The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-11-28
-. u. Ms..iasnpi Demooa

|
I, cal parties in Lowndes county was neiu
10 the Court House in Columbus on n,onu %:
Il the 18th inst At II o'clock the MOUSE ""
filled to the brim, every face expressihs ri.
interest in the expectant proceeuinsp
meet;ng was onened by motion Of Beverl
'. Matthews callinpACol. Thos C. Billups to tn
7 Chsir: the motion upon being put to tn
le meeting was carried unanimously motor
was nut and carried that james Henry AM
'e VIM H. Sims act as Secretaries the meeting
which was in ike manner carried. Col
e Billuos. upon taking his seat stated that tn
l. object of the meeting was known to all present
and therefore he koul1 not consume the TIME
: of the meeting by making any remarks ahc
IS Suggested that they proceed to business.
4 motion was then made that acommlttee
}, of seven be appointed to draft resolutions
J, the mover afterwards desired that the number
!. of the committee might be increased 10 eieVen
J. so as to represent all parties and all sections
of the county The motion was submitted 10
the meeting and carried, and the chairman
APPOINTED the following committee represent
e ing all parties George r. CLAYTON, Beverly
:. Matthews, Charles r. Cruso, VIM. ). Barry,
l Geo. II. Harris, VIM. Nelson, Geo. d: Dung,
: FJohn NJ. Witherspoon, Abraham Murdoch,
Isbam Harrison. and Calvin Perkins. Before
, the committee retired, the following gentlemen
submitted resolutions, viz Beverly Matthews,
Geo. r. CLAYTON, Isham Harrison, Gray A.
Chamber and Henry Dickinson. The res8lu-
tons upon being read were referred 70 the COM
mittee who then retired to harmonic resolu-
tons
During their absence, Messrs. P. B. Lawson,
AMI E. Love, Israel Welsh, Henry Pope and
William Barksdale were called for and made
enthusiastic speeches for Southern rights.
!; At O'Clock, while Mr.. Barksdale was
speaking, the committee on resolutions re-
| turned amid immense cheering, for it was
whispered that they had harmonized ON the
Resolutions.
z9Geo R. Clayton, after making few re-
marks heartily endorsing the resolutions and
expressing his qualification that the committee
| had unanimously agreed upon them, read thein
as given below.
WHEREAS, A crisis has arisen. in the affairs
of our Republic which threatens The overthMw
of the social and political constitutional rights
of the South; and demands that all former
party associations and names should be aban-
doned and that the people Of the South should
unite ior the sake of the South.
AND WHEREAS, 1t is right and proper that
| whenever a people shall determine to demand
their constitutional rights under their existing
government or proceeds 10 the establishment
of new governmental organization, a due
regard for the opinion of other nations should
impel them before. final action to use every
honorable effort to avert the necessity of a
national disruption.
ANaW WHEREAS The government Of the
United States, under the federal constitution,
/ was designed ;ak expressed in that instrument
TO torm more perfect union, establish justice
ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the general s0elfare,
and secure the blessings Of liberty to ourselves
and otSit posterity." ii.
| AND WHEREAS, This government has failed
of its originaa design and purpose in this :
1st. A number Of our sister States, in d.
rect violation of the spirit and letter of the
| federal constitution, have wantonly and with
out cause disturbed the domestic tranquility'
of large section of our country, by interior
ing with an institution purely under its own
management and control thereby tending to
promote servile Instructions and endangering
the lives and property Of our citizens.
End. By denial of justice to the citeens
of the Southern States in refusing fair and
equal enjoyment of the territories belonging
. to the United States and acquired by the
|
Ffederacy. N
. 3rd. By defining to promote the general
l,celltare'' OF ahe country in refusing to de
I=liver up persons held to service or labor in
one State under the laws thereof to the party
| to whom such service or labor may be DUE"
/ passing penal statutes, imposing the most de-
grading penalties upon those who might seekt
in accordance with the provisions of the Con-
slitution, the reclamation of thejf fugitive
| slave, thereby epgendering hostilities between
| different sectioag of this Republic, and pro-
ducing spirit Of hatred in our citizens to-
wards each other, calculated to lead to civil
war, the greatestcalamity that could befall
nation.
18th. In failing to 'tprouids tor the common
dete1lse' OF our whole coMatry, by placing the
moral and physical powes of the Government
in the hands of sectiotsI chief magistrate
who goes into Office with Ane avowed purpose
of warning against the Constitutional rights
and institutions of anotgi.sr seetioM a&E thus
instead of secrping"-hatardinq" tI1e blessings
Of libertY to ourselves and our posterity.''
LIST. Be it therefore Resolved Thet in view
of these violations of the federal COMPACT
menacing the overthrow of our constitutional
rights, the exigency has been forted upon Ills,
requiring action bYt the Southern States to
restore our federal constitution to its Original
spirit and design, or sever the ties which btnd
us together as one Ignation and preserve our
political rights by tie organization of distinct
and Independent republic. D
End. RESOLVED, That it is the opinion of this
meeting that the State Convention about to
assemble, ought to declare that Mississippi
resumes the powers and functions delegated
| BY her to the Federal Government, and Nh
solves herself from every obligation thereto,
| to take efihet on the 4th day of March, A. ID /,
| 1861, unless prior to that time the non-slave-
holding States shall repeal all their odious,
offensive and unconstitutional legislation to
defeat the rendition of fugitives from labor,
restore the federal constitution to its original
purity and design, and afford positive security
for CUP domestic peace and property rights In
the Union. Provided, that such member
ofthe slayeholding Statesshal cooperate with
Mississippi as in the judgment Of said Con-
yention will justify her action.
3rd. Resolved That the Legislature of this
State be requested to procure in the meantime,
as fas as possible, the cooperation Of the
siaveholding States.
4th. RESOLVED, That in the contingency Of
the withdrawal of any one of the Southern
.Stata6 from the federal Union in advance of
Mississippi, her people will feel it tFbe their
patriotic duty to afford such withdrawaEg
I State every aid in men and money, and to
stand by her to the last extremity.
9Th. Resolved, That zoe do hereby pledge
ourselves to discard and Yen0mce all former
political ssames and party organization, and as
one people, tcsose interests, rights and honor are
identical, tciH unite and cooperate an any
measure or action that may Be adopted by 9e
STATE Convention for che eradication Of our Ra-
tional and political existence.
After the reading of the above resolution, a
motion was maGt that they be submitted to
the meeting to be voted on by reclamation.
They were submitted, and carried unanimous
ly with great applause.
| Judge VIM. l.. harris, upon being called
/ for, responded in speech heartily endorsing
the resolutions and reviewing the grievances
of the South. He was fellowed by Col.
Geo. Ii. Young and Capt. Baskervill, sanction
ing with great fervor and earnestness the
action Of the meeting
On motion, the meeting took recess until
night, at which time the Chairman of the
meeting, Col. Biilups, having sent his regrets
that he could not be present, Gray A. Chand-
Ter, presided. And irf answer to calls from
| the audience James Henry, Gov. Whitfield,
B. F. Larrabee, VIM. S. Barry and A. Muir
dock, made speeches warmly advocating the
resolutions adopted during the day, and sug-
gestinqakIreparations for the defence of Misss-
sippi should the necessity of war occur. Be
fore the close Of the meeting DIR. MeCune and
others made remarks relative to the formation
of Dragon company in this county, stating
that many had already joined it. and inviting
others to come forward and sign their names
The list was soon swelled to seventy. Notice
n was then given that the members of the
COMPANY would meet at the Court House OF
Thursday the 22nd inst, for regular Srganiza
ton. The meeting closedtsS Nth great entfalsl
asm. THOS. G. BILIHGPS, Chairman.