The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-12-06
SECESSION MOVEMENT AT THE SOUTH,

oAoH 10 walt lor virginia
We are to delay, "untiI Virginia can bs
the Hon. Mr.. Garnett, at the late Essex meet.
Ing. We are to delay, until we shall se,
whether their Personal Liberty Acts will MOI
De repealed by the Legislatures of Northern
ern States shall meet in Convention fer con.
ference. We are 10 delay, IN til mr. Liucoln's
administration shall show. by "overt acts
us hostility TO the South. We propose briefly
10 take up these several causes for DELAY:
l. We are to delay, that Virginia may be
heard" Why should the Southern States
delay any action of theirs, "that Virginia NAV
De heard l'' Did not Mississippi and South
Oarollna speak to Virginia last winter, through
their Commissioners, formally sent to her.
ana did Virginia heed their counsels No.
Shs rejected their proposal, simply TO hold q
conference with them and the other Sou thern
states. virginia declined counselling with
US, because her views Of her interests differed
from ours. She set up an alienation and sep
aration from us, against our most earnest re-
monstrances and efforts; and if she now
seeks TO be heard by US, what is her object
Is IL 70 AID us in our views of policy-to pre-
serve our rights or save our institu tions =
Not at all. 1t is to defeat our policy bv 4
southern Convention, and to drag US along in
upserTlency to her views OF her border in
terests Ii We respectfully decline to delay in
our course, that she may be heard" we only
treat ber "a she has previously treated us
we Will be very glad to hear her at all times ;
put 10 pause in the yindication of our rights,
When, nst nine months ago, she refused even
10 counsel with US for their preservation,
would be the sheersst weakness and folly
But what does Virginia propose that we
shouio do Why, that the Southern States
snould make another begging appeal to the
Northern States, " 10 prsserre the guayantiss of
the Constitution" Suppose one man should
deliberately violate a compact with another
man, every year, for thirty years, and then
should give him notice that he intended to
Xiii him-what would be thought of the man
hood or the wisdom of the poor oppressed
deVll, should he go to his oppressor and beg
MIN "once more" to observe " the guara n ties
OF the Constitution " NTH him ? Would not
any unbiased observer believe him 10 be an
IDIOT! II such a method of redress - was pro.
posed by Virginia, after the Southern States
had seeded from the Union, there might be
some little reason in it, although the Northern
States have shown that they are utterly inca
pable or observing any compact with any
people. They would then, however, have a
motlFe TO recede from their aggressive and in
sultIng course towards the South But the
South Is TO deiay-she is to do nothing-she il
not 10 secede-only beg. What does "deLny -
mean, under such circumstances, but submis.
sloh, and the perpetuatioa of that blessed
Union " which Virginia would not venture
even to distur b last winter, by the poor sxps-
dent OF conference amongst the Southern
States
3. But we are to delay action further, to see
X the Northern Legislatures will not repeal
Cotton states are concerned. these laws, ex-
cepting in the insult they convey to the South,
ana the falthlessness they indicate in the
North, are not of the slightest consequence-
Few or none of our slaves are lost, by being
carried away and protected from recapture in
the Northern States. Nor to the from tier
States are they of much consequence. Their
slaves are stolen and carried off-not by the
agency OF these Personal Liberty Laws, but
by the combination Of individuals in the
Northern States. What are these acts as in =
dications Of the hostility and faithlessness of
the Northern people towards the South (and
they are nothing more,) when compared with
the mighty sectional despotism they have set
up over the South, in the election of Messrs.
Lincoln and Hamiin to the Presidency and
Vice Presidency ofthe U s.! Repeal that and
there would be something to invite delay
The real causes of dissatis sfaction in the Sou III
with the North, are in the unjust taxation and
expenditure of the taxes by the Government OF
the United States, and in tho revolution the
North has effected in this government, from q
contederated republic, to rational sectional
despotism. To prevent these evils, the South
has already delayed thirty-fiye years. She is 10
delay longer, upon the mere speculation,
that the Northern States, without any induce
ment created by our action, may in some eigh-
teen months or two years. repeal their Per-
sonaI Liberty Laws. What does such q policy
mean, but submission
4. The last motive for delay goes beyond the
4th of March next. Il is that the Abolition Ad-
miniStration to be installed the 4th of March
next, in Washington has not yet made an "oyert
act' in the way Of Abolitonism against the
Southern States. Although you see your ene-
my load his rifle with the declared purpose OF
taking your life, you are to wait, as a wise ex-
pedient Of defence, until he makes the covert
act'-shoois you. This is one OF those glaring z
absurdities, which only such daring su brnis-
sionists as Bolts and Crittenden are capa-
BILE Of proposing. No ordinary man can hope
TO comprehend Its mysterious su blimities.
LETTER FROM HON. A. H. STEPHENS.
We have been favored, says the Journal of
Commerce, with the following letter from
Hon A. II. Stephens, OF Georgia, to q friend,
a resident of New York:
CRAWFoRDsvILLE, Ga, Nov. 25, 1860
Dsdr Sir-Iour kind and esteemed favor OF
the 10Th inst, is before me, for which you will
please accept my thanks. | thoroughly agree
with you us to the nature and extent Of the
dangers by which we are surrounded, and the
importance OF united action on the part OF our
people, in the line of policy to be pursued.
l know, also, that there brealhes not a man
In Georgia who IS more ssnsitiVely alive to
her rights, interest, safety, honor and glory
than myself, and whatever fate befalls US,
earnestly hope that we shall be saved from the
worst Of ali calamites, internal divisions
contentious and strife The great and lead,
ing object aimed at by me in Milledgeville was
to produce harmony on right line OF policy.
II tho worst comes to the worst as IL may
and our State has TO quit the Union, il is of
the utmost Importance that all our people
should be united cordially in this course
This, feel confident, can only be- effected on
the line OF policy l indicated But candor
compels me 70 say that am hot without hopes
that our rights may be maintained and our
wrongs be redressed, in the Union. If this can
be done. it is my earnest wish. l think, also
that it is the wish of majority of our people.
II, after making an effort, we shall fail then
all our people VIII be united in making or
adopting the last resort. the Ultima ratio re-
gum"
Even in that case, 1 should look with grea
apprehension as to the ultimate result
W hen this Union is discovered. if of necessity
II must oe, see at present bat little prospect
OF good government afterwards. At the North,
feel confident, anarchy ,otH enSHe. Aud
whether we shall be better off at the South
will depend upon many things that l am moi
now satisfied that we have any ass urance Of
Rev olutlons are much easier started than con-
trolled, and the men who begin them even
for the best purposes and objects. seldom end
them.
The American Revolution of 1915 was one
of the few exceptions to this remark that the
history OF the world furnishes. Human pas
sions are like the winds; when aroused they
sweep everything before them in their fury
The wise and the good who attempt to control
them will themselves most likely become the
victims. This has been the history of the
downfall of all Republics. The selfish, the
ambitious and the bad will generally take the
lead. When the moderate men, who are pat
triotic, have gone as far as they think right
and proper, and propose 10 reconstruct, then
will be found a class below them, governed by
no principle, but personal objects, rho will be
for pushing matters further and further, until
those who sowed the wind will find that they
have resped the whirlwind.
These are my serious apprehensiens. They
are founded upon the experience OF the world
and the philosophy OF human nature, and no
wise man should condemn them. To tear
down and build up again, are very different
things, and before tearing down even a bad
government we should first see good pros
pect for building up better. These are my
views candidiy given. II there is one senti-
ment in my breast stronger than all others, ii
is an earnest desire for the peace, prosperity
and happiness which a wise and good 90 vern-
Inent alone can secure. have no object, wish.
desire or am ht tion beyond this and II l should