Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-08-09
DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
OF THE
STATE Of MISSOURI.

/ did, on the twelfth day OF June, one thousand
eight hundred and twenty, " mutually agree Il
form and establish free and independent re.
public by The name Of the State of Missonri'
| On the tenth day of August, eighteen hundred
and twsnty-one, the State was duly admitted
into the Union Of the United States Of America
under the compact called the Constitution ol
the United States, and "on an equal footing
with the original States in all respects what
ever" The freedom, independence ana SOW
areignty Of Missouri, and her equality witt
| the other States Of the Union, were thus guar.
anteed, not only by that Constitution, but By
! the law Of nations requiring the sacred obssT-
vance Of treaties.
In repeated instances, the government and
people OF the States now remaining in thai
/ Union, have grossly violated, in their con-
duct toward the people and state Of Missouri
| both the constitution of the United States
| and that Of Missouri, as well az the genera
great and essential principles Of liberty ant
1 free government Tneir president, Abrahail
Lincoln, in avowed defiance Of law and the
constitution OF the United States, and under
the tyTant's plea Of necessity, has assumed to
/ regulate commerce with foreign nations and
smung the several States, stopping BY violence
our trade With our soulhern neighbors, and
! depriving our cii iZpns Of the right, secdI ed
TO them by a special, solemn compact with
the United States, to the free navigation Of tie
power granted exclusively to congress
in declaring war against the tCohfed-
crate States; to carry on this unhoiy s9tempt
! to reduce a free people into slaYish subJeetisa
to him, be has, in like violation OF the consH
| tuition, raised and supported armies, aud pro-
vided and maintained navy. Regardless Of
the right reserved to the States respectively, Of
training the militia snd appointing its efhcers,
be has enlisted and armed, contrary to law, un-
der the name Of Home Guards, whole regi-
ments Of men, foreigners and others, in our
State, to defy the constitutional authorities,
| aud pluuder and murder our citizens. BY
armed force and actual bloodshed, be has even
/ attempted to deprive the people Of their right
! to keep aud bear arms in confo nifty to State
! laws, and to form well regulated militia
necessary to the security of a free State.
! With bis sanction bis soldiers have been
! auarteFed in houses without the consent OF
/ the owners thereof, and without aaY sa51orlty
1 Of law. The right Of the people to be setsiFe
! IN their persons, housea. papers and effects,
] against unreasonable searches and seizuses bias
| been habtually and grossly violated by hi9
officers acting under his srdeTs. He has utter
! " ignored the binding force of eur constitu-
tional State laws, and carried bis insolence TO
such an extent as to introduce, from other
States, free negroes into our mitst, and place.
] them In positions OF authority over our white
! citizens. He has encouraged the stealing OF
our slave property. la these and other pro-
ceedings the government and people Of the
northern States have Enthusiastically shown their
intention to overturn the social iustitu ions Of
Missouri, and reduce lher white citizens TO an
! equality with the bladks. In the execution OF
bis despotic wishes, bs agents, without even
rebuke froTa bin, have eXhibited a brutality
scarcely credible Of q nation pretending to
civilization Even women, and children OF
tender age, have fallen victims to tie unbridied
license Of his unfeeliHg sOidierY.r~ lie has
| avowedly undertaken to make tAecivii power
subordinate TO the military; and Sith sbe des-
picsble and cowardly design OF thus protect
! ing himself and bis accOmRiices, by binding
the consciences of the unhappy victims OF bis
! tyranny, bel has exactsd from peaceful citizens,
/ guilty Of no crime, IN oath to support his de-
/ testable goVeTnment. To crgsh out even
! peaceful and lawRni opposition to it, be has
] forcibiv aud unc0bstitutionaliV suspended the
privilege Of the writ of habe7s corpus, and
! abridged the freedom Of speech and of the
press, by subiecliDg innocent citizens to pun
/ ishment for mere opiuion's sake, and by pre-
veatiEg the publication Of newspapers inde-
| pendent enough eto expose bis treason to
! liberty.
These manifold and iBhuman wrongs
were long submitted TO in patience, and almost
| in humility, b. the people of Missouri,
] and their authorities. Even when the conduct
/ Of toe Lincoln government had eliminated il
/ an open war upon US, those authorities offered
/ to its military commander in Missouri to refer
/ to the people Of the State for decision the
/ question Of our separation from a government
4 "a. T. .
authorities relied on The principles consecrated
! in the Declaration OF independence of the
! United States, that, to secure the rights of the
| citizen, " governments are instituted among
| men. deriving their Just powers frOn the con-
sent OF the governed; thar, whenever any form
/ of government becomes destructive of these
ends, it is the right Of the people 10 alter OF
abolish It, and to institute new government
/ laying its foundation on such principles, and
| organizing its powers in such form, a TO their
shall seem most likely to effect their safety
| ndhappiness.1 Missouri having an admitted
| equality with the original States which had
made this declaration, it was hoped that thl
rights therein asserted would not BE- denied L
her people. Her authorities also relied on tht
clause in the very Co stitutIon with which sbt
was admitted into the Union, asserting as on,
Of ihe general, great and essential principles
Of liberty and free government, " that the pee
PIE Of this State have the Inherent, sole snC
exclusive right Of regulating the internal gov.
ernm ut and police thereof, and OF alterins
and abolishiHg their constitution and form O.
government whenever it may be necessary t,
their safety and happiness" But this military
commander hsughtilv refused the consent o
bis government to the exercise by US of thes
rights, which our ancestors in the last centurl
endured an eight years. war to vindicate. II,
but expressed, however, the deliberate purPos
of his masters at Washington and the peopl
over which they rule for his predecessor a
st. Louis had, few weeks before, formaill
IAoclaimed to our people, that our equalit'
with other States would be ignored, thai W
should be held IN subiection TO the North, evel
though the independence of our Southern siste
States might be acknowledged that, to use hi
| own words, whatever may be the termination
| of the unfortunate condition Of things in Tespec
TO the so-called Cotton States, Missouri INKS
share the destiny Of the Union :" that the fre,
will Of her people should not decide her future
but that g" the whole power Of the goveTnmen
of the United States, if necessary, will be ex
erted to maintain Missouri u her presen
position in the Union," in subiection to tn
tyranny Of the North.
The acts Of President Lincoln have been in
dorsed by the congress and people Of th
Northern States, and the war thus commence,
. by him has been made the act OF the govern
ment and nation over which he rules. The
have not only adopted this war, but they haV
gone to the extreme of melting portions c
cur people to revolt against the State authori
ties; by intimidation they have obtained con
troll Of the remnant left Of a convention de
, irving its powers from those authorities, an
using it % tool, they have through it set NJ
an insurrectionary government in open rebel
lion against the State. No alternative is lef
us, we must draw the sword and defend on
sacred rights.
By the recognized universal public law o
! all the earth, war dissolves all political com
] pacts. Our fOrefathers gave as one Of thei
grounds for asserting their independence, tha
= the king Of Great Britain had "abdicsted GOV
eFEuent here BY declaring Us ont Of bis pro
lection, ana Waglng var upon US" The peo
pIe and government Of the HoTtharn gtatas 0
TIE late Union have acted in the same name
toward Missouri, and have dissolved, by wal
The connectisn heretofore existing between he
and them.
Ths general assembly Of Missouri, the re
? cogpiged poltieai department OF her govern
ment, by an act approved May 16th, 1861, en-
titled HAn act 10 authorize the governor of th
state Of Missouri to Suppress rebellion and re
pei invasion" has vested in the governor, i
respect to the rebellion and invasion nov cal
Fiea on in Missouri by the goyernmsDt an
: PcOP'e u t-S L'+I4' H'osS ~ 't-1i'
the authority "to take such measures os in hi
: judgment be may deem necessary or proper t
4 Tepel such Invasion or put down such rebel
u | lion.o
, NOV, therefore, by virtue of the authority i
J. ms vested by said act, |, Claiborne T. Jack
con, governor OF tbs State OF Missouri, sp
peaiing to the Supreme judge Of the world 70
the rectitude Of my intentions, and firmly be
y lieving that ] am herein carrying into efec
d the will of the People Of Missouri, do here b
& in their name. by their authority, and on tbei