Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1860-06-02
From the Columbia South Carolinian.
Letter Of Col. B. T. Perry.

i" FRANKLIN tAllLARD, ESQ.--hly
Dear Sir: In your editorial yesterday, YOU
have correctly stated my position The Gin
cinnati Resolutions and the bred Scott dc.
cision arc my platform. This was the plat.
+ form OF the CoIumbia Convention. No
instructions were given the Delegates to
Charleston, to withdraw from the Convention
II this platform was not adopted | do not
think, with the tone and temper then pre-
Vai!lnG IN the Columbia Convention, any
such instructions would have found favor
bad they been offered. Mr. Powclls reso-
luti $, which were pretty much the Ala
ban fl"tiom, received scarcely any sup
port N the Columbia Convention. Tic
resolutions of Mr.. O'Conncr, TO cooperate
with Aaban'a, were voted down by an over
whclminS majority. 1t was well known at
that time, that the AEbuna Delegations was
Instructed to 20 ont of the Charleston Con-
ycntion, unless the protection of slavery in
the Territories were guaranteed by the Dem.
ocratc Platform.
The Charleston Convention rc-affrmcd the
Cincinnati Platform, but neither endorsed
nor repudiatcd the principals cnunoiatcd in
the Dled Scott decision. Nothing was said
on that subject, leaving the South to con.
strue that Platform as they had done, sus-
tanned, as they were, by the able and learned
opinion OF the Supreme Court In this
course there was no reputation or compro-
mise OF any principle contained in the rcso,
lutions Of the Columbia Convention, although
there was no direct Acknowledgement of the
correctness of their construction of the Gin
clnnati Platform. We were not asked to
give up our construction of the Democratic
creed, and that obstruction had become the
supreme law Of the land, guaranteeing to us
the right to carry our slaves into any of the
Territories of the United States in spite of
Territorial legislation or Acts of Congress
prohibiting the same.
Under these circumstances, | did not feel
myself bound by any principle or po!icy to
go out of the Charleston Convention, and
break mp the great Democratic party, on the
SUCCESS of which depend the hope and saliva.
ton of the country. deeply regretted the
Withdrawal of my colleagues and portions of
the Delegates OF the other Southern States.
In this movement, | could sec nothing but di.
vision and distraction to the south Instead
of united South, we now have three parties
organizing in every Southern State, hostile to
each other by party excitement First the
old Whig party, calling themselves " the Ma
tional Union party" secondly, the Seeding
Democracy, calling themselves /" the Consti-
tutional Democracy" thirdly, " tho South
crn National Democracv" My impression is
that these parties will be found equal in
strength and numbers in the South la the
ensuing Presidential election, some Southern
States will be carried by one, and some by
each of the other parties. We shallbc found
fighting and dcotroying each other, instead of
presenting a united South in battle array
against the common enemy. In breaking up
the Democratic party, we have scctionalized
both wings. The Northern Democrats will
fall an easy prey to the Black Republicans,
and we shall become the victims of our own
party divisions. They who look to dissolu-
tion of the Union will fud their last hone
swallowed upin party and factious excite
mcnt.
In the seeding States, Delegates will be
sent to Baltimore favorableto Judge DOUGLAS,
Already y'moyements have been made for that
purpose Ia Georgia, Alabama, and Louisisna.
They viii be followed by similar movements
IN Texas, Florida, mississippi and Arkansas.
Fhismay give him the two,thirds msioritty.
Had the seeding Delegates remained in the !