The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-12-05
Latter from William L. Tancey.

Letter from William L. Tancey.
In the following letter By Mr.. Yancey Of
Alabama. dated November 18th, the grave
questions now claiming public consideration
are eby and clearly discussed. The views
which he presents touehinNthe duty of Ala
bama nights emergency, are not less applica-
Die to Mississippi His letter speaks for
ITSELF and we hope will be thoughtfully read
by every one in whose hands this sheet NAV
fall
l have no objection to respond to your wish
that would give you my views on the sub
Ject OF secession, or the maze by which the
South can best protect hersrlf from unconsti-
tutional aggression.
In my opinion this is not national govern
ment of the people of the United States If
1t were, the people when unconStitutionally
oppressed by government, would have no
other mode of protecting themselves than by
individual resort to rebellion, or in revolution.
Our father had no other when oppressed by
Great Britain, and they resorted to that for
theirs was a national government, central
va AAlLIeS, anu SOIu
They resisted oppression, with halters around
their packs, and had they failed they expected,
as they would have received, the fate that has
ever attended the unsuccessful rebellion OF
individuals. They succeeded, however, and
the great charter of human liberty which they
instituted, placed both government and peo-
pie on a higher basis than either had occupied
before and that basis must be respected, at
hx- oil bn tbaJr .laccnr lor "A
who trace their rights and liberties to that
charter and government
What is that basis? 1t is to be found in
two truths The first is the second PROPOSE
ton announced by them, in the Declaration
of Independents, viz That to secure these
rights, Qife, liberty and the pursuit of happi-
ness governments are instituted among men,
deriving their powers from the consent Of The
governed that whenever any form of govern
ment becomes destructive Of these ends, it is
the right Of the people to alter or abolish it.
and institute new government, laying It's
powers in such form, as to them shall seem
most likely 70 effect their safety and happi-
ness
The second exists in the character Of the
government, which they instituted. That i:
| to be found in the Constitu ion they framed
Those who framed 1.-THE body OF tho Con
stitution framed-those who adopted it, are
each and all to be considered, in 'eterminin.
the character Of that government.
! Those who consulted and framed it. were
States-equaI in dignity and vote, however
unequal in number and power. Each State
| sent to the Convention as many delegates a:
it is proper-but each State had but an equa
| -one vote.
| The body Of the instrument, Shows tina
| the representatives are to be chosen by thu
people of the several States acting separately
| that Senators are to be chosen By eact
| State-that each has an equal voice in tht
| SaDate-that leach State shall appoint, il
such manner as the legislature thereof may
direct number Of electors" etc, who choose
a PIesident-that "new States may be adj
| mitted by Congress into this Union" thu
United States shall guarantee to every Stat|
in this Union, Republican form OF govern
ment"-that amendments are to be "ratifieo
by the legislatures of three-fourths of tn
several States, or by Conventions in three
| ourths thereof etc-that 4" the powers no
delegated to the United States by the Consti
tuition, nor prohibited by it to the States, ar
reserved to the States respectively, or to th
people" These are sufficient to show tina
| the COMPACT Was HOL UtthCSu IDH
and minority of the people in the Union. bu
between the respective States in the Union
There are people in the Union who exerciS
no political power in the Union-to-wit: tn
people in the District of Columbia, and i
Territories. The only people in the Unio
who exercise its power, are people in tn
respective States, and no man can vote in tn
Union, save by the law of some one of III
State.
Those who adopted the Constitution an
gave it vitality and thus made the UnioI
were hot the people of the United States,
but were the people of each State in separat
) Convention. The Convention that drafted th
Constitution required it to be submitted
the several States. for adoption or rejection
Each State considered for Itself When min
adopted it, the new government was to 2
into operation, and be the government onl
of the nine who adopted it. and not Of th
thirteen original States Eleven did adopt
by separate State ordinances, and the govern
ment went into actual operation. 1t ha
been in operation over a year, before Mort
Carolina and Rhode Island did agree to com
into the Union, and when they came in,
was done simply by u. State ordinance
each, declaring the assent of each to til
! COlSLltullOu
These points and facts are conclusive upo
my mind to show that this government is
compact between Sovereign States.
/" Taking the Declaration of independents
and the Constitution together, it follows tha
this government derives its just power
from the consent of the governed" and tia
when this i" form of government becomes dc
structive of these ends, it is the right Of tn
people TO alter it," and that che people, VIII
have that right, in this form Of government
are and were understood by our forefather
to be " the people of the State" who agree
to accept the Constitution as theirs.
1.-The right" thus solemnly declared j
the Declaration of independence, was clearl
not the bloody right OF revolution merely
That was no newly discovered human RICH
no newly declared principle of human lit
erty. Revolutionary right was as old as tn
human family. and its discords, and its op
pressions. The right to struggle for existenc
with power was hardly the sacred principl
our ancestors designed to lay down for tn
guidan-e of their posterity. 1t is to be pre-
sumed that when they thus inculcated a grea
human right, that they inculcated also Il
assent to its exercise, and if any part Of thei
posterity ever availed themselves Of sue
| IHe UdtdHCc vi LtIdL pOSteTiLy WOuE
be under obligation to respect it, and had n
right to oppose its exercise. Having ais
framed government deriving its just pow
ers from the consent of the governed" when
ever "the people" who gave that consent,
deem such government to have become dc
structive of the end" Of its formation, " th
, right of the people to alter it." etc., accrues.
The question then arises how shall the
~,t..k ..1.lA a.
, with the peace and right of the people, {
such other States may not agree with them
This is to be found in the opinion of one
the original thirteen States, which in ratify
ing the Constitution put on record complet
answer to the question, which | fully ador
/ as applicable to Alabama to-day. In ratify
ing the Constitution the State of New Yorl
speaking for the people" of New Yorl
among other things declared "That tn
, power of the government may be re-assume
By the people whatsoever it may become neces
I sary to their happiness that every powe
, jurisdiction and right, which is not by tn
. said Constitution clearly delegated b tn
Congress of the United Sites, or the de ari
ments of the government thereof remains t
the people Of the several States, or to the re
: spectivo State governments to whom the
| nave EranIeu Ins saule, &c nno9e ISian
made similar declaration. and so did Viz
ginia. The government was thus forme |, tn
Union thus made and cemented with iu
understanding of these declarations. Each c
these States were received into the Uniol
with tbs avowed Interpretation, and no dissen
from it has ever been given by the constitu
tional authori les of the Union-and it follows
therefore that this Interpretation as to tn
right of "the people, of a State to ''re-assume'
the powers granted to the Union, wheueve
in its judgment it may be necessary to thci
happiness" is right growing out OF the ma
ture of the compact between the States, aut
guaranteed to be peaceable right in tina
clause, which reserves to the States or 10 tn
people, all rights not granted.
This view too was clearly expressed b,
Thomas Jefferson in the third OF the celebra
..asclt, Of 1909 ard