New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-05-01


dent, in the chair.
After the usual preIiminaries of organization had
been got through WITH the following message of
his Excellency, Jefferson Davis, President of the
Confederate States of America, was received and
read ....
The Message. ...-
Gentlemen Of Congress-It is my pleasing duty
to announce to you that the Constitution framed
for the establishment Of a permanent Government
Of the Confederate States of America, has been
ratified by the several Conventions of each of
those States which were referred to inaugurate
the said Government in its full proportion and
upon its own substantial basis of the popular will.
1t only remains that elections should be held for
the designation of the officers to administer it.
There is every reason to believe that at no dis
tant day that other States, identified in political
principles and community of interest with those
which you represent, will Join this Confederacy,
giving to its typical constellation increased spen-
DOR to its Government Of free, equal and sovereign
States wider sphere of usefulness, and to the
friends of constitutional liberty greater security
for its harmonious and perpetual existence.
1t was not, however, for the purpose of making
this announcement that have deemed it my duty
to convoke you at an earlier day than that fixed
by yourselves for your meeting.
The declaration of war against this COnfederacy
by Abraham lincoln, President of the United
States, in his proclamation issued on the 18th day
of the present month, rendered it necessary in my
Judgment that you should convene at the earliest
practicable moment to devise the measures neces-
sary for the defence of the country.
The occasion is, indeed, an extraordinary one.
| 1t just1es me in giving brief review of the rela
tons heretofore existing between us and the States
which now unite in warfare against us, and q sue
cinct statement of the events which have resulted
to the end that mankind may pass intelligent and
| impartial Judgment on its motives and objects.
| During the war waged against Great Britain by
| her colonies on this continent, a common danger
| mpelled them to close alliance, and to the for
| nation of a Confederation by the terms of which
| the colonies, styling themselves States, entered
severa1ly into firm league of friendship with
each other for their common defense, the security
of their liberties and their natural and general well
| fare, binding themselves to assist each other
against all force offered to or attacks made upon
| them, any OF them, on. account of religion,
| sovereignty trade, or any other pretence what
ever.
In order to guard against any misconstruction of
their compact, the several States made explicit
declaration in distinct article-that each State
retain its sovereignty, freedom and independence,
| and every power of jurisdiction and right, which
| is not by this said Confederation expressly dele
gated to the United States in Congress assembled
under this contract of allegiance.
| The war of the Revolution was successfully
| waged, and resulted in the treaty of peace with
Great Britain in 1888, by the terms of which the
several States were each by name recognized to
| be Independent.
| The articles of Confederation obtained clause
| whereby all alterations prohibited unless con-
| fFmed by the Legislatures Of every State after
being agreed to by the Congress- and in obedience
to this provision, under the resolution of Congress
of the 2lst of February, 1857, the several States
| appointed delegates for the purpose of revising
the articles of Confederation and reporting to Con
gress and the several Legislatures such alterations
and provisions therein rs SHALL when agreed to ir
Congress- and confirmed to the States, render the
Federal Constitution adequate to the exigeucies o.
the Government and the preservation of the Union
1t was by the delegates chosen by the severa
States under the resolution Just quoted that the
Constitution of the United States was formed ir
1887, and submitted to the several States for rat
,cl,o ~, td1N
| in these words:
| "The ratification of the Conventions of nine
States shall be sufficient for the establishment OF
this Constitution bettoeen the States so ratiying Tue
same"
have italicsed certain words in the resolution
Just quoted for the purpose of attracting attention
to the singular and marked caution with which the
| States endeavored in every possible form to eX
clude the idea that the separate and independent
| sovereignty of each State merged into one
common government nation, and the earnest
desire they evinced to impress on the Constitution
its true character-that of compact between in
| dependent States-the Constitution of 1857, how
ever admitting the clause already recited from
the articles of Confederation which provided, ii
explicit terms, that each State reclaimed its sovcr
eighty and independence.
Some alarm was felt in the States when invited
to ratify the Constitution lest this omission should
be construed into an abandonment of their cher
ished principle, and they refused to be satisfied
until amendments were added to the Constitution
placing beyond any pretence OF doubt the re
servation by the States of their sovereign rights
and powers not expressly delegated to the United
States by the Constitution
Strange, indeed, must it appear to the impartia
observer yet it is nevertheless true, that all thes
carefully worded clauses proved unavalling t'
prevent the rise and growth in the Northern State
of political school which has persistently claimet
that the Government set above and over thu
. States an organization created by the States tt
secure the blessings of liberty and independence
against foreign aggression, has been gradual.
perverted into machine for their control in thei
domestic affairs.
The creature has been exalted above it's creator
the principals have been made subordinate tt
the agent appointed by themselves.
The people of the Southern States, whose almos
: exclusive occupation was agriculture, early per
5 ceived tendency in the Northern States to rende
| a common Government subservent to their ow.
T purposes, by imposing burdens on commerce, as
protection to their manufacturing and shipping in
terests
Long and angry controversies grew out of thes
: attempts, often successful, to benefit one sectio
of the country at the expense of the other, and tn
danger of disruption arising from this cause wa
enhanced by the fact that the Northern p0pulatio
was increasing by emigration and other cause
more rapidly than the population of the South
By degrees, as the Northern States gained pre-
popderence in the National Congress, seltinteres
h taught their people to yield ready assent to an
D. plausible advocacy of their rights as majority
govern the minority. Without control, they lear
to listen with impatience to the suggestion OF an
, constitutional impeachment to the exercise OF the
- will and SO utterly have the principles of til
| Constitution been corrupted in Northern mind
II that in the inaugural address delivered by Pres
!, | dent Lincoln in March last, he asserts MAXI
y which he plainly deems to be undenable, that tb
| theory of the Constitution requires in all case
that the majority shall govern; aud in anotht
n memorable instance the same Chief Magstrai
is did not hesitate to lken the relations betwee
lie States and the United States to those which eXi
IN between the county and the State in which it
situated, and by which it was created.
This is the amentabe aud fundamental error
OF which rests the policy that has eliminated in h
declaration of war against these Confedera
States. In addition to the long continued al
sc deep seated resentment felt by the Southern Stat
at the persistent abuse of the powers they ha
delegated to the Congress for the purpose of e
oy riehing the manufacturing and shipping classes
g. the North at the expense of the South, there h
on existed for nearly half century another subie
r. of discord involving interests of such transcen
ne sion in the minds of many devoted lovers of Il
Union that its permanence was impossible
When the several States delegated certain pO
Of ers to the United States Congress, large port
or | of the lahoring population was imported into t
M | colonies by the mother country. In twelve out
the fifteen States, negro slavery existed; and
a, right of property existing in slaves protect
by law; this property was recognized in the Ok
Ms stitution and provisions was made against its Il
by the escape of the slave,
IN The increase in the number of slaves by forei
ha importation from Africa was also secured by
clause f0rbidding Congress to prohibit the sla
trade anterior to a certain date; and in no clal
/ "a N there he fopnd arlv delegation of mower to