Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-12-29
For the Standard.


Nh. HolDEs:-Eyery father of famiy-al the
cool, good sense of the country, ows you Their
heatiest thanks for breasting the torrent of wild
fury which is now pushing forward our State to as
sist in destroying what Mr.. Buchanan justly calls
"the grandest temple which has ever been erected
to human freedom since the world began" His
words in this part of his message are pathetic and
beautiful IN high degree, and should be dwelt
upon by us all with profound solemnity, before we
take as he expresses it, the last fatal plunge.
Those who are rushing with such greedy haste to
have their hands in the bloody parrcide little know
what they are doing and what train of calamtiesf
they are preparing for their families and postertyJ
1t il true the South has met with p-ovocatons and
has Just right to complain, and ought to continue
to insist upon redress. But who the leaders in
this sad and most responsible work Of breaking
down our government because of present grievances
Are they the wsest. the calmest, and the most
aggrieved part of our country? No; the State that
is ambitious to head this tragical deed of demosh-
ing this most glorious work Of Washington and his
coaborators is distinguished for its restlessness
and impulsiveness. It before came TO the very
verge Of dissolving the Union and has been distin
guiShed since for attitude OF cold disdan II
not proud defiance towards that great national fabric
under whose suspicious protection we have been
aourishng in the most astonishing degree at home,
and guarded from all fear Of aggression abroad.
State which has usurped to herself the exclusive
name of Carolina" and been accustomed to make
her Northern neghbor the butt of her rdicule, and
not to spare her contemptuous houts even in her
legislative halls. Yet ace treated with this habitual
contumely, ready to attach ourselves to her as
to steam-tug, to be dragged by her into the
chary bdiS from which she starts not back afrghted
There is no State in this Union where dominant
majority imperious and less tolerant OF op-
position. They stigmatize all opposition with some
contemptuous name such as subn1SsiOnist, so as to
make all her citizens ashamed and afraid Of having
it attached to Them and thus every note OF dis
sent is over-awed and hushed. This was so keeny
felt in Notification times that of her ex-Gov-
ernors, who had then been URionist said: i was
once in a minority party; l will take care how am
ever found so again!" Those who follow in her wake
will find her. trow, harder master than Uncle
Sam ever was. Yea, her little finger will be
thicker than Uncle Sans loins." In that critical
period of her history her two parties were all armed
to the teeth. and nothing hindered a bloody massa
ere of each other in the streets of Charleston but
the lucky accident that the two professions hap
pened to pass along different streets. The entire
unanimity of her citizens on the momentous ques-
ton before the country is boosted Of and relied
on evidence of its truth and Righteousness.
Nothing could be more delusve. Any rejecting
man who watches the phases of public opinion and
searches into their causes cannot fail to observe the
accidental influences which often determine them.
Sometimes the seems to be local and geograph
effect of the grotto del cane upon every animal de-
scending into the IDLY stratum Of air lying below
a certain level. So at this time, no lungs that
breathe South Carolina air can utter anything but
the South Carolina shi66Oleth. Sometimes this
veous sympathy is due to the oversaadowing intu-
ence of some great man. No State is so great q
manworshpper as South Carolina as was lately ex-
empfed in the universal and implicit submission
to Mr. Cahoun's opinions Few, except such great
original minds Legare and Preston, rose above
this idolatry. The writer Of this article. in con-
versaton with distinguished citizen of that State
just after Mr.. Cays compromise bill had Quoted its
commissions, remarked to him that there was this
difference between the two Carolinas: that the
ostracised her great men, and the other cdnoRized
hers Yes" replied he, land your fate is safer
than ours, for quesence is better than rashness
Your people are saved by their caution; ours are
ruined by rushing blindiy after their in.petuous
leaders" Sou;h-Carolina is willing to have the
splendor of conHagration, though it end in smoke
and ashes. She is now eager to be first "in at the
DEATH" as the foXhunters say; and verify, the hot
and indecent haste indicated in concentrating this
parrcide of our common parent resembles the bois
ferrous levity Of chase. Instead Of those noble
words of Virgil. which she has made her State
motto: "Animis opibusque parati," | could recon-
med a substitute other words of the same great
poet, describing the epidemic madness with which
predestinated Troy urged on the .tat0l Horse into
her citadel
Nus meseri, qub's ultimus esset
lille dies -.
lnstamuS immemores, cecique furore
She fixes the time for the deliberaton of her Con-
venton, which is to pass upon the doom of herself
and all Of us, few days before the Christmas hol-
days, on purpose that the business may be shufiied
off as rapidly as possible and the members have
time to get home to their Christmas dinners and
drink bumper to the funeral Of the Union. Nay,
as If to forbid all pause and hesitation and freedom
Of opinion, each member is previously pledged to
secession. There are few voices in Georgia who
cry Pause! Look before you leapl" In partIcu.
lar, most statesman-like letter written by j. p
King, which appeared in the Augusta /" ConStitu-
tionalist,' holds up an affecting picture of the
dreadful mischieis into which these people run.
ming us. But what chance is there, amid the roar
of revolution for these few mild and sage counsel
lors to be heard? They true prophets but alas!
like Cassandra, destined never to be believed.
FABIUS.
December II, 1860.