The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1861-01-03

Here we nave 1ts.sSOuth CarOIina,s De-
claration of Independence.
The following is the report of the
committee appointed by the South Car
olina Convention, to set forth to the
anxious world the causes which have
impelled her to array herself against
the General Government and the opin-
ions of mankind: aHe
"The State of South Carolina having
determined to resume separate and
equal rank among nations, deems it due
to herself and the remaining United
States of America and the nations of
the world that she should declare the
causes which led her to the act. In
1855 that portion of the British empire
embracing Great Britain, undertook to
make law for the government of the
American colonies. A struggle for the
right of self-government ensued, which
resulted on the 4th day of July, l776,
in declaration by the colonies that
they are, and of right ought to be free
and independent States, they have full
power to levy war, conclude peace. con-
trast alliances, establish commerce, and
to do such things as independent
States have the right to do. They
further solemnly declared that when
ever any form of government becomes
destructive of these ends, it is the es-
tablished right of the people to alter
and abolish it, and institute a new gov
ernment. Deeming that the govern
ment of Great Britain had become de-
structive of these ends, they declared
the colonies free and absolvud from al
legiance to the British crown, and the
political connection between them and
Great Britain was totally dissolved.
''The committee say the right Of a
State to govern itself, and the right
of the people to abolish government
when it becomes destructive of the
ends for which it was instituted, were
expressed when the colonies separated
from the mother country and became
free and independent States. The par
ties amending the Constitution on the
18th of September, 1881, were the sew
eral sovereign States. tkt
"On the 23d of May, 1888, South
Carolina, by Convention of her peo-
pie, assented to the amended Constitu-
tion of the United States. The failure
of one of the contracting parties to
maintain constitutional obligations re-
leased the other. Fifteen of the North
ern States have deliberately refused for
years to fulfill their obligations. We
would refer to those States for proof
of this. When the fourth article of
the Constitution was adopted the great
er number of the contracting parties
held slaves. The hostility of the North
ern States to the institution of slavery
had led them to disregard their consti-
tutional obligations. The laws of the
General Government have ceased to
effect the objects of the Constitution.
Maine. New Hampshire. Vermont,
Massachusetts,, Connecticut, Rhode
Island, New York, Pennsylvania, IlIi-
nois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Wis
consin and Iowa have enacted laws
either nulifying the Constitution, or
rendering useless all attempts to exe-
cute the acts of Congress. In many
Of these States fugitives 'held to SER
vice and to labor have been claimed,
but in none of them has the State gov
eminent complied with the stipulation
on this subject made in the Constitu-
ton.
s'In the formation of the Federal
Government each State was recognized
as an equal the right of property in
slaves was recognized by giving all free
persons distinct political rights; by
giving them the right to represent, and
burdening them with direct taxes for
three'6fths of their slaves; by author
izing the importation of slaves for TWEEN
ty years, and by stipulsting for the rem
dition of fugitives from labor. The
ends for which this Government was
instituted have been defeated, and the
Government itself made destructive by
the action of the -slaveholding
States. Those States assumed the
right of deciding upon the propriety
Of our domestic institutions. They de-
MED the rights of property established
in fifteen States and recognized by the
Constitution. They have denounced
as sinful the institution of slavery have
permitted the open establishment of
societies whose avowal and object are
to disturb the peace and prosperity of
the citizens of other States; they have
encouraged and assisted thousands of
our slaves to leave their homes, and
those who remain have been melted by
emissaries, by books and pictures to
servile insurrection. Twenty five years
this agitation has been steadily increas-
ing, until they have secured the power
of the common government.
"Observing the forms of the Consti-
tuition, . sectional party has found
with that article, establishing an exeeu.
tive department, means of subverting
the Constitution itself A geographi
cal line has been drawn across the I'm
lion, and all States North of that line
have united in the elevation of man
to the high Office of President of the
4 United States whose opinions and pur
poses are hostile to slavery. He is tc
be entrusted with the administration Of
the common government, because 1t Il
declared that a government cannot en-
dure permanently half slave and hal
free, and that the public mind mus
l..x a., <Io boliof th of clovorv 10 In tn,