The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1861-02-20
The New Constitution.


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We lay before our readers on the first page Of our
present Issue The con7fituion which ws adopted.
the 9th ins by the delegates of the seeded States
nox in session At Montgomery. "A viii be observed
that it is wholly provisional in its elAracer and that
it contcmplates the formation, within year, of
permanent Constitution by which the present insru-
ment and the government established under il, are
/ to be superseded.
Like the State Convention Of Mississippi, which,
after taking the sslte out of the Union went on to
DO the work of Legislature the MONTGOMERY Con
renticn has resolved itself into Congress and now
engaged in the enactment Of federal laws Some of
the States represented in that Conventon-M isssip-
pi, for one-expcctedf that permanent Constitution
would be adopted at Montgomery, providing for its
ratification by the s;aes and the speedy assembling
of federal Congress, composed of Senate and
House Of Representatives. Senators and members
of the House were appointed by our State oonven-
ton, in anticipation of the meeting of such Con-
gress but under the provisional Constitution they
win not be called upon to take their seats. The pro-
visional Congress- like the Congress of the Revolu-
,ion Is single body and that account Is able to
act with more promptness than a more complex or
ganiniion could be expected to do
We are satisfied that the Montgomery Convention
has acted with great prudence and wisdom II was
poin: of the utmost importance that the new Con
fedeney should be organized, and the new govern
ment inangurated, before the 4th of March, that
we might meet Mr.. Lincoln, upon his accession to
power prepared TO treat fight, as the emergency
required for il must be obvious that Confedency
of powerful States, represented by single head and
animated by a common will, whether they negotiate
carry ON hostilities will command more of respect
and be far more likely to conquer peace" If ne
cesary than the States dsunited each State act
ing for itself Necessity indeed, scarcely left the
Convention at liberty to choose between what they
have DONE and what under an exigency less cxactng,
they might have preferred to do Had permanent
Constitution been framed and submitted to the sece-
ded States for their ratification, their approval could
not have been obtained for weeks to come; and a
longer delay would afterwards have been necessary
in order that Senators and Representatives might be
appointed elected by the States that have made no
provision on that head. To say nothing of the great
and needless cost of these datory proceedings it is
sufficient to remark that should have been without
a federal government for months, and that Lincoln
in the meantime might have brought all the power of
the United States to bear upon us in the hope of co.
ercing us while we were as yet mprepared for CON
fict with him. Moreover during all this interval Of
delay we could have done nothing in the way of me-
gotating treaties with foreign powers Commission
ers from individual States vested only with authority
to enter into provisional arrangements, would not
only have failed to command the respect that will be
accorded to the accredited ministers of the new Con-
federacy but in order to effect those temporary ar
Engagements, they might have been compelled to make
concessions that would afterwards have embarrassed
the federal negotiations. Besides, confidently
anticipating the secession of some of the other slave
holding States and il is but just and proper that those
States, in the event Of their secession should have
voice in the formation of the Constitution by which
their relations to their sister States of the Conitdera-
cy are to be regulated and controlled.
The highest type Of craftsmanship is not that which
cngs to forms and precedcnts nor that which cx-
hatsts Its energies in fruitess efforts TO carry out
theory, abstracty accurate, perhaps but really i'm
practieable it is manifested rather in that practical
sagacty which, fully realizing and compromising
the existing state of things and wisely distinguishing
between the possible and the impossible shapes its
policy and measures as to adapt them to the circum.
stances which it cannot CONTROL and contents itself
where it cannot accomplish all it would, with simply
doing what it can Tried by this standard, the work
Of the Montgomery Convention may, in our opinion,
challenge comparison with that of any other body
of men that ever assembled in America. If it be
said that they have largely avaed themselves Of the
labors of those who have gone before them, we an
swcr that this detracts not from the credit to which
they are entitled for the consumnate skill with which
they have adapted the wealth of means at their dis
posal to the important ends they had in view.
The provisional Constitution, it will be noticed,
does not purport be established by the people Of
the States represented in the Convention Ii is the
work of the Deputies of those States 1t is in the
nature Of treaty between sorercigns, made by a
Congress composed of their ministers 1t is merely
temporary in its character designed simply to provide
for the exgency of the moment and will be set aside
as soon as its trainers shall have had time to prepare
and the people shall have adopted instrument of
more enduring character. Meanwhile we may reason
ably infer from the provisions of this temporary Con
stitution what the character of the future instrument
will be- The old Constitution is the basis upon which
it will be constructed and such notifications win be
made therein as experience has demonstrated to be
necessary We propose, in another article, by inst
tuting parallel between the old and the provisional
Constitutions point out the changes already intro
duced and to show, trust shall be able to do
that every change is a substantial Improvement. N
t.s
The SPECIAL Tax OF FIFTT PER CENT
The following is the circular Of the Auditor
of Public Accounts to the Sheriff of the re-
spectiye counties, in regard to the special
tax :: we 81 ias,g5 G.. f1lie1aa "a io1 f-.
AUDIToR's OFFICE, Jackson, Miss,
a.. 80 1883, January 80, 1861.
! To tie Tar Collector of County:
S1R-Your immediate attention is directed
to the enclosed Ordinance to raise means for
the defence of the state.
The increase in taxation takes effect upon
the state Tax Of the present year. You win,
therefore, proceed at-once to collect the spe-
cial tax of fifty per cent from all Taxpayers
on real and personal property. .irsm-ai q
Forms aud instructions in relation to the
next general assessment will be sent from this
Office in due time. -t..9av