The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-06-13

| III eTuef t'idI the position of each county may
he fully understood, in relation to the actor
OF the delegates to Charleston.l
Democratic Meeting in Pontotoc.
A large and respectable number of the Dc.
mocrats of Pontotic county assembled at the
Court House, on the 21st MAY
On motion of W " Leland, 7 Williams
was called to the Chair, and; on motion Of
j Il Davis, K W Bell was appointed Secretary
The chairman, upon calling the meeting To
order, requested that some one present ex.
plsin the object of the meeting. Whereunon
| WFlournoy addressed the meeting-expained
its object to be for the appointment of dele.
oates to the State Convention to be held al
jackson. on Wednesday the 30th of Nav inst
| in nursuan ,e of IA call made by the Charm an
of tbe Democratic Executive Committee e.,
the State-and proposed for the adoption OF
this meeting the following preamble and re-
solutions
Whereas, The Democratic party is co-eyal
with the existence of this government. i'm
fact its spirit existed before the first blow was
struck by our fathers of the revolution and
| without its spirit no blow would have been
/ struck and from the birth of the Constltu-
| ton the old guard have protected it in sun
slime or. darkness, in calms or storms, from
enemies without, or from the designs of mad
ambition within; it has stood an Atlas oil
strength, and a rampant of defence and to-
day it stands where it has ever stood, ready
to rebuke and crush all and every attempt to
dissolve this Union, whether it proceeds from
an intense hatred of a particular individual, or
an intense desire to destroy this government.
And appealing to its patriotie4orts in. the
past and its Willingness tog4aaie future sacri-
fees, 1t proclaims that the guard may die
but never surrender"
ResotoeR, therefore, That in view Of all the
circumstances, this meeting docs Esot sanction
any steps that have been taken, nor will it
countenance any steps that may be taken,
looking to the dissolution of the great Demo-
cratic party of the country.
W L Holmes addressed the meeting in re-
ply to and in opposition to the resolution of
Col Tourney.
{ ID Fontalne, being called on, addressed
the meeting ahd proposing, as a
substitute for the preamble and resolutions
offered by Col. Flournoy, the following pream-
BILE and resolutions
WHEREAS, The Democracy Of Pontotoc
county have always asserted and maintained
the right of the citizens Of the Southern States
to equal participation in the Territories, the
common property Of all the States and have
maintained the power coupled with the duty
on the part of the Federal Government in all
its departments to afford adequate protection
to the citizens Of every State in the possession
and enjoyment of every species OF property,
property in African slaves included, while we
have as uniformly denied to Congress the pow
er to abolish or impair such right, either by d.
rect legislation, or indir city by comforting
such power on a territorial Legislature, or any
other tribunal created by its act
lind Whereas, We have eyere maintained
that the power to create or destroy property
in slaves can only appertain to and he exer-
cised by Sovereign States and that the nha-
bltants ola territory possesses no such sove-
reign authority over soil, the property in
which is vested in the several States of the
Union in common; and that such inhabitants
are in no respect sovereign people or State
until the ultimate dominion in such territory
has been ceded to them by Congress- the only
agent of the States having the constitutional
power "to dispose of the public domain" and
that such people of territory can not there
fore abolish or exclude slavery until they are
organized into State Government possess
habit.
44nd Whereas, In the National Convention
lately assembled ut Charleston, a platform as
sorting the power, coupled with duty upon
the part Of the Federal Government to pro-
tect the citizen in the possession of his slave
property was voted down by sectional vote
and the Cincinnati platform with construc-
ton virtually acknowledging the right of
Squatters upon the public domain, to exclude
Shareholders from all share or participation in
the settlement and occupancy thereof was
adopted thus introducing the Irresistible
conflict in National Convention of the De-
mocratlc party, and by the vote of strictly
sectional majority ignoring the equality of the
Southern States in the Union and constituting
therecognition of freesoii Sta iaStS mest e6lioas
form condition upon which Northern and
Southern Democrats must affiliate in the same
organization.
And Whereas The delegates from Missis-
sippi, with those from South Carolina, Geor-
gia, Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Florida
and Texas, faithfully representing the instruc-
lions OF their constituents, nobly seeded from
body, which had thus attempted to inscrbe
"Squatter Sovereignty in the creed CT the
Democratic party, to the exclusion of State
Rights. Therefore,
Resolved, That the Democracy of Pontotoc
cordially endorse and approve the course of
the delegates from Mississippi in withdrawing
from the Charleston Convention and heartily
concur in the recommendation of the South
ern delegates that convention of the Demo-
crazy of the United States, in favor OF the ma
jority report Of the committee on Resolutions
made at the Charleston Convention, and op-
posed to the odious principles of 'Squatter
Sovereignty" do assemble at Richmond, Va,
on the 18th june next.
ResoEred, That as preliminary to the organ
ization Of said Convention at Richmond, it is the
duty of the Democracy of Pontotoc to appoint
delegates to the Democratic State Convention,
called by the Executive Commute to assemble
at Jackson, the Both inst.
ResotUed, That We recommend to the State
Convention, that the delegatee who may
be appointed by the State Convention, to re-
present the Democracy Of Mississippi at Rich
mond, be positively instructed in no event to
commit their constituents to the support of
any candidates for the Presidency and Vice
Presidency, except such as may be nominated
upon the Platfrom reported to the Charleston
Convention by majority of the Committee
on Resolutions
w w Leland briefly addressed the meeting
proposing and advocating the adoption of the
follow resolutions as an addition to the pre-
amble and resolutions offered by Col. Flour
noy which were accepted as an amendment
by Col. Flournoy:
ResolUed, That the Democracy Of Pontotoc
county will support the nominees of the Dem
ocratic National Convention to assemble at
Baltimore on the 18th of June next
2. ResotUed, That this meeting will send
delegates to represent the Democracy of Pom
totoc county in the Democratic State Conyen-
ton at jackson on the 30th inst.
II r Miller being GALLEY on, addressed the
meeting in support Of the resolutions OF Col
Fontaine.
Jefferson Wilson, being called on addressed |
the meeting in support of the resolutions of
Col. Flourney and in opposition to the substi-
tute offered by Col. Fontaine.
Coils Fontaine and Tourney followed in re-
joinders in support of their respective reso-
lutions.
A vote of the meeting was then called for
on the substitute offered by Fontaiae.
Whereupon w w Leland arose and said
that he wished to make suggestion before the
vote be takcn-that it was clearly evident
that the Democracy assembled here to-day
were divided upon q vital principle OF action
there could be no harmony where such radical
differences Of opinion existed with regard to
the objects Of the meeting, and therefore pro-
posed that the members of the meeting adopt
the peaceful, Abrahanic mode Of separation
before the vote be taken; that every man may
act upon his own honest convict ons without,
molestation or interference.
Ii r Miller arose to a point oforder, oblec-
ting to the proposition of Mr. Leland, and IN
sisting that the question before the house was
the substitute offered by Col. Fontaine. After
much discussion in which Mr.. Fontaine and
others participated in opposition to Mr.. Le-
lands proposition the chair sustained the point
oforder, and announced the question, as being
on the adoption of the substitute offered by
Col. Fontaine.
The vote was then taken and resulted IN
the adoption of Col Fontaine's substitute
Thereupon all those voting IN the mlnorltA
retired quietly in body from the meeting
The Secretary, having voted in the mlnori-
ty, proposed to resignhis seat and retire; but
on request, consented to act through the meet
ting, with the understanding that ne should
not be considered as committed to the action
of the meeting, and requested that an assls-
tant SecrptarV he Amounted