, 1861-02-27
TROUBLE AT MONTGOMERY.

The Rebel Convention now IN Session NJ
Montgomery, Alabama, it is almost certain
will be rent by an "irfepressible conflict
when it comes to frame permanent con-
stitution for the Southern Confederacy. On
the cne hand the extreme opinions Of
South Carolina in regard to free trade and
the revival Of the African slave trade, will
be pressed upon the Convention, while en-
the other is the desire entertained, ,probably
By minority Of that body, to placate, by
moderate views on both these subjects, the
border slareholding States, with the hope
Of Turing them into secession also. The
Charleston Mercury and many prominent
leaders in that State already begin TO
express grave doubts IS to the result.
"South Carolina" eays one Of the latter,
ais about to be saddled with almost every
"gricvance except Abolition, for which
ashe bas long struggled, and just with
"drawn from the late United States Gov
*ernmcnt. Surely McDutde lived in vain,
"and Calhoun taught for nought, If we are
"ngain to be pluudered, and our commerce
@c1ippled, destroyed By tariffs-even dis
terminating tariffs. Yet this is the al
"most inevitable prospect. The fruit Of
"the labors Of thirty odd long years, in
"strie and bitterness, is about to slip
"thro 'gh our fingers. Let the peo-
"ple prepare their minds for a fail
"ure in the jutur6 permanent South
"ern Constitution. The Convention is
"at sea, and vague breads Of the future,
"and terro7s Of tic people, aud in some de-
"gree q want Of craftsmanship, paralyze
tall useful and esscntial reform, and
"weaken men into inaction.". The writer
then proceeds to declaim against the Con-
stltution Of The United States for granting
to Congress :he power to prohibit by law
the introduction Of slaves from Africa OF
elsewhere outside Of the United States
and adds. that terrorism is about to make
"its perpetual prohibition a fundamental
"proyision Of the Constitution itself 4
"sltgma is thus broadty stamped upon the
"wholc institution before the whole world
"nnd sealed BY ourselves"
There is still another matter which 6outt
Carolina leaders fear will not be settled tt
srit the notions of that State-a mattel
which they regard as Of greater Importance
than either the tariff OF tue African SLAVE
trade-that is slarc representation in Con
gross. The three-ffth'a rule Of the Federal
Constitution they denounce as "one Of ths
many Yankee swindlea put npon thu
South" in the construction Of the Govern
men1 and they demand: that in 1he new
Confederacy, representation shall be basei
upon the total population, including
slaves. The writer we have quoted above
saws in relation to this subject:
The proportion Of South Caroltna's black t.
tha white population is very much lAIEeE thai
1hat Of any other Slave State. By the oil
sEindle, her 1air proportion of representation
Ees cut down Upon oil her slaves In propo1
ton, " three to fiva.' The black populatio
being iu a minority IL our state, two.ftths
more than one-t,aif Of the people Of the Stat
degree that the proportion OF the black popr
latlon in South Caroiina predominates owe
the proportion OF the blacks to the whites i
any ether state, is the ewindle augmented IN
aerrasated- South Carolina is small enoug
NIaout again dinging away what leEittmat
power hhe possesses That power is in he
slasee. socnlly, politically, economically. Tn
P1oPos1' ION Of the three-1fths rule calls upo
her powers.
Such are the views Of ths leaders i