Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1860-12-20
TCOMMUNICATED.7

Gen. Mitchell and adopted by the people of
Charles, meet my hearty approval. We are
acting before the world and with an eye to pos
terity and hence it is proper to defer the mo-
mentous issue of Union Or disunion to the States
of the North, who have the power alone to de-
eide it, If they refuse to fulfil by guarantees
and in good faith their constitutional obligations
and the law Of 1850, for the restoration of fugi-
tives from labor or service, which the Supreme
Court has affirmed to be constitutional, IN all its
provisions, and to admit our right to protection
of our slave property to be on equal footing and
as fully to be enforced, as that of any other pro-
perty, by the United States, everywhere within
its jurisdiction, as decided in the bred Scott case
then the States of the North will have dissolved
the Federal Union by the subversion of the Con-
stitution: and the States of the South will be
restored to their original condition of full and
perfect sovereignty and independence. I have
no hope or belief that those terms, however Just,
reasonable or moderate, will be accepted and
carried out by single Northern State, and l
have as little doubt, that the nine Cotton States
WILL before the 4th of March next, have resumed
all the powers delegated by them to the Federal
Government. In view of this State of affairs,
the only practical question which the people of
Maryland have to decide is, where will they 60
Will theX- continue tAeirallianee with the North
or form confederacy with the States of the
South Here are the problems for them to
solve. The first alternative cannot be adopted
without we are ready and willing to sacrifice
sixty-three millions worth of property in slaves
and nearly as much more in the depreciation of
our lands. The second may be embraced with
out impairing our wealth or resources and with
greater security and advantage to both, and be-
ing with people, homogeneous in character
habits, social system, industrial pursuits, and
domestic institutions, we should experience no
change in any of them. In either case, we
should retain our position as a border State
Another practical question, which addresses it.
self alike to each and all of the States, is, shall
this separation be made in peace and by consent
of parties If so, then division of property by
some rule, just and equitable, such as was adop-
ted in the case Of the Methodist Church. and the
terms and conditions of our political and COM
mercial relations might all be adjusted by treaty
Prudence, humanity, and policy all concur to
recommend this mode of settlement, in the event
of disruption of existing political ties. Great
err harmony and more friendly relations would
exist between the two confederacies than now
exist between the States of the North and South
within the Union. The antagonism of princi-
pie and interest on the subject of African slavery
is irreconcilable and admits of no permanent
accommodation between the sections Whilst
the Northern people by controlling majority
denounce this domestic relation as 'sin'-"as
the sum of human villainies" and hold them
selves morally responsible for it, by virtue of
their union, with States which cherish it, as
sanctioned by the Bible, as vital to their pros
perity and as the best social condition for the
moral and material welfare of the negro, it is
apparent that peace and concord cannot be pre-
served between them. Relieve the disordered
conscience of the North of this responsibility
and place the State in situation to retaliate, if
attempts are made to steal our negroes or excite
them to instruction, by policy Of discrimina-
ting or prohibiting duties, and we should be free
from the molestation, to which we are now ex-
posed. The philanthropy Of the North has
never mpeed it to steal slave from Cuba or
Brazil The trade with these countries is too
profitable to be forfeited or embarrassed by any
indulgence Of Yankee sentiment in favor of the
slaves Of those regions. The South would find
perty rights or domestic tranquility, in the mar
ket she furnishes for Northern manufactures,
and in the rich and peculiar products of her soil.
Cotton, tobacco, rice sugar and hemp the North
must have and these products the South can
supply, and no other section of our country.
The friendship of nations has no other basis
than their mutual interests. Cotton alone can
keep the peace, whilst manufactures and COM
MERGE continues to be the leading pursuits Of
the North and their most productive source of
wealth.
War, as the means Of preserving the Union,
is an idea as absurd to reason as abhorrent to
humanity and christian duty. War is ever con-
sidered as operating the abrogation or dissolu-
ton of all pre-existing ties or compacts, and of
course, would work the destruction ofthe Union.
The unrighteousness of such a war would even
exceed it's unftness as means Of preserving the
Union. None but mailman would counsel
coercion by military force in such an emergency.
Wisdom dictates peace as the only true policy.
Preserve it, if possible, by giving the South
equal rights and privileges and just and equal
protection to her property in the Federal Union,
or suffer her. without molestaton, to seek them
ont Of the Union. No free people can be gov
erned against their consent When government
becomes destructive of their safety and happi-
ness, they are abselved from all obligations to
obey it, My understanding approves and my
mn beautifully