Des Arc citizen., 1860-06-02
A Mississippian's Speech in the Char
 leston Convention


 The speech of Col. D. C. Glenn, ot Mississippi, when that delegation was about to secede from the Charleston Con- ventlon, was delivered with the greatest possible solemnlty, and heard with breath less interest by the vast crowd. which filled every inch of space in the hall-nlne men out of ten present thinking he-destl- nies of the country were then and there polsed:
 Mir Glenn, of Mississippi. MT. Pres,- dent and gentlemen of this Convention |: For the first tune, for the only tune, for the last tlme, in the name of the Sa,e that have the honor Tn part to represent here, desire to say bul a few words to lhIs Convention. l hold in my hand the sol emn act of her delegation upon lhs floor and l say to you. gentlemen, that It Is not a nasty aellon that II IS not one conceived in passion, or carried out Tn capflct or disappointment. It IS the firm resolve ot the great body of the people wnofn Vt re- present, which was expressed iu the Com ventlon that sent us here, and that resolve, that people and we, their representatives, will maintain at all costs, al all hazards.
 Loud applause.
 We came here not to dictate to the re- presentatives of other sovereign States. Since we have been here our intercourse has been courteous, so far as personalities are concerned. We have all sought, and 1 believe have all been able to cond ucl ourselves as gentlemen. But we did not come here to exercise the cour.esIes oi life alone. We came to settle the prlnclpl es upon which the party must rest and must stand We came here, gentlemen oi the North, not to ask you to adopt principle which you could say was opposed to your condolences and your principles. We dld not believe it to be so. We came as equal members of a common coniederacy Sir, at Cincinnati we adopted platform on which we all agreed. Now answer me, ye men of the North, of the East, ot the South and of the West, what Was the construction placed upon that platform in different sections of the Unlun! You at the West said 1t meant one ihIng, and we at the South sad Il meant another. Either we were right or you were rIgnt; we We're wrong or you were wrong We came here to ask you which was right and which was wrong. You have maintained your position You say that you cannot give us an acknowledgment oi that right, which tell you now, n comlng tune will be your only safety m your contests with the Black Republicans ot Ono and ot the North. [Cheers
 | Why, SIT. turn back to the history ol your own leading men. There sits dis tlugulshed gentleman (Stuarl, of MlchI' gan |, once representative oi one oi tie sovereign States ot the Unlon, ln the Sen. ate.-who then voted thai Congress had lht consululonal power to pass the WIlmol Proylso, and to exclude slavery from tue Terrnories; and now, when lhe Supreme T Courl has said that It has not that power 1 he comes forward and tells Mlsslssippans that that same Congress IS lmpotent tc protect that same property There si'' my distinguished friend, the Senator iron Ono MT. Pugh who, but lew n'gh'' Islnce, told us from that stand that II Territorial governm nt totally misusec thelr powers, or abused them, Congress would wIpe out that Territorial govern ment altogether. And yet when we com' } here and ask him to give us proleclion' II
 case that Territorial government robs u of our property, and strikes the star iha
 answers 10 the name of MississIpp from the flag of the Union, so far as 'h' i, Constitution gives her protection. he tell us. with his hand upon hls hear,-as Gov
 ernor Payne, of Ono, had before done they will par, with their lves before he will acknowledge the principle winch WI contend for.
 Gentlemen, in such situation of thing