The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-09-24
SPRECh OF HON WIN. l.. YANCEY.

III WHICH ue uthues tue pUsltiOu OF tle South
in this ntest:
All that the South asks in this contest is.
that you shall observe the constitutional
checks aud balances with reference TO her
She Is not willing that her righ Is shall be sub
mtted to the will of mere numerical msjori.
ties. For, remembering her fathers, our ances-
tors, her great patriots, we cannot agree that
1t should be otherwise Ii was the written
compact of our fathers that the minority
should receive protection from the Constitu-
tlon, ana not be entirely dependent on the
mere selfish and evanescent will of ;fprepon-
derant majority. Parties divided themselves
originally III this country upon thai great prin-
cip!e. One party desired that the rnaioriry
should rule in all things. The States Right ts
party OF the country who desired that il
should be different carried the day in the for
nation OF the Constitution, and placed checks
upon the advancement of the majority Aud
this written Constitution was the compact by
which majori les should restrain themselves
win reference TO the rigb Is of miuorities. Ma
Joriles need no protection save their own
power. Hence ii is easy for the North to cry
out for the Union a all hazards and under ali
circumstances. 1t is easy for the North with
lis malorlties of millions, to say this Union,
anyhow, no matter who may be elected, n mat
ter what may be done, shah be preserved
It is well for the people Of the North still TO
stand TO the Union, as the great cause of their
prosperity. Why J Because even with no
Constitution at all, the Northern people can
protect themselves by their predominant vote
in the country. But how is ii in the South
How is II with the minority of the country
the minority States of this government II
they leave II to the mere will of the majority,
that majority Will, as in all other cases, seek
the advancement of power will seek Its ov II
selfish ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, and will distribute
the money of the government among them
selves, raise as much as they please and do all
for their own advancement, at the expense OF
the minority. Mlnorities, gentlemen, are the
true friends of your Constitution; because
a Cpp IL is fhpir aId and their
lection against the unchecked and unlicensed
Will of a majority. (Applauee) Hence 1T is
that my spCIiOn ct the country stands by that
Constitution. You do not hear so much said
on such flippant tongues there about the Union
as you hear about IL at the North; bnt you
hear much said there about the Constitution
about its strict construction, about the rigid
Of its checks and its balances in
favor of these minorities, because 10 them it's
a thing of life aud death. Within this gov
ernment that Constitution must prevail, or
the minority viii be placed as a lamb that
is led 10 the slaughter To be shorn. But
let that Constitution be observed, and the
rights of all sections under that Constitution
be observed, and The South is content TO abide
its fate under The workings of that COnstitu-
;i0n. The North may we'll cry out, " U Union
Union Union At all hazard, and to The last
extremity.' And the North, even now, |
understand, at midnight, Is armlng Itself and
raising its midnight bands, fer the purpose OF
forcing the union of a mere majority upon the
South. Understand there are Vice Awakes,
as they call themselYes-that is, they think
themselves very wide awake, but they Will
fiud soma men in he Southern States, gentle
men. sufficiently wide aWakA to meet them on
the battle field. TCries of That's So" and
applause.l A brave people and true people,
gen tlemen, will fear no wide awakeS. No
man is more wide awake than he who loves
his own fireside his own wife, his own child,
and aegresses on nobody, but determines as
far as God gives him power that nobody shall
aggress on him. [Appiause.l As a distin-
RuIshei friend of mine SAID TO me to- day,
the battle of the Revolution was fought
with shot-gUns. Our people We're not fur
nished with the great armament Of modern
warfare; but being armed with the right,
they were enabled 10 meet the powerful ar
ray Of the then greatest nation ON earth, and
wipe the British Lion frotn our countrv-
Now, / desire simply 10 say to yOu tonight,
that The South, standing on nothing bat the
Constitution, fears no aggression, fears no sec
tiOu; and that Cons tiUu the South intends
to stand by. If, III the progress of party di-
party dssenslOEs, and party elections,
that COnStItu ton shall be trampled under fooi;
IT this temple of liberty, If the Government at
Washington is usurped if this temple OF lib
erty, based upon that Constitution, shall be
& by ted and instead of constitutional gov
eminent Il higher law government shall be
su fituttd, you will find, gentlemen, that the
Constitution viii have friends even in that
hour. And if driven from all other sections
Of ;he country, and there Is no other spot
where the ark Uf the covenant of our safety
can rest and be prOtec ted it will be on South
ern soil. where the friends of the Constitution
live. Loud applause. We do not desire at
the South dSui ion. L know of but few ad-
vCcates at The South of this measure. L can
point TO hundreds of distinguished Northern
men who are far in advance OF any man at the
South upon the ques tlOn OF dSuniCn. l know
in the Norr heTn States men who want higher
law, who want Il different Constitution, vino
want another Bble-aye, and go in for another
religion, and even cali for another Jesus
4 ,arlt a Ion
per Sc, exists in that region. L knew of no dis
union, per Sc, at the South. The humble
who addresses you tonight has
been probably more denounced a disunion-
ist than almost any other man in the Union
l tell you, gentlemen, my disunion consists in
this: / stand by the Constitution l mean
that that Constitution shall be enforced l
look upon that Constitution as the shield Of
the South in this u MON. If that Constitution
is taken away from the South in this Union,
and the South is to remain IN the Union, |
consider that we nave no Tignts, for they would
then be placed a. the feet Of q dominant sec
tional abolition majority. Applause. A voice
We'll stand by you."l say, then, that The
South stands by the Constitution as a shield
In this Union. When that shield shall be
taken from you by domi nant sectional ma
iority, which seeks 10 red duce this Government
TO the will of a mere majority, forIts own sec
tional purposes, who intend to make us hew-
ers of wood ana drawers OF water, we intend
to take that Constitution with as and, gent
men, following the mighty example OF George
Washington ii there is 30 other place where
we can erect and keep this Cons sttutlOn, we
will take tn banner of liberty and plant it on
the mountains OF Augusta, aud there we will
entrench ourselves As Il body of freemen. APP
piause But, as l SAID TO you, We hope that
day is tar distant; and l hope none of us may
live to see its dawn. ], 50 help me God, will
consider that TO be evil hour when this
shall be so wrecked by factions
that the charter of our liberties sha II he trod-
den under foot, and the compact of our fathers
by Its degenerate sons.
SEIZURE OF CHURCH PLATE IN MryICO.-
Since our last we have been shown q number
of private letters from Mexico, in reference 10
the recent demand of the Miramon Govern
ment that the church plate be placed a. it. dis
pOsal to raise money tor the defence OF the