The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1861-03-16
rae BoutAsrn Confederaey.

aNAhO1ihy VI OOeku NotOt"S1 mOuBH t"S
State might be looked upon ss being in
an attitude of rebellion, should be treated
IS a government in fact Much more ab-
sOlutely We assume, should the combina-
tiOn Of Southern States be considered as
being government in fact The States
which seeded from the Union sent dele
gates to Montgomery, Alabama, and those
delegates formed . convention and elected
. provincial, or temporary President
and Vice President Of the Confederacy
now in the process Of definite formation.
Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, and Alex
ander II. Stephens, of Georgia, both long
known as liberal Southern Statesmen, are
the President and Vice President. Mr..
Davis has been good soldier and Senator
Of the older Republic; and in the admin
istration Of President Pierce, he was Sec
retary Of War. Ills inaugural address,
delivered in Montgomery on the 18th Of
February, is as follows:
GENTLEMEN OY THE CONGRESS OF TIE
CONFEDERATE STATES OR AMERICA, FRIENDS
AND FELLOW CITIZENS: Called to the diff
cult and responsible station Of Chief Ex-
ecutive of the Provisional Government
which you have instituted, Iapproach the
discharge of the duties assigned me with
an humble distrust Of my abilities, but
with sustaining confidence in the wis.
dom of those who are to guide and aid Ine
in the administration Of public affairs, and
an abiding faith in the virtue and patri-
otism Of the people. Looking forward 10
the speedy establishment of q permanent
Government to take the place OF this,
and which, by its greater moral and physi-
cal power, will be better able to combat
with the many difficulties which arise
from the conflicting interests Of separate
nations, enter upon the duties Of The
office to which have been chosen, with
the hope that the beginning Of our career
as q Confedcracy may not be obstructcd
by hostile opposition to our enjoyment of
the separate existence and Independence.
With the blessing Of Providence we in-
tend to maintain our present condition.
Achieved in manner unprecedented in
the history of nations, it illustrates the
American idea that Governments rest
upon the consent Of the governed, and
that II is the right Of the people to alter
and abolish Governments whenever they
become destructive to the ends for which
they were established. The declared
compact Of the Union, from which we
have withdrawn, was to establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility, provide for
the common defense, promote the general
welfare, and secure blessings Of liberty to
ourselves and our poSterity. And when
in the judgment of the sovereign States
now comprising this Confederacy it had
been perverted from the purposeSfor which
It was ordained, and ceased to answer the
ends for which it was established, peace
ful appeal to the ballOt-box declared that,
SO far as they were concerned, the Gov
ernment created by that compact should
cease to exist. In this they merely as
serted the right which the Declaration OF
Independence of 1776 defined to be in
alienable at the time and occasion of its
exercise. They arc sovereign. They were
the final judges each for ITSELF The i'm
partial, enlightened verdict of mankind
will vindicate the rectitude Of our conduct,
and lie who knows the minds Of men will
judge Of the sincerity with which we Ia
bored to preserve the Government Of our
fathers in its spirit.
The right sOIemnly proclaimed at the
birth of the States, and reaffirmed in the
bill Of rights Of the States subsequently
admitted into the Union Of 1889, undeni.
ably recognizes in the people the power
to resume the authority delegated for the
purpose of Government. Thus the SOW.
ereign States here represented proceed to
form this Confederacy, and it is by the
abuse Of language that their act has been
denominated revolution. They formed q
new alliance, but within each State its
Government has been retained. The
rights Of persons and property have moi
been disturbed. The agent through
which they communicated with foreign
powers is changed, but this does not ne
cessarily interrupt their international re-
lations- sustained by. the consciousness
that the transition from the former Union
to the present Confederacy, has not pro-
ceeded from disregard on our part Of
our past obligations, or any failure to per
form every Constitutional duty; moved
by no interest or passion to invade the
rights Of others, anxious to cultivate
peace and commerce with all nations. II
we may not hope to avoid war, we may
at least expect that posterity will acquit
US Of having needlessly engaged in it
DOubly justified by the absence Of wrong
on our part, and by wantOn aggression
on the part Of others, there can be M
cause to doubt the courage and patriot
ism Of the people Of the Confederate
States will be found equal to any measure
of defense which soon their country may
require.
An agricultural people, whose chief in
terest is the export Of commodity re
Qnired in every manufacturing country
our true policy is peace, and the frees
intercourse which our necessities viii
permit 1t is alike our interest and tina
Of oil those from whom we would buy
that there should be the fewest practi
cable restrictions upon the interchang,
OF commodities. There can be but littl,
rivalry between ours and any manulac
turing or navigating community, such ii
the free States of the American Union
Il must therefore follow thereirom tina
mutual interests would invite good will
and kind Offices. If, however, passion
or lust Of dominion, should cloud tn
judgment, or influence the action Of thost
States, we must prepare to meet the eIner
gency, and maintain, by the 6nal arbi
trament Of the sword, the position which
we have assumed among the nations o
the earth. We have entered upon q ca
re6r Of independence which must be in
Hexibly pursued through many years o
controversy.
With our late associations with tn
Northern States, we have vainly endeav
Ored TO secure tranquility and obtain re
spect for the rights to which we were en-
titled. As > necessity, not choice, VI
have resortsd to the remedy Of o separa
ton, and hsnOeforth our energies mus
| hA diroekA6 IN fha conditinn ~ 0ur 0wI