The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1861-02-07

/ laws are to be executed over the United
States. They have no relation to any
foreign country. 1t is porvcrsion OF
terms, at least it is a great misapprehen-
Ssion of the case, which cites that express
sion for application to State which has
withdrawn from the Union. You may
make war on a foreign State. Ifit be the
purpose of gentlemen, they may make
war against State which has withdrawn
from the Union but there are no laws of
the United States to be executed within
the limits of seeded State. A State
finding herself in the condition in which
Mississippi has judged she is, in which
her safety requires that she should pro
vide for the maintenance of her rights out
of the Union, surrcnders all the benefits,
(and they are known to be many) de-
prieves herself of the advantages, Ghey
are known to be great sewers all the ties
Of affection, (and they are close and en-
dearing,) which have bound her to the
Union and thus divesting herself CT eve
1y benefit, taking upon herself every bur
den, she claims to be exempt from any
power to execute the laws of the United
States within her limits.
1 well remember an occasion when Mas
sachusetts was alraigned before the bar
of the Senate, and when then the doctrine
of coercion was rife and to be applied
against her because of the rescue OF & flu
eitive slave in Boston Ny opinion then
was the same that it is now Not in q
spirit of cgotism but to show that am
not Influenced in my opinion because the
case is my own, l refer to that time and
that OCCASION as containing the opinion
which L then entertained, and on which
my present conduct is based. then said
if Massachusetts,, following her through a
stated line Of conduct, chooses TO take the
last step which separates her from the
Union, it is her right to so, and will
neither vote one dollar nor one man to
coerce her back; but will say to her, God
speed, in memory Of tic kind associations
which once existed between her and the
other States.
1t has been conviction of pressing ne
cessity it has been belief that we are TO be
deprived in the Union of the rights which
our fathers bcQueahcd to us, which
has brought Mississippi into her present
decision. She has heard proclaimed the
theory that all men are created free and
equal, and this made the basis Of an al
tack upon her social institutions ;.and the
sacred Declaration of Independence has
been invoked to maintain the position OF
the equality of the races That Declara-
ton of Independence is to be construed by
the circumstances and purposes for which
it was made. The communities
were declaring their independence; the
people of those communities were assert
ing that no man was born-to use the Ian
guage of Mr.. Jeficrson-booted and spur
red to ride over the rest of mankind; that
men were created cqual--meaning the men
of the political community; that tllerewas
no divine right to govern; that there
were no oclasses by which power and place
descended to families, but that all stations
were equally within the grasp Of each
member of the body-politic. These were
the great principles they announced; these
were the purposes for which they made
their declaration; these were the ends to
which their enunciation was directed.
They have no reference TO the slave; else,
how happened it that among the items OF
arraignment made against George HI
was that he endcavored to do just what
the North has been endeavoring of late to
do-to stir up insmTection among our
slaves? Had the Declaration announced
that the negroes were free and equal, how
was the Prince be arraigned for stirring
up instruction among them? And how
was this to be enumerated among the high
crimes which caused the colonies to sever
their connection whit mother country?
When our Constitution was formed, the
same idea was rendered more palpable, for
there we find provision made for that very
class of persons as property; they were
not put upon the footing Of equality with
white men-not even upon that Of pau
pers and convicts; but, SO far as represen-
tation was concerned, were Disseminated
against as lower caste, only to be repre-
41,onnn,nrinnl1nr 1nrnnoltinn of three