St. Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1845-1863, 1861-02-14


of November, and which ought still to BE-
made. I insisted that South Carolina her.
self would have been obliged to acquiesce,
and doubtlessly would have participated in
such action when she found that the cal
for delay was not delusion apd a snare
Of the e9eaey to gain time for offensive
prepar hs, but the deliberate policy other
Sout3 sisters, simultaneously proclaim
ing their unalterabae resolEs TO make
keomnoa cause fss .thssusslI ISsenancc Of Con
stitutional equality and domestic security
within the Union, if practicable, and for
the defence of the rightsand the protection
Of the homes of united South out of the
Union, if necessary. expressed the con-
flent belief that such frank and manly
policy. inauguratcd By united South, sixty
OF even thirty days ago, and avowed with the
calmness Of true courage, the courtesy of
conscious power and the infexiblc resolu-
sion with which free people are ever in
spired by just cause. would un-
doubtedly have commended itself to the
good sense and enlightened patriotism of
the conservative men Of the North. hun
,lreds of thousands of whom voted against
Lincoln and the ''irrepressiblc conflict. y
willis many may have voted for him with
out intending to approve his abominable
doctrines. | said that that was the auspi-
cious time to make the issue, as the ad-
vocates Of prompt action have constantly
recommended; so that the Northern people
might have been aroused to a full COM
prehension of that issue before they were
blinded by false lights and hopelessly en-
tangled in the meshes Of political leaders
who have everything to lose and nothing
to gain by settlement of the slavery
question, and who will not yield an inch
even in the very presence of revolution,
disunion and possible civil war | said
that coercion, .t"r any pnrposc, and "n,ir
0Hy J"'m or protect. means CIVIL WAR:
and that civil war could no more be con-
fined to one State or locality than can
the air we breathe. | claimed for the
Border Slaveholding States the <pcciM
right to be heard in regard to all that con-
Germs question in which they, more than
all others, are so terribly interested: and
| lamcnted their long silence and inaction.
I confidently believe that if the fifteen
Southern States had pursued the ener-
gctic and straightforward policy already
indicat. i the Union would have been re-
established and pcrpctustcd upon foun-
dation more solid than that on which it
has rested since the slavery agitation of
1920; at all events, thot ci;cl ~my monki
hare bnn ma,ie Il moral impossiLlify:
because it cannot be CONSIDERED possible
that one half of the States of this Confede-
racy would have undertaken to wage war
against the other. The power of fifteen
States would have commanded peace. and
VIC should always have had hopes of re-
Cancellation and reunion between the Sec
tons The danger now is that the physi-
cal weakness Of South Carolina NAV tempt
the Federal Government to venture upon
cocrcion, under the virtuous guisc of ..cn-
forcing the .rrrn"c inms' 1t is perfectly
manifest that South Carolina will resist.
1t is equally clear that the other seeding
States will 60 to her aid Immediately 1t
is just as certain that the shedding of
blood will arouse the whole South to
My purpose, gentlemen. in presenting
these views to the people of Frederick
county, was, to show the real grounds of
the opinions, and advice of those of us
here in Maryland who have, from the
beginning. advocated prompt and decided
action by the Border Slaveholding
States, and for the frar.k expression OF
which We have been repeatedly denounced
by ignorant or designing men as enemies
Of the Union; as if, indeed hundreds of
citizens. whom VIC all know to have large
interests at stake in this community. could
afford to be revolationists Just for the plea
*ure ctthc thing, even were. they not res
trained by the highest and hottest prompt
ings of patriotism and Christianity.
/ further said to my fellow citizens that
the Border States-Virginia. Kentucky.
Missouri-are beginning to see the folly
of procrastination and indccision, and arc
now Fastening to elect their Conventions,
in order that they may, if not too late,
concentrate their. energies and influence
for the preservation of the Union: and. il
too late for that then that their people
may be prepared for the. defence of their
liberties and their 6resides. l said that
it was humilia,ing and alarming to see
Maryland, oiome Of all the 4SD"fh, mute
aud seemingly paralyzed. I said that if
the design was to separate her forever
from her Southern sisters. in the event of
a permanent dissolution of the Union. any
such attempt would be resisted .'m all
ha-ard aud to the tnxt ert,'fmiiy' Gin the
language of the. rrsolutIons, unless. in
deed, l,was totally ignorant Of the spirit
aud principles Of the people Of this noble
commonwealth.
And now, gentlemen, for the point of
my discourse which your correspondent
has So entirely ,a,isstated. did say and
shall ever say that, if the Northern people
deliberately refuse to recognise and secure
the clear Constitutional rights of the fifteen
Southern States as expounded by the Su-
prcme Court and most moderately de-
mandcd in the proposition Of Mr. Critten-
den If they ':,my such reasonable nlca-