The Constitutional. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1860-1861, 1860-10-06

|: 'their house in order with view TO secession.
e Denouncing in the biterest terms the teachings OF
Carlson and Beecher they yet initiate then prac
( tees, and sent armed emgrants to Kansas % per
form the duty of soldiers, rather than Of citizrns
Squatter Sovereignty hid no terrors Tor them then
e when il was to be mantaned by tn: bayonet
They had objection to the first settlers COntrol-
2 ling the domestic institutions of the Teri. Dry,
4 provided ney were Southern settlers, and in or
der 70 insure it, they sent them there in organized
companies, regularly ofiicrIcd,and provided with
ali the implements ,Or cutting throats, instead OF
the more appropriate instruments OF husbandry.
No one ought 20 have dorbtcd that blOOdshed
would be the consequence, and the is too much
reason to believe that such was the object and
4, dcs sire of the leading spirits Of the movement.
There a change that a strife once bcgI'n on
the plains of Kansas would extend and widen
until the whole Union emb led, and gen
eral civil war desOlatc the Continent Tat
scheme proved a fair g. That danger was Prov
identially avert'd. But the restless spirits who
controlled ,he Legislature of our Staie Were not
to be quoted. In the winter OF ls,F-S they pass
ed resolutions to dissolve the Union it, Kansas
was not admitted into the Union rs a State, with
~ L"compton Constitution. 1t is true they af-
rwards abandoned this position, and accepted
the English Bill - bctier III f0r the SDHth,
thereby acknowledging that they id not under
stand the scope ami effect Of the very measure.
| they had made pIeteXt for dislmiUn. | will not
| say that this fact alone is conclusive evidence of
loyalty, but | will say that it proves an eagcIncss
to ind causes OF complaint, ard a readiness o
| sort to extreme cUut ctiycs, Tor dOUbtful wrongs
unbccoming the character of peaceful citizens and
dangerous to the liberty and happiness OF the peo-
pie.
The Legislaturc.o of $4,000 was composed Of
! Ike materials, and actuacd by q like spnt.. The
SrccssOniss had uidispu;,d naiolitcs in both
Houses, and extraordinary circumstances gave
tla,,. .tttl 49,. q all
really possessed. The clazy .t0T0y of John Brown
into Virginia had alrmed and nfamcd tho public
mind, 90 that even conservative men hrsifaf. 10
oppose themselves TO a1y measure ost nsiLy
looking to the protection of the Souh On the
other hand the southern Rights leaders promptly
| availed themselves Of The existing Excitement
! The most untoundod reports wes9 daily put in
circulation. The most mlamniat5fy haIaii,eues
were made and the press trrmed with articles
ca lculated TO blind the ponular Judgment and
incense to madness the popular heat. / have
| here am extract from the Montgomery HgH pub
liShed at ,hc seat Of STATE Government, to winch
| invite your attention:
"lhe next breeze that blows from the North
w.. o.ihS TO cur cars ;Ae clash Of I,sound.nc
! aims!'
! HE WAR BrGUN.-Our dispatches yesterday
( show that There 81 Large FBdy of men an
preaching Charestown, Va, ''ilom the direction
! of Wheeling"
81 the SOIL of Virginia already receives the tread
! OF open, defiant Free soil huurs Let Us thank
God that the last excuse is about to be Layoucttad
out OF every Southern who has refused to be-
ileV' that the tgl'iI men OF ,r'Noth are al ou!
enemies. On Woii-wi-Lors know nothing. see
nothing, do nothing, aud-ior AL good to us--:,rc
equal 10 nothing"
BY such means opposition was slcnced. and
! the Legislature proceeded 10 adopt a series Of |
measures, all looking to dsmion-aii revolutionary
m thor character, and nisch.cvous in their tci
denotes
l Shall not have time 70 comment ON those |
measures at length to-day, but my duty would be |
poorly discharged If failed 10 notice them alto
Sethcr The first Of the series are "JOinf Resolu-
hons shall now read TO you:
WHEREAS. anti avery. agitation pcrsistentlv
continued III the non-slayclodug States of this |
In'on Tor more than a third OF century, marked
at every stage of It's progress by contempt fof thc
Obligations Of the law and the sancty of com
pactS' cVlnc.nG d adH hostility to thelights aud
Institutions OF the Southern people, and a settled
purpose to effect thcir overthrow even by a sub,
W rs0n OF the Cons tuition, and at the hazard OIL
viol ace and blOodShI 4; and whereas a sectional !
party, calling Itself R'puh 'iran, committed alike
by its own acts and mieccdcnts, and the public
;NOwaiS and sccrct nachin tOns OF its leaders to
the execution of the atrocioIls DESIGNS has ac
CURED The asccndency III nearly every Northern
state, and top@s by success in the approaching
Ire iocniiaI elections, 10 seize the Government |
Itself; and VIII eas, to permit such seizure by those
whose unmlStakabe aim is 20 peryert its whole
machinery to the destruction Of a portion of its
men beiS would be an act of suicidal folly and
NADINE. almost without parallel in history: and
whereas, the General Assembly of 4 !ahama. repre-
senling people Loyalty devoted 10 the Union Of
the Constitution, but seeming the | Mon which |
tanatlclsm would erect upon its ruins, deem il |
their solemn duty to provide IN advance the mean,
by winch they may escape such peril and dishon-
or, and devise new securities for pcrpetua,iug b.
blessings Of liberty TO tLcm,gy,, and t.. il poster
iiy, therefor
/. Be II Eesoird by ftr S,aofe anil Hoysr Of
Representatives. II me- SUITE IF AiabaHa IN Geuoyat
1SScmtiy coRrcHe5, That upon the happening Of
the contingency contemplated in the foregoing
preamble, namely, the- lection Of President ad-
vocating the principles and action Of the party in
the Nolthcn States, calling Itself the Republican
party. il shall be the duty of the Governor and h,-
Is hereby required forthwith 80 issu"ahc procln-
nation calling upon the qualified voters OF th,
State 10 assemble on Monday net more than
forty days after Tho date of said proclamation, at
the several places Of voting ina their respective
counties, TO elect d,i'eatrs a. 81 Convrn ion o. 'hc
state to consider, determine and do whatever ir
the opinion of said CONVENTION thrrigli-, interests
and honor of the state of Alabama require 10 be
done for their protection
=. BE uJarit,r E,sOIrcd, That .a'l Convention
shall asscmbl" At The STATE capitol on the second
MoHuaN ioHuWIng sud rlrcI"I.
=. The 3D. resolution declares that the election
shall be held atthc same As if for members of m"
Legislature etc, and pay, etc., the same.
The 18th requires copies # the preamble and
resolutions to BE- s'Ht to our CoucTcs men and
to the Governors Of The several States
| may be- told, as / have bncg toll that men Of
ali parties voted for these resolutions, and fh,rr-
fore no party is accountable. / beg leave TO say
this is mistake. Thr southern Right, j moe ,
racy had a majority in tLas body, and cannot
escape responsibility for its acts by any such pal
Try plea. The common sense and common usage
Of mankind make a majority rcsponsibI- Tor ril .he
acts of a law abiding assembly. | 10 not care,
therefore who voted for the resolutions, or who
voted against them, so far as fixing party accom-
liability is the question, but it is right 10 say that
the Constitutional Union party bad no rcprcscn-
taiivc in that Legislature. II was then Just
struggling into life. A few patriotic men, presided
over by the venerable Critterdon, had met and |
adopted the outlines Of an organization hat a, .
yet II had assumed 10 definite siapr-it had 10 !
members, and could have no responsibility. In |
dlyiduals who voted for this oll5NiDus measure |
may have since joined il. so, | rejoice at the /
fact | rejoice that thr scales have fallen from |
their eyes, and that they have had the nauliu..s |