, 1861-04-01
Admission of Northern States into the
Southern Confederation.

As the new Constitution has been framed,
there Is nothing to prevent the ad1nlssion,of
Northern States into the new confederation.
a vote Of two thirds Is al that il republic;
and afteT the accession ofViretnia, NJ 4ry1and,
North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, MIS-
soari and Arkansas, there is likely to be no
great difficulty in obtaining this vote. In
thus constructing the fundamental law, Of
course, q struggle has occurred In the secret
sessions Of the Montgomery Congress, in
which those refusing to close the daor against
the RECEPTION Of auti.slayery States have
achieved victory. Thus the policy Of ultI-
maselg admitting the anti-slavery States Of
seylVania, New York, ct eetesa, is obviously
the programme Or peryading Idea Of
the ontg,oulery Congress. TIE Union is not
to be Feconstructed Oh tertts Of tie cid con-
st:tution. It Is to be recognized on the new
basis, and we are in danger if the views of the
constitution makers are carried into practice,
Of beiog dragged back eventually into politi--
eatafhliation With the States and the people
from whom we have cut loose.
NoW, sone may think us hypoerttscal and
Eaptsous u seelpg aaYthing disayreeable; Or in
finding +auls At al, when matters appear to be
progressing satisfactorily. But q reference to
thefuture must govern Us In the present if We
would control events. It Is shortsishted and
pnsllanllnous to cover up from view stubborn
facts, which, however unpleasant to know, our
future peace and prosperity nrge us not to
overlook, .hnt to strive ind reE1edy. i bus
E6en found that, in the construction Of great
ship, the unwise Insertion Of fonestick Of worm
eaten timber has involved her fate with the
loss Of hundreds Of lives and millions Of prop.
erty. So defect Of grave character, like this
Of the new Constitution, may entail upon the
people OF the Southern States the difficulties
aud dangers of aga1n going through the same
struggle from which we are emerging, and
perhaps may ultimately wreck the hopes Of
Rspuollean liberty throughout the world. It
"a too lSte. end South Carolina Is not the 8 ate
10 resist the enbodiuaeut OF this imprudent
provision In The constitution.
And 1t Is almost hopeless to expect that, af-
ter the accession Of the border States, the fun
damental law can: wi.hot::t undue commotion,
be s. amend ID as to establish the policy Of a
strictly pEoslavery Confederacy. The plank
is IN our ship. and VIC have hut to make the
best Of it, We can only endea7or, By the ap-
pllcatlon Of the presorVatory preparations Of
corrective knowledge and the instIlmeut Of
sound, wholesome and purifying views Of
craftsmanship, to ward of the peril and escape
the evils thss raay resnlt from wHat has been
dcae a1d cAnncs noH he avoided.
It is therefore not to oppose the adoption
OF the Constitution by South Carol!ns that
we broach the subject, hut simply, and at
once, to oppose the idea and policy of this
new Kind otreconstructioa OF or Reorganization,
and to build up aud fortify pubic opinion
throughout tbs South, as lar as We can,
against using the diactetitl that will be given
our Congress under the proviso Of two
thirds vute. For, if sufficient time be allowed
| the people Of the Southsra States to realize,
under their own government, the amount Of
security, prosperity Aed t'cHer altainab:e,
tFitf5nt connection with the North, except By
treaty, we have great hopes that they viii out
grow present prociitities, which we are fain to
consider weak and unwite, and will firmly re-
fuse admission to oil Northern States, whose
people differ from us so radically, aud IN such
ho5tth degree in ragdrd to rur adsnes.ic insti.
trtt!Gns, and whose punic faith must render oil
paper constitutions and parchment oblisa-
| lions utterly Dugatory and Wor bless for III
the purposes for which laws are useful. :