Arkansas true Democrat., 1861-01-12

fesdy to eonseerate their lives, and if need be- to offer themselves living sacrifice upon the altar of their common country. No people in this State should feel deeper interest in the preservation of the Union than the citizens of Fort Smith, and know that none are more jealous of their liberties or more devoted to southern rights and southern interests Situated as Fort Smith is on the confines of the State at the head of navigation, with back country oi hundreds of miles in extent unsurpassed in fertility and resources, soon to be connected with Memphis by railroad communication, with every assurance that shoudthe Union be preserved by au amicable and satisfactory adjustment ,f the difficulties between the North and South of heina the eastern terminus of the Pacific railway; it IS destined toultimatety prosper beyond the expecta- tions of it's warmest friends. There is one other consideration apart from patriotic feelings, which should make the citizens of Fort Smith and the surrounding country, feel an abiding interest in the preservation of the peace and quiet of the country and that is this: Should the South secede from the Union, the territory west of us will be the "bone of contention" {" between the two new gov ernments, and western Arkansas will be the battle held upon which this territory will be lost or won The troubles, confusion and bloodsbed in Kansas territory will be nothing to compare with the suffer- ings of Arkansas when she becomes the place of conflict between the North and South for the DOS sesion of the southwest territories. Rapine insur- rectons, murder, house burings, and all the hor- TOTS oi civil war, will be the mess of potage that we will receive for the birth right of an American citizen. No man ever looked at this question serousy, who supposes that peaceable secession 1 ispossbe. Already the clouds of civil war begin to thicken and darken around us. When this great republic of thirty millions of freemen shall expire by intestine commotion and civil war, its l dying groans will be heard from one end of the earth to the other, and all civilized nations vii feel it's last agones.
 Ifths government was not worth preseryinp-i it has failed CT zsiacts of ;ts crea.sS
 he who oseHpl l1U M overthrow it and involve the people in anarchy would be a traitor indeed, and deserve the fate o a Judias an Arnold
 No portion of the resolutions adopted at vou meeting struck me more focibly, or pointed ou more clearly the course 1 had prescribed for my self than the third resolution, which reads as fol lows: :" That ti the duty of all good citizens i, theimpending crisis to examine candidly the crea issue now before us-to speak of it with modera ton, and act i'll reference to it in full view of al the momentious consequences; and we will use al honorable means likely to result in success to ob tain peaceable adjustment of our present diff ritlt D,,tr inSs alike dictate to us our duty to unite and co operate with our southern brethren to secure ou rights out of the Union-tbe rights denied us in it and to present to friend and foe, at home an, abroad, united and inyincbe South'' It seem to me that this resolution points out the true cours for every patriot citizen to pursue. Certainly, n, man with one spark of love of country in his heart ESwoull want to destroy this Union without frs "uSs0gaH honorable mems likely to result in success to ohtain peaceable ad ustnent oj our present diff cuttes." Surely our present wrongs and erieyan ces are not greater more intolerable than the were under the British crown; yet for more thal r., years before the declaration of our ndepend e, our fathers used all honorable means by De titlons1 remonstrances and otherwise, to obtain redress of their wrongs before resorting to one, hostilites. After all the southern States shal nave met Tn consultation; set forth the nature ant extent of their wrongs and aprcal in vain for
 redress thereof then, if our constitutional riebt are denied us in the Union, we can, with conf dence appeal to the supreme arbter of nations and feeling q conscientiousness in the instness o our cause, and the purity of our motves can ex pectthe approval of the civilized world.
 When this IS done and Missouri, Tennessee Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina and Marvlan shall determine that wrongs are intolersble and that the South can no longer with safety an honor to herself remain in the Union, then will W bejustihable in seeding from the Union, and ther will be no division among us. Until then, fo one, shall 'stick to the old ship'' while there a fragment of her ahoat, and recognize the star lI and stripes as the only banner of my country. st bill will pass the Legislature to call q Stat Convention, and unless che great masses of the peo pie, the true conservative element of the country should awaken to a sense of their peesent dan ger and send proper men to the State convention Arkansas will in less than sixty days from thi time be out of the Union, in open hostility to tn federal government and exposed to all lhe horror of civil war. Among the proceedings of all tn public meetings held in the State that I hay noticed, none is more sensible, or more patriot than the one held at Murteersboro, in Pike count on the 29th ultmo. That meeting condemns i'm mediate secession, and recommends a consolidation of all tEe southern States to settle upon a basis upon which all the southern States can act for tn redress Of our wrongs, and failing to obtain this then to secede, if necessary, as a unit. commen, the proceedings of that meeting to your especia attention, as fully embodying my views on tn subject of secession.
 Very nearly, simi re solutions were adopted a meeting of the citizens of Seyier county som days since. Res ut ons of the same kind wer adopted at mass meeting ofthe citizens of Marion Carroll, Searcy and Newton counties held at Bluf 1 Springs, on the 2lst of December. have serious | ly doubted the propriety of calling State con vention, but shall defer to your judgment and vot, for one, provided, it gives the people time to re fleet upon the importance of the issue to be sub mitted to the convention.
 Should find myself constrained, from a sens, of duty to my country, to go counter to your in structions will most cheerfuly return to you hands the power you have confded to me, and re turn to my family, for while have head to think or heart to feel, shall by act of mine in wort or deed, consent for our State to secede or talk, steps in that direction, until all honorable and just means have been exhausted to obtain peaceable | satisfactory adjustment of our difficulties.
 | do not think that the South can in safety re main longer in the Union without some new con stitutional guarantees; but immediate secession will not secure these but on the contrary render all such hopes van What then propose is, tha all the southern States should as one man demand their constitutional rights in the Union, with sucl additional recognition of her rights by suitable amendments to the federal constitution as will il