The register. (Monroe, La.) 185?-1861, 1860-05-31
The southern Delegate. Defended

In mis- Celebroeed epeeGn u AueuE, 1883, IN
which he held up to review the actions of the
two great parties of the day on the rights of
the South, Mr.. Calhoun gave expression to the
following patriotic and manly counsels :-t2C
We have still the pouer't to protect ourselves
if we have not lost the spirit md patriotism to,
put it forth. We must prove by our nets, that
we still have the blood Of our patriotic and
heroic ancestors running Ia our veins; and
that our long submission to insult and s9gres-
sions has been caused, not from want Of spirit
to dtfynd our rights, but from regard for the
Union. FIVE evince by our acts fixed deter
mination TO hold no political connection With
any party at the North which is not prepared
to enforce the guarantees Of the Constitution
in our favor, and respect our rights, host Of
true and faithful-ailies would soon rally to our
support there; unless, indeed the disease has
already made snch progress, that the North is
willing to sacrifice the Union on the altar Of
Abolition. .x.
The position assumed by the delegates from
q majority Of the Southern. States in the late
Charleston Convention is based upon the policy
sanctioned by the Craftsmanship Of Calhoun
and will be cordially ratified, by their constitu
ents. The duty which we, the mass and rank
and file Of the Democracy, entrusted to our
delegates was TO attempt to obtain from our
Northern allies an uneqpivocal recognition Of
our rights as interpreted BY the highest consti,
tutional authority of the land. We sent them
there with every hope for harmony and concil-
iatory action, but every determination to stand
by unhinchingly, that doctrine of the Supreme
Court, in its decision, "that the Territories Of
the United States, being the public domain,
and consequently the common property Of all
the States, the slave owner has as perfectand
indefeasiblc right to settle there with his me-
groes as the citizen Of any Free State haste
establish himself there, with bis horses OF his
sheep; and that the proprietary rights Of the
former in his slaves, and Of the latter In his
horses and his sheep, being rights guaranteed
by the Constitution, are equally entitled to
protection" .--.-.---
They demanded nothing more, and we're de-
termined not to allow the adoption Of plat
form which lodged and put slur. upon tie
obligations defined by the Supreme Court Of
the United States If they had permitted
avagary to be substituted for vital principle,
and a law Of the land to be overidden and
nullified by the doctrines Of squatter sover-
ignty, an act of treachery would have been
committed that would have blackencd their
memories as long as history could have kept q
record Of its turpitude. As to men, they were
free to act as their judgments and individual
tastes preferred, but as to measures they were
not delegated with discretion to violate the
expressed sentiments Of the body that sent
them. They enjoyed an unlimited choice
among the candidates for nomination, but
they had no authority whatever to disregard
the laws Of their creation, or to consent to the
overthrow and degradation Of the laws of the
land. And when arguments and protest failed
to stavc off a usurpation, or secure the faintest
guaranty Of our rights, their mission was logi-
cally at an end and secession the only refuge
to save honor, selfrcspect and political powers
The tyranny of the North in its determined ac-
ton to take the lions share of everything in
the Convention, severed the association between
the Democracy of the two sections of the couu-
try. An honest and honorable combination
under these circumstances, and between such
elements, was as impossible as friendship be-
tween an archangel and demon. Our dele
gates were forced into demonstrations and acts
of self.defense to insure selfprotection. We
regret almost beyond the powers Of language
to express, that the Convention prccipitated
the necessity of proving that "the blood Of our
patriotic and heroic ancestors still runs in our
veins" whenever we may be menaced by
aggressions or insults. But the manner in
which the issue was forced upon the South left
no other course of action for safety than
secession.-Er.