Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-12-21

Plan OF Hon. l.. q. G, Lamar.
In recent letter Mr. LAMAR, the distinguished
Representative from Mississippi, details the follow
ing plan for Southern Confederaey:
Believing as did, that a vast majority of the
Southern people prefer a Union of the Southern
States to the existing connection with the North
provided such result could be secured without
radical changes in their fundamental system, or
shock 10 existing conditions submitted, for the
consideration of the Legislature Of our State the
plan to which your letter refers 1t Is intended to
avoid the pers that attend transitions from dismem
berment to reorganization, and also the evils of
provisional Governments.
The leading feature Of that plan d, the adoption
of the present Government either by General Con-
vention of the Southern States, by Commissioners
appointed by their authority who shall provide that
the Constitution of the United States shall remain
IN full force and effect among the States withdraw
ing; and that the laws and decisions of courts
which are now Of force in the Republic of North
America under the authority thereof shall be
adopted as a body of laws for the Federal Gov
er1ment about to be established; that the people
of the States withdrawing will bind themselves
to observe and saeredly carry out the stipulatons
of all treaties subsist;ng between the United States
of North America and foreign Governments ante
ror to the date of said ordinance until such treaties
are changed or altered or aredisregarded by such
nation with this Government about to be establish
ed. As the first step in this direction, submit for
your consideration the ordinance which think the
people of Mississippi should adopt in their CenFen
ton of the 18th of January.
An ordinance of the convention of the peo-
pie of Mississippi, assembled at the Capitol OF the
State at Jackson, pursuant to the election OF the
people pursuant to an act of the General Assembly
of the State of Mississippi entitled, etc etc.
WHEREAS, on the LIST day of March, 1917, the Con-
gress of the United States passed an act entitled
= An Act to enable the western part of the Mlssis
sppi Territory to form Constitution and State
Government and for the admission of such State
into the Union on equal footing with the original
States;" and,
WHEREAs. on the 18th Of August 1917, the people
of Mississippi by convention called for the pur-
pose did form for themselves a Constitution and
State Government, and by ordinance then did con-
sent to become member of the Federal Union, on
an equal footing with the original States; and
WHEREAS, on the 10th December, 1917 by reso-
luton of the Congress of the United States, the
State of Mississippi became member OF the FED
eral Union and has remained such from thence hIth-
erto; and,
WHEREAS for sufficient causes. in the opinion OF
this convention, the said Federal Union should be
dissolved;
Be Il therefore ordained by the authority of the
people of Mississippi In convention assembled that
the ordinance of the 18th day of August, 1917, by
whieh the State of Mississippi consented to become
a member of the Federal Union be, and the same Is
hereby repealed, and that the State of Mississippi
resume all the rights, powers and functions therein
e-A.o
duties contracted in favor of the said Federal Union,
and from sSnceforth be free and independent
State
SEC 2. Belt further ordained That the State of
Mississippi hereby consents to form Federal Union
with the States of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia.
North Carolina South Carolina, Georgia. Florida,
Alabama Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Tennessee,
Kentucky and Missouri and the Territory OF New
Mexico and the Indian Territory west of Arkansas
under the name and style Of the United States of
H., and off of
the Constitution Of the United States adopted Sep
TENDER y, 1887, saving and excepting such parts
thereof embrace other portions than the states
above named.
SEC 8. Be further ordained, That the laws en-
acted by the United States under the said Constltu
ton from 1889 until the day of the sitting of this
convention, and all treaties made under the author
iy of the same. shall be obligatory upon the people
OF Mississippi in SO far as they are applicable, IN
the same manner as if this ordinance had not been
made until the termination of the first Congress CT
the Government hereinafter mentioaed.
SEC 4. Be further enacted That all officers Of the
United States within the limits of Mississippi shall
remain in office, and perform the same functions
therein, until the Federal Union hereby ordained
shall be fully organized and established.
SEC 5. That all the regulations, contracts, and en-
gagements made by the United States of America
shall continue bindings before upon the State Of
Mississippi, and that provision shall be made for the
fulfllment of the obligation in respect thereof.
SEC G. That the Governor Of Mississippi shall
perform all the functions of President of the United
States under this Constitution, within the limits of
Mississippi, unit the organization of the Federal
Union referred to in the second section OF this ordl
nance.
SEC T. The accession of nine of the States men
toned in article two is requisite to give this ordi
nance effect and for the establishment of the Con-
sttutiOn between the States ratifying the same.
SEC s That it shall be the duty of the Governor,
Immediately after the event prescribed in the last
1iY,rro IN IN mpmbpTS
to Congress in each of the Congressional districts
and also to direc the election of electors of Pres
dent and Vice President at the same time under all
the regulations. except to time, are contained
in the existing laws
1t will be observed that the plan proposed aims,
at no change IN form Of Government, but seeks to
protect existing forms from destruction 1t proposes to
give us our old glorious Constitution in vigorous
operation, strong enough to suppress domestic vIO-
lence and repe foreign invasion. safe. the atfec
lions of our people, from the attacks of fanatcism
and sectionalism and Black Bepublicanism and Red
Repubcansm all combined 1t gives US al. the laws
of the old Republic, and those grand decisions Of
the Judiciary, which have grown up around the
Constitution, as part of the fundamental law, and
are almost as sacred as the Constitution itself. 1t
procaims to the civilized work. that loyalty to the
Constitution is the law Of our conduct at home, so
will good faith and the observance OF treaties regu-
late our intercourse abroad. 1t gives US the trad-
tions and historic wealth colonial and revolutionary
of the glorious old Commonwealth of Virginia. In
a word. It gives the Union and Constitution as
the Fathers made them, and separates US from the
enemies of both, who themselves have seeded from
the Constitution and are indeed rebes and traitors
WHERE WILL THE WAR BE?-Many people, who
have not looked to the bottom of this question have
supposed that if difficulty occurred. It would be at
the South. But moments reflection will show any
one how unreasonable this is. The South will ask
simply this. and nothing more, that the Constitution
as Il has been understood and construed, shall be the
laJ0 OF the land. That is all They will be united
that to man. There can be conflict at the South
1t is at the North where civil war must come. if
at dH Indeed it has as were, already commenced.
Boston has already mobbed the anti-slaveryites
The Courier BELL and Everett of that city very for
chilly and truly says
I'VE trust there will be no war between any por
ton of our feOw-countrymen, unless it be neces-
sary to maintain essential and inalienable rights.
But if it comes at ALL lo of necessity be detCceen
those rhO hare stood By the Union and those 1oho are re-
S0ed to make no concessions in order to SAFE the Union
And when that dreadful period arrives-which
Heaven ayert-Mr. Senator Hale and those III SYM
pathy with him loiU find no united North their side
What sort of warfare would he wage by an insig-
nicant majority in the free States. against 100000
men there who Uoted against his opinions
This will be the terrible issue. When the Repub-