Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-01-27
9ailg 9ppear.
SPEECH OF J. p. FsETE.WTT
Or loUrsraVf

sue senate, as in Committee oF .Fb, ,-b,i
lesliaeo the consideration of the ioint rssoi
l, 5-ol ( > no 4s) introduced bv Mr. johnson.
Lenae ssse. proposing amendments to he Co
ba,9slon Of the UEiied states.1
~ 5EAJANTN: Mr.. President, when
ts-t 1-e noof az our last adjournment state
tesi ! expected 10 address tie gsnat. TO-DAY
reference to the critical issue t,o,V bsfors n
Soah-ry. ! has supposed that hv this tin
t1eie Wouid have been some official commun
cation 70 TIE Senate in reference to the fat
nov kuoWn TO all Of the condition Of sfsh
ID south Carolina. viii assume Tor The uu
poses or TIE remarks that have tc make, th.
tlose taeis have been officially Communicate.
tho adaress myself 10 tnem. And, Mr p ies
cent, probably never has deliberate ssssu
oig oeen called apou 10 del bsrate a QusEtir
caicutea 70 awaken a more solemn srnse
responsibility than those th6, now addres
our consideration. We ere brought st AZ.
sir, cireeilT, forcej, 10 meet promptly ar issu
produced by an irresistible ocuIse u even.
whose Inevitable results s1ma Of IS al least
nave ioreseen for years. Nor, sils have vi
FAILED 10 our duty OF warning ile Republican
that they were fac. driving e point Wher
the very instincts OF ssH-preervatioa woll.
Impose upon us The certain Bcessily Of sep2'
Tation- We repeated those warnings VITA
ocpth OF conviction, with 40 earne5tness o.
assertion that inspired the Iope that we shoui'
succeed IN impsrling at lest some faint asslr
ance Of our sincerity to these By whose Al,
alone ccU'd the crisis bsarerted. Bur, sirs ol
assertions were deEidei our predictions were
sesded at; s'l our honest and patriotic eiilra
10 save the Cousiiutirn and Uaion sneercd g
and maligned, az jinated, not by love o
country, but BY tie base aa,bi.ion Tor PIac'
aad power.
Mr. President. It Jas been Justly said .hs
fa "a .-fa q eli
in no auch spiri.. 7ut with The simple desire %
free myself personally, az a pus.ic se-ya1t
from all rPsnoll hilItV from the present cCnci-
tion OF aifs irs thst desire 20 recall 20 tae
Senate some remarks made By ne in debate
more than four wears ago, iu which I predicted
the precise stzie of public feeling now, and
pointed cut -de two priaciqle causes 'h7t were
Ger ain to rrotlce that state. The hfst wsi
the in-es-ant stack o. the Republicans, no'
simply on the Interests, bu. on he feelings and
seasibiiides Of a high spirited people, by the
most insulting language, and the nost Often
eiFe epithets he ether was their fatal success
in psrsuad ~ their followers that these con.
slant Eggressions could be continued and
Kept up with no danger; that the South vas
TOO weak and too conscious ot weakness 70
dare resistance. Sir, on The % Of May, 1850,
sfter reviewing this subject at some Length,
ssii:
two interests coutraste3-theN North struggling
for TIE pessession Of q power 20 which she hs'
no legitimate claim under The Constitution, for
the sole purpose Of abusing that poweT-the
South stTugg ing for property, honor, safety
all that is dear % man-tei 1a IL the history
of the worl1 exhibits an example Of people
occupying uors ennobhn- attitude than the
people Of the South? To vi-upsTatiou they
oppose calm reason. To msnacss and threats
-n
perioritv, rfey flscainreplT. To direct attacks
o. their rights or their honor, they appeal to
ne guarantee o. The Constitution; and when
hose gurantses shall fail, and not tin then,
Will the Injured, outraged South throw her
sword into he srals Of her right aud appeal
e the god af battles TO 90 her Justice. I say
her sword, because am not ole Of those Eh0
believe 10 the possibility Il a peaceful sisTuF-
doR OF The Tlion Il csnnot come until an
possible mts-s -f cancellation have been sx-
hsusted O. cannot cone until every angry
passion shaIlhsvs been reused; it csnnot cone
until brothsrl- feeling shall have been colvsr-
ted into deadly hate; and th-n, sir, with feel
fngs cmbittzreI bv ihe Consciousness OF iuTut-
tee or passions ti-h-Vr0uslt or irlsmei,
cTesdful vii be The ia.eInscile var that mus,
ensus.
"Mr. President, among what consider TO
Be tue most prominent dangers that now exist,
party at ths North have succeeded in pursua3-
ing 'hs masses Of the North that thers is no
Danger. Tnev have finally SO wrought upon
The opinion Of taeir cwa people al home by
the constant iteration Of tie SANE false slate
meu's sEd The sane false principles, shat The
people cf The North cannot be made to believe
thai The South Is i1 earnest, Withgtalding
is calm and resOluts determination which
Produces be quiet, so omiD5us Of evil, If ever
The clouds shall burst. The people al the
North are taught 10 laugh at the danger of
dissolution. Qhe honorable Senator is rePortsd
10 have said, with exquisite amenilv, iba. the
South would not be kicked out Of the Union.
The honorable Senator fr0m New York SAYS
"Ihe Shareholders, in spite of al itslI
threats, are bound 10 81 bv the same bonds,
and they are bound 70 it also By a bond rrru-
lisriy heir own-that Of dependence or It for
thsir 0wn salsty. Three miilioH slaves are a
hostile force cons,a autiy i1 their presence. in
their very midst Tie servils war j. always
the most fssrfsl form Of war. Tie world
without srmratiizcs with the serviie enemy.
AEainst that war the American Union BE- tie
only defense Of the slavsholders-their only
protection. if ever they shall, in q season of
madness, recFte from that Uaion, and provoke
that war. - viii soon cone hack scain.7
ssIle onsss bic Senator from Massachusetts,
(Nr. Wilson, iudulgs IN the repetition Of p
rhetoric that srem8 peculiarly to please bis ear
snd tickle bis fancy. Hsrpprasenis the SOUTH
ern mother as cisspinE her infant with convul-
HiFe and closer embrace, because TIE black
aTengeT, With uDlifted dagger, would be ~ the
door, and be tells us that IS bond Of Union
which we dare DO vioists.1
Dir. Precedent, 10 nan can deny that The
words uttered four years and hair sg0 form
q faithful picture Of tie state of things that
We see around u= noW. Would TO God, sir
th5t conid beieFe that The sppFehsnsiol Of
civil war, then plainly expressed, were bGt the
vain imsEinatioBs of q timorous spirit. Alas,
sir, the feelings and sentiment expressed since
tie Commencement IF lis session. On the op-
posite side of tits f0sT, almost force the be-
lief that civil war is their desire; aud that
the day rs full nesr when american citizens
are 20 meet each other in hostile array: and
when TIE hands Of hrolseB viii be redeemed
with the bood OF brothers.
Mr.. President, the State OF South c roHna,
with uBauiuiiy scarcely with parallel in bis
torr, has dissolved The Uaion which connects
her With The other states of TIE Canfederacv
and declared herself Independent. We, 'hs
represent tatires Of those remaining States,
stand hsTe to-iaT, bound either 10 rec0gnizs
that independence, or 70 overthrow 81; either
70 permit her peaceful secessi3n frsn the Con-
fedurscv. CT nHt Der down " force 0f arms
That 6 FRA issue. Thai is the sole issue. No
artifee cen conceal &C. No attempts by men
10 disguise It from their own eoasciencrs. ard
from an excited Or aisrned pabiis, can suffice
to conceal g. Those attempts are equally
futile and disingenuous. As foT the attempted
diet nctan between cosrcing a state, and
foTciug all he people Of The state, by arms,
TO Weld obedience to an authority rspuiiated
bT the sovereign will Of the S s'e, ex ressed
in i.E most sutheutic form, is as unsornd in
principle as it Is impossible Of practical ap-
plicstion. Upon thai point, however, I shall
have something 20 say a little further on
II We elevate ourselves, Dir. President, 10
The hight from whieh we are bound to look in
order b embrace al The vast consequence
that mnst result from our decision, we are BOT
pernitis1 10 gnore The fact that cur de-srmi-
nstnn does noi involve the State Of South Car
oliss alone. EsEi week Mississippi, Alabama
audFIorida VIII bave declared themselves in.
depsden'; ihe Weel, after, Georgia; and iit-
tie iter, Louisiana; soon, very soon, 10 be fol-
ToygH bv Texas and Arkansas. I ccnfne mr-
self agrposeiT 70 these eight S-ates, because !
vrisdto speak only 3f those whose action We
knox with perfect certainty, and which no
man tan for m0mrnt pretend 10 controteTr
Idesgusdiy exclude c'hers, about whose ac-
ton ifeei equally confident, aitho s1 others
nav rise a caVil
Noa. sir, shall we recognize de fact bat
south Carolina has become an independent
State, q shall we wage war against hers and
first asto her right. ] do not agree with
those SO think @ idle 10 discuss that right
In grsst crisis ike this when the right as
serted b a sovereign STATE is questioned, a
ferarf Inspect for fhe opinions Of mankind ~
Ieast retuirre that those who maintain that
-igbt. sId mean to act upon, it, should state
tbe rea astns upon wiieb they maintain BE-, IT.
In The decussinn Of hie question, shall refer
tc familiar principles, il is Dot that deem it
At an nrtesssrv O. cail the attention o. mer-
hers here TO Their; but because they natura iy
fsIl vf.bla tbs scope of ny argument which
Inivht offsrVgiss prove nnin,el.i gible.
From II. tine that thie people declared its
ioSsBeudtpce Of Great Brtaiu. the rish. Of
~ 8eoalt 10 self-government IN its fullest and
Fros5et 4 eri euf has been csTciBai principle
If Amsriean liberty. None dehr IT, and In
fbsf ripbt 10 use the Language cf The Deelsra-
10, ffssif Is snciua The right whenever a
form az Government becomes destructive CT
heir Interests or ;heir safety to alter or 70
ekoiiab a. and 70 insd ute new government,
Is.fr- ,is 'euasation on such principles and
,,,.-sn.z ziur its powers 90 such form az to them
sbsii SEN most likely 70 effect ,beirsafeiy and
bsrnfssss." admit that there is principle
tbs- 7ood.fss this power, 10 which shall pres
s1flv advert but leaving ihs. principle Tor a
,son,eut ost Of view, Fsy that there e no
,ibsr nodi fcatfon which, corsistenily With our
1.b.-+r. 81 can admit, and that she rglt Of The
reonle oF ans generation, in conFealifn GUY