The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1861-03-29


cession, or cooperation with the border
states.
1t now seems probable that the perma>
nent Constitution of the Southern Oonfede-
racy will be adopted by all the seeding
States, with great unanimi ty. The Georgia
Convention unanimously ratified it, on the
10th. 1t is only necessary that it should
receive the sanction of five States to give it
validity as the Constitution of the Confede-
rate States. Three States = Alabama,
Georgia, Louisiana-have already ratified it.
President DAVIS veto ofthe act passed
by the Southern Congress, relative to the
slave trade, and Furnishing persons offending
therein, is dated Feb. %, but has just
been published. We quote passage to
show that the President is in earnest, in de-
claring that the slave trade shall not be re-
opened.
The constitution, sec. z, article l. provides that
"the importation of African negroes from any
foreign country other than the slave holding
States of the United States is hereby forbidden;
and Congress is hereby required to pass such
law as shall effectually prevent the same" The
rule therein given is emphatic, and distinctly
directs legislation which shall effectually pre-
vent the importation of African negroes. The
bill before me denounces as high misdemean-
or the importation Of negroes or other persons
of color, either to be seld as slaves or to be
held to service or labor, af6xing heavy and de-
grading penalties on the act, if done with such
intent. To that extent it accords with the re-
quirements of the constitution but in the
sixth section Of the bill provision is made for the
transfer of negroes who may have been illegal
ly imported into the Confederate States to the
custody of foreign States or societies, upon
condition of deportation and future freedom,
and if the proposition thus to surrender them
shall not be accepted, it is then made the duty
of the President to cause said negroes to be
sold at public cutlery to the highest bidder in
any OF the States where such sale shall not be
inconsistent with the laws thereof, &C., &c.
This latter provision seems to me in opposi-
tion to the policy declared in the constitution,
the prohibition of the importation of African
negroes, and in derogati0n of its mandate to le-
gislate for the effectuation of that object.
Wherefore the bill is returned for your further
consideration. together with the objections
''' JEFFERSON DAVIS.
A vote was ordered on passing the bill
over the veto. 1t was defeated-ayes Is,
nays "a.
ALEX. 81. STEPHENS, the Vice Presi-
dent Of the Southern Confederacy, made a
speech at Atlanta, Georgia, on. the 18th of
March. The following embodying the pith
of bis remarks, we copy from the Atlanta
Contederaey
He ventured to say that the history of the
world did not present such another social phe.
nomenon as the existing revolution in the cot
ton States. A vast empire was divided-a
government thrown of, new system inaugu-
rated in juxtapositl0n to the old, and without
drop of blood, the slightest social disorder
or physical suffering. All we had to do, said
the speaker, to perpetuate this happy state of
things, was to be true to our own honor and
fame. We were once Unionists but now were
all secessionists, and if we continued to dis.
play to all the world the proper union of hearts
fail for us. Mr.. stephens said he had once
venerated the old constitution under which he
had been born, and did still feel great re-
spect for it. But upon a dispassiOnate COM
parison Of the two constitutions he did not hes.
itate to declare that the new was an improve
ment on the old. He went on to state that he
thought the mode of appropriatng money
when brought into the treasury by taxation. as
provided for by the constitution of the Confed-
crate States, decided improvement on that of
any government whatever. The labor, he said,
was not so much to get money into the public
chest as to protect it from misappropriaton
after it was raised. By the new constitution
not dollar could be drawn from the public
treasury unless by twO-thirds vote of Con
gress. An exception to this rule was only
made when the President should report to
Congress that pressing public necessity and
exigency called for it. Another grand differ
ence between the old and new constitution was
this, said Mr.. Stephenson the OLD constitution
the fathers looked upon the fallacy of the
tions of republican liberty. Jefferson, Madi-
son and Washington, and many others, were
tender of the word slave in the organic law,
and all looked forward to the time when the
institution of slavery should be removed from
our midst as trouble and a stuMbling-blOck.
This delusion could not be traced in any of the
component parts of the Southern constitution.
In that constitution we discarded the pestilent
heresy of fancy politicians, that all men, of all
races, were equal. and we had made African
inequality and subordination, and the equality
of white men, the chief cornerstone of the
Southern republic. With an honest admins
tration of government so founded, Mr.. Ste.
phens said the world was yet to see in US the
model nation of history: Restore peace, set
our people quietly to work out their own des-
tiny from this point of departure. and we
would 60 on from one step of glorious develop.
ment to another. We would expand south.
ward and westward, to the east and to the
north, (God forbid said gallant secessionist)
until there would be no complaint about terri
tory. Even now our galaxy numbered ''seven
stars" and like that well known cluster, we
would soon have the admiring gaze of the
world to follow Us. Mr.. Stephens seemed to
be satisfied that we should have peaceable sep.
aration from the North, but he said our gene.
raj preparation and readiness to meet differ
ent result might have had great deal to do
with such consummation. He said we all de-
sired peace-none of US felt that war and its
sufferings and distractions were light things,
but yet we were prepared for war.
The army of the Southern Confederacy
is to consist of 1O,483 men, divided as fol.
lows: Engineers, Ito; artillery, 1872; cav
airy, 743; infantry, 6,258. There will be