Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1860-11-02
NUMBER 40.
g Peaceable Secession. >

With many the idea seems to prevail, that Sias
may psacsa5ky secede from the Union---tnay viii.
draw from It without causinn violence or disIur-
bance to The Nation. On this point Daniel Webster
spoke in his last great speech in the Senate on The
7th of March, 1850 Hear him:
MR. PREsspENr--I should much prefer 10 have
heard fiom every member on this floor, declare
tons Of opinion that this Uuion never oouid be dis.
solved than the declaration Of opinion BY anybody,
that in any case, under the pressure OF any clrcun
stances, such a dissolution was possible hcpr
with anguish aud distress the word Secessonn IS
pecially when 1t falls from the lips Of those who ars
patriotic, and known to the country, and known
all oveF the world for their political services Sc
cessicni Peaceabie secession Sir, your eyes AMI
mine are never destined 10 SEQ that miracle Tho
dsmemberment of this vast country without con-
vulsionl The breaking up Of the fountains Of the
Great Deep without s,,slling the surface Who il
SO foolish beg eyerybolys pardon as to expect to
see any such thing Sir, he who sees these States.
now revolving in harmony around a common CEN
tre and expects to see them quit their places and y
Oh, without couvusion, may look the next hour 20
the heavenly bodies rush from their spheres and
joste against each other in the realms Of space
without causing the wreck Of the Universal There
can be no such thing peaceable secession Peace
able secession 10 an utter mpossbility Is tho
great Constitution under which we live, covering
the Whoie country, ls II TO be thawod and melted
away by secession, as the SHOWS on the mountain
melt undsr the influence Of the verual sun dlsap-
pear almost unobserved, and run oiI2 No sirl no.
sirii Twill not state what might produce the dis
ruption Of the Union; but sir, see plainly as SEQ
the sun 10 heaven what that disruption itself must
produce see that il must produce war and such
war as will not describe in its two fold charac-
| ter.
"Peaccable secessionl Peaceable secessionl Tho
concurrent agreement of all the members Of this
great Republic to separate A voluntary separa-
tion with alimony on the ono side and on the 9TH
eri Why, what would be ths result? Where Is
tho line to bc drawn2 What States are TO secete
What is to remain American? ? What am to ba I?
An American no longer2 Am to become SEQ
tionsl man, local man, separatist with no coun-
try with the gentlemen who sit around me here, or
who fill the other House of Congress2 Heaven
forbid Where is the flag of the Republic to re-
main? Where is the eagle still to tower? or is he
TO cover, and shrink and fall to the erounda Why
sir our ancestors, fathers and our grand-fathers
those Of them that are yet living amongst us with
prolonged lives, would rebnke and reproach Us |;
and our children and our grandchildren would cry
out shame upon u.s. If we of this generation should
dishonor these ensgns Of the power Of the govern
ment and the harmony Of that Union which is ev-
cry day felt among us with 80 much Joy and graft
tude."
Fixed and eternal fact It Is, that mems eyes ara
"never destined to see the miracle OF psacsabs ss-
cession.