Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1861-01-24
Gdu. narris's Message,

u. Harris, NO iDt UtHCidI hs
sembIy Of Tennessee, in Extr'
Session, Jan. 9Th, 1860.
EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENT,
NASHVILLE Jan. Z, 1861. !
Gentlemen Of the .Snats
and Hoase ofRepresentafires:
The ninth section of the third ar
ticle of the Constitution, provides
! that on extraordinary occasions, the
Governor may conveIe the General
Assembly. Believing the beemergen'
cy contemplated, to exist at this time
| have called you together. In vel.
coming you to the CAPITOL of the
State, can but regret the gloomy
auspices under which We meet
Grave and momentous issues have
arisen, which to an unprecedented
degree agi.ate the public mind and
imperil the perpetuity of the Gov
eminent.
The systematic, wsnton, and long
continued agitation Of the slavery
question, with the actual and threat
ened aggressions of lhe Northern
States and portion of their people,
upon the welI.de6ned constitutional
rights of the Southern citizen; .be
rapid growth and increase, in all the
elements Of power, OF a pure-
ly sectional party, whose bond Of un-
ion is Incorporating hostility TO
the rights and institutions of the
fifteen Southern States, have pro-
dueed a crisis in the affairs of the
country. unparalleled in the history
of the past, resulting already in the
wilhdrawal from the Confederacy Of
one of tho Sovereignties which COM
posed it, while others are Iapidly pre-
pairing to move in the same direction.
Fully appreciating the Importance OF
the duties which devulve upon you
fraught, as your action must be, with
consequences Of the highest possible
Importance to the people Of Tennss-
see; knowing that, as a great Com
monwealth, our own beloved State
is alike interested with her sisters,
who have resorted, and are preparing
to resort, to this fearful alternative,
! have called you together for the
purpose of calm and dispasslonate
deliberation, earnestly trushng, as
the chosen representatives, of a. free
and enlightened people, that you
will, at this critical juncture Of our
aff,irs, prove yourselves equal to the
occasion which has called for the ex-
ercise Of your talent and patriotism
A brief review Of the history O
the past is necessary to proper un
derstanding of the issues presented
for your consideration.
Previous to the adoption of tbt
Federal Constitution, each State wa'
a separate and Independent Govern
men,-a complete sovereignty with
in itself-and in the compact. of un
ion, each reserved all the right
and powers incident to sovereignty
except such as were expressly dele
gated by the Constitution 10 tn
General Government, or such a
we're clearly incident. and necessary
to the exercise Of some expressl
delegated power.
The Constitution distinctly recoe
nizes property in slaves-makes
the duty Of the States to deliver tn
fugitive to bis owner, but contain
no grant of power to the FEEDER.
Government to inte: fere With th
species OF property, except "the poV
er coupled With the Duty" eommo
to all civil Governments, to p.ote'
the rights Of property, as well :
those Of life and liberty, of the cit
zen, which clearly appears from Ii
exposition givep.to that instrumsI
by the Supreme Court Of the Quite
States in the case Of Dred Scott .
Sapdford, In delivering the oplnlo
of the Court, Chief Justice Tame
saic:
/ Nov, as we have already said !
an earlier part Of this opinion, upe
different point, the right Of prope
|ty in a Stare is distinctly and G
pressly affirmed in the Constitution
+ "And no word can be found in Il
j Constitution which gives Congre
a greater power over slave propert
Tor which entities property OF tn
tkind TO less protection than prope