The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-05-31
The Position of the South Endors-
[rrnm lhe Na,hrill. nnnner.l

tIu Gtttto 5000 49, N'''|'f
Us impoliiic. They believed that an effort
to secure the constitutional rights Of the
South. by an appeal to the people OF all
the States. should be made, and that il
would be successful. They nevertheless,
at alk<imes, claimed the right of reyolu-
ton Cor these States, and declared them
selves opposed TO any attempt to coerce
them to remain in the Union against their
will. One after another the Gulf States
separated from the Union. and still the
majority of the people Of the border States
chung to the hope Of settlement, and "
reconstruction of the Union upon such N
basis as would ensure equality and honor
to the stakeholder. They were encourag~
ed in this endeayor by assurances from
leading men connected with the Repub-
lican despotsm that peace policy would
be observed-that the forts would he evac-
uated. and that no attempt would be made
to coerce a State. The New York Til
June, now the most rampant and fierce of
the subjugation organs of the Admins
tration, took ground in favor Of peace
able separation, if separation was de-
manded by any respectable number of
States. That paper of last fall said:
IL the cotton States unitedly and earn
estly wish to withdraw peacefully from
the Union, we think they should and
would be allowed TO do so. Any attempt
to compel them by force to remain would
be contrary to the principles enunciated
in the immortal Declaration Of Independ-
ence- contrary to the fundamental ideas
on which human liberty is based.
In another issue of the same paper, Ho.
race Greedy says:
We repeatedly asked those vino dissent
from our view Of this matter to tell us
frankly whether they do, or do not. assent
to Mr. Jefferson's statement in the Declar-
alton OF Independence, that governments
derive theii just powers from the consent
of the governed, and that whenever any
form OF government becomes destructive
to these ends, it is the right of the people
| to alter or abolish il, and to institute
new government, &c. We do heartily ac-
cept this doctrine. believing it intrinsinalr-
ly sound benefcient, and one that, uni
versally accepted, is calculated TO prevent
the shedding of seas of human blood
And if it justified the secession from the
British empire OF three millions of colon
lists in l776. we do not see why it woulul
not Justify the secession of five millions OF
Southerners from the Federal Union, i'm
1861.
This is all that The people Of the South
claim, and for claiming this the Republir
can Despotism declares they shall be sub
jugated that they shall be forced torer
main in the Union--that the Union flag
shall float upon every foot Of soil compris-
ing the old Union. 1t is reduced to O.
mere question of freedom or slavery, to-
be decided at the point Of the bayonet.---
There is no question of right. The right
is conceded in the above extracts from the
Tribure, and we have it from still higher
authority. Abraham Lincoln, when "a
member of Congress in lS4S, said:
Any people, anywhere, being inclined
and having the power. have the RIGHT to-
| Ilsc VI vi tbt SAioth'E EO'Nih
ment, and form new one that suits them
better. This is most valuable, a most
sacred right-a right which, we hope and
believe, is to liberate the world. Nor is
this right confined TO cases in which the
whole people of an existing government
may choose to exercise it. Any portion
of such people that can, MAY revolution
ize and make their OWN of so much Of the
territory as they inhabit. More than this,
a majority of any portion Of such people
may revolutionize putting down a MINORS
ty intermingled with or near about them,
who may oppose their movements. 1t is
a quality Of revolutions not to 60 by old
laws, but to break up both and make new
ones.-[ appendix Con. GtoLe, Isl session 35th
Congress, page "a.
The South accepts this platform. Tho
RIGHT being conceded them TO resist q
wicked despotism, under the rule of the
very man :7ho uttered the above senti-
ments-who has usurped power and vio-
grant manner, and, in the face Of the re-
cent refusal of Congress TO sanction the
very measures and policy he has adopted
we appeal to the God of Battles to de-
eide the issue. Having right and justice
on our side-united to defend our consti-
tutional guarantees, our homes and fire.
sides from an anii-slavery horde-tbough
we may be inferior in numbers-we MUST
win our independence.
The contest is stripped Of all past issues.
The record Of the events which brought
US to the attitude which we now occupy
is sealed. 1t is enough for every South
ern man, whose home, whose interests,
whose affections are identified with the
South, to know that this is war OF sec
tions--a united North against the South.
; Is il not time we should have united
South? Surely, no patriot should hesi-
tate.
The "WEAKNEss or THE SoUrH.-A
5 new literary paper, just started in New