The southern aegis., 1861-08-24

SthNto VA ohO - iSoSA&A w piV-
tect and assist the friends Of the Union
against domineering faction. If they
could once be disabused of this error, and
become satisfied that the whole Southern
people, with unanilnity far greater than
prevailed in the old Revolution, demand
separate and independent government, we
believe that at least good men at the North
would insist upon abandoning war which
could only, in that case, be considered an
attempt to subjugate free people to
government repugnant to them.
The reluctance with which our people,
Notwithstanding the uniyesal sense of long
continued and increasing wrongs, have
been brought to believe in the necessity of
an immediate separation from the North,
has contributed to the impression referred
70 on the Northern mind. Now, it is
mainly for the purpose Of testifying to the
facts in the case as regards our own people,
and correcting the false impression made
on the Assembly and the Church for want
of an opportunity adequately to represent
the views of Southern Presbyterlans on the
floor Of the Assembly and in the Northern
press, that we hereby address you.
We hnoao aolot aoe assert aohen aoe aver
that oar aohole people, aoith a auaandmity
aohach zoe haze neUer seen at any other time
or. on any other subject, do sustain the
Southern Contederacy, and renoua,ce the
government Of the Federal Union. They
hold it to be their inalienable right to de-
tcrmine for themselves whether the extent
of their grievances justified this step
They claim it as the essential privilege of
freemen to determine the government un-
der which they will live. And further
aore, they have staked their all upon the
Maintenance of this position. No part of
southern pcoplc are more loyal to their
soyernnaS'e, nono contrfpute more freely
of their substance to sustain it, none send
their sons more readily to the battlefield
to defend it, than our own congregations.
A sense of oppression and wrong on the
part of the North in institutiug and sus-
tanning this war upon the South is deep
seated and abiding in their minds, and
they will shrink from no sacrifices, and
turn away from no dangers in resisting it.
We do assure you, brethren, that the
deliberate, fixed, and conscientious deter
mnation Of opr people to maintain their
independence equals or surpasses what
history tells us of our Revolutionary sires
Tbs war waged upon US is not against a
faction it sin reality, whatever you may
suppose it to be, aoar Of suljugation
against a aohole people IN order q compel
them to surrender tbe government otf their
oeal choice, and submit to one IN aejbssch they
Aaap lost all .c9niioeace, and sehaeA they
rerttNnce and detest
That such are the sentiments Of the
whole Southern people we fully believe
Weare in the midst Of them, and have
every opportunity of knowing how they
think and feel. Mr.. Russell was not
wrong ip writing from Montgomery of
" the compact and united South" Our
newspapers utter but one voice. Our
leading men give all the same counsels.-
Oar popular votes show an unexampled
unanimity. We are aware that Mr.. Lin
coin throws discredit even upon the over
whelming vote Of Tennessee by the init
nation that the people were overawed by
the presence Of an armed force Of the dom
inant faction. We do not hesitate to pro-
nounce this an unqualified .talseAooI, The
free people Of Tennessee arc not such era
veas as 10 be deferred by force from exer-
cising their rights ofsahffrage. And ii is
utterly false that it was attempted. No
man in Tennessee in approaching the bal
lot-box came across bayonet. In pre-
cincts near which troops were encamped,
the voters in each company marched early
in the day, without arms, to deposit their
ballots, like other citizens; and after that
no soldiers were seen ut the polls. Il It is
an Infamous and absurd falsehood that the
vote Of Tennessee, by the overwhelming
majority Of 1000, was not the full and
free expression Of the mind and will 'of
the people. And, as such, the minority
who sdissented are rapidly giving In their
adhesion, and expressing their determine
tion to cooperate with the State. The
most diaaffected districts of West Tehnes-
see are now raising companies Of volunteers
to defend their native soil from invasion
That the vote was free, and the result a.
fair exponent Of the will Of NE people,
is plain enough from the official returns,
which show that small votes for tho Union
were polled even at the precincts which
rendered the largest vote, for separation.
Il Is from our own knowledge tiatswe de-