ purposes never designed hy It's founders,
That the Union 10 broken in spirit hy the
/ attempted destruction If the equality If
the States which comp u, and the forms
| cf the Constitution invoked to cloak the
rarpattation 81 outraess upon the riehts ~
sotpe of the soveretgnties which fotmed H..
Slavery existed in the Colonies in the
Revolutionary era. snl IN every State but
one, when the Constitution was formed .-
lite existence was recognized in that in
strument by providing for its representa-
ton In the popular House of the National
! t,api stature The master was protected
by an express affirmation Of his right ss a
citizen ~ one State 10 have "delivefed up"
~ him his slave Escaping into another"
70 this agreement and compact, sovereign
States assented ~ was part Of the bond
IT WA ono nf the conditions of fellowship
| one of tho Inducements 10 the ptatas
| where slaves were most numerous. apd
slavery was thought TO be permanently
| f,od. Ia secure their adhesion 10 a Unipn
which all then believed would ENSURE do
mestic tranquility" aud promote the gen
sral welfare In few years the States
having su ungenial climate and sterile
soil found they had no need Of slavery "a
. system Of labor aud abolished IL within
their own limits. They were prompted TO
| this not by consideration Of mock philan-
| thrnpv, az ia assumed in tho hypuctitica1
cant of these latter days, but simply and
exclusively by a regard 10 their material
| interests. Other Ntates, situated in - more
| tropical cline, and having within their
borders q sell adapted 10 the growth of
| products winch increase the happiness snd
augment the wealth of mankind. have ra-
taiued slavery, because practical experience
has dem onstrsted that II is useful, proiita-
ble, aud essential. While, however. tho
great law Of necessity and adaptation has
controlled tho operation of changes in tho
two ayatems of labor, wa have not ignored
tho moral aud social aspect Of tho quep
ton. Men of Intelligence - politicians,
| moraliata aud Etatnsmen- formerly apolo-
gizod Tor tho existence Of slavery among us
on tho score of insNorabls necessity. aud
shrank from defouce Of their people for
it's retention. hut when Aboltionism,
emboldened by ita strength, began tn at
tack out aystem of labor IA a ain and orno,
tho moral and religious aspects Of tho queS-
ton became the aubecta Of scrutiny, and
tho reRult haa been "a cOmplete vindcation
of our institution. and n correction of pop
ular errors concerning IT,. Wo havo dcc-
dol 20 retain IL, and believe that any other
people, similarly circumstancod, will 10
benefited by it. Tho non HlavoholdinR
Statos got rid Of ~. and we did not com
plain. They exercised their own judg
ment and gratitod their own desires by
that act. But these States not only deter
mined that they would not have slavery
themselves, but they have aiso declared
that no now Sovereignty within the sphere
of their influence shall hRvo It,. and no now
soil shall bo worked by II, although tho
inhabitants shall have carried slaves along
with the other mombors Of their household
aud other property To their now home, and
shall themselyes desire tho existence Of