Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1861-04-10
sneech from Senator Wig.all.

This distinguished rIii!erian w;iS screiad't'
IN Charleston on Wednesday evening. In re
spon.e. he deiiye..e, the following speech:
EgL1.ow.ClrIzENs cann-, trust mNsril
IN tx,r,ss 10 vuu in words. and therefore !
pr.Ger that yorl shuull infer rather than hcai
from ne, in any language hat | could Is,
far know that it wuul,l be too feeble 10 cx
press the feelings which are now swelling VI
IN nv heart, graiit:.l.. and the grltitic;.
,:ou which now feel Iur the great kindness
with which this compliment, has been pai,; m,'
tonight. have rcturnc,! to my native Iau'i
feeling. as ! have not lclt Tor some time past.
that | was IN my own country. Applause.
Here. | am no longer n foreigner. l-oul mp.
plause. By the Constitution Of the Couled-
crate Slates this day you lave been kline
enough 10 confer upon NE the rights of cti.
z.uship. Continued applause. Thonsl bore
il South Cattlina, ! changed my allegiance.
aud became :. citizen Of Texas, mauy many
wears ago. BY hat people | WAS treated witt.
treat kindness. and have received from 4 lr,
hands hunors which could repay only b,
the sincere lie ire to discharge the duties with
such ability as possess. Aud when reached
y;;ur CITY two iavs ago, waa still Il fore gner,
though III t!lr land cl my birth. To-day, b.,
the ratification OF that Constitution, am Ell
titled 10 all the privileges aud inmunties that
once eriuyed, and which rrre my heritage.
IApnausc Anl "hru think Of this, say
to YOU again, in all kindncss, that lalguag'
fails to express the qualification which feel
under such Constitution US you hare-one
that you aay we'll be proud OF, and that
your children will boast their ancestors hai
lie wisdom 10 frame. What are its main
features? For the last three.tourths D! u cen
tury we have been living under precisely
such q government rs you have to-day inau-
yurated, but false construction has been put
upon it. 4 voice: That's 3d." Under 8
power to levy duties, collect taxes to pay the
necessary expenses Of the Government, those
who were in the majority have formally COL
lected money to drtray the expenses of tie
Government, and levied taxes so as not to
raise revenue, but to offer protection to GER
tain favored interests In this Constitution
which You have to-day made yours and mine.
you have expressly provided that the people
who live uil;rr it never can be taxed except
for the purpose of raising sufficient revenue
to detray tie necessary expenses OF the conf
mon government. Applause. We have cut
of the sources Of corruption, aad done awav
with the evils of the system CT internal i'm.
provemcnts. These formed serious ohec-
ton to the old Constitution. And you have
in the preamble to your Constitution declared
explicitly that this is 3 social compact into
which YOU have entered, and Federal com.
puct, and that it is q compact between States
free. sovereign aud independent. Applause.
These are some OF tue main features, but
important as these provisions may be. there Is
one that. if there is State entitled to credit
for having ensrafted it upon the new Consti
tuition, / hazard the assertion that j: is the
State of South Carolina. Loud applause.
We have been wandering a very grest way
from the principles Of our fathers. We are
forgetting tina; we are living under a republi
can form Of government. We have been hc
coming, day after day, more and more demo
cratic 4 use that term in its specific, tcchui-
cal meani: e. lu other States not here
the people have been taught the idea that
olicts were made for the benefit of the inculn
bents, and that rotation in Office is . thing 10
be desired. They have been claiming that
men hold Office too long, and not one has rc.
allied the fact that offices were instituted and
established, not for tn benefit of the Office
holder, but Of the people at large; and thai
when an officer was competent to discharge
the duties Of his Office. and did discharge
them faithfully, no reason existed for scIarg.
ing him and RAINING the hazard of getting
bad officer. In tie new Constitution, to-day
ratified. it is declared, from the highest to the
lowest, except the President and the cabinet,
that ali officers shall hold their offices during
g,od behavior. Then when Presidential
election comes on there will be no miserable
scramble between the i,s AM ou!s. And when
the President comes 10 be inauguratcd, and
laws his hanl upon the Holy Gospel of God.
and swears that he will discharge the duties
deyoved upon him by the Constitution of his
country, faithfully and truly, he will have nu
mental reservation "a To the distribution D!
the Offices amongst those who Come and claim
to be the recipients Of those Offices, because
thcv rendered him service in placing hiu i'll
that position. This regard as the !" bowl Of
pold in the picture of silver. aud marks more
distinctly than anything else the great excel
lcuc" OF uur Constitution, and the great Fact
that We arr wi.cr than our ancestors. Ap.
pl;.use. When time rolls on, aud posterl;y
comes TO alter this Constitution, doubtless
they will find that they are wiser than we
have been. But we have shown that we are
ut least up with the progress Of the as,:. and
are nn, .crrn!viyc years oder than our AN
ces r, .v.tnoat l.a"in5 !earne,l snnn wisdom.
:;.; II wuul'l bc wrong 20 conclude the few
remarks have To make Tonight without al
lu;lns Soniew HAT tn the pride which haze
felt in the cuilrS" my gallant aud uailvc State
has pursued in this great contest Tor liberty.
Applause. say, without fear, favor, OF
affection, or the hope OF reward. that but for
South Carolina this Gay we would have been
slam. laughter and alpanse. You, iel.
w.ctizcns, you lad the wisdom 10 perceive
and the courage "a achieve t;:is great work.
Had the cnunsels of more prudent men pre-
vailed. ami you waited until the fourth "i
March; mad You recognized the S!iacklrs "f
party had you feared to take Stic with an
administration yn,i had ina,,suratcd; had
YOU offered no distinctions wIatcvcr Lad
YOU failed ut t!;c earliest practicable lnnrment
To have asserted the great ii III: "f = State
l.avil. such form Of government ms "nrs
lrui SuuiL Carolina lowered i,rr liz" one inch.
or The ouc-!rl,,is",lih part Of ";c inch, iii>
Jay ti:st old and accrr.ri Union would l.,ve
existed. !nu!ai s">c Il" the cal'nn'ry
IF Soni!! Carriina we "wc the @cr':ni'!i,':-
mrnr Of this rrr.t fact !.al the Union i. now
dissolved. and ll,; u a,n,!;c. U:,i''i rt arisen
from Ike r,l.rn rn.rnIii''.. ani .r ashes and
deafness of that irs>s Of corr,Ip;ipn Phoenix
Ike, .rw Conf. derai oa has sprung into
existence. tApr:.,a,el
Nj. Wig'ail ii.en explained tho 'arans d :
yi4cd f,Ir taxi i: T";i:, a c" o. ) III h Car"llha
lie l:,,,iet;"H tx he S''r 't the VEST
wr,.!1 ..,.. !,~ ii-,ri ur,.,. toi.' IN N -!
h ra; i!leY Gid ;:rt u':.;T.!"'1 the p:"Fie |
II Sou !. Ca"o!..a as; II 81. VI; ':,.''i Z.
o. qualification, that !ansuage fails to exprcss,
that tho lightning flashed tie ncBs to Wash !