Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-05-28
wssopIv faTihsr development Of ihsir poIlcl

OF industry, ndpllb dhu lhsutuuohs' IN sue
a gorsrumens, fbe forms OF free government
instpsd Of sfording any mitigation, enly in
I crease the tendencF to excess and tyranny
OF what avail is representation in legisla
tive body, where fhe majority are united to
rether to agerandi7e their section, at the ex
/. pense OF the minority section The oppresse
! minority in the legislature, nav be zsBlougl
faithful to the people they represent, and We
they are perfectly poWerless 70 protect them
/. Do they show, 70 demonstration, that th
people theV represent are wronged and plum
dered By she measures proposed by the major
ltv? They are Offering the very best motive
and arguments, Why the measures should pass
The msiority mean to plundsr and Wronl
tie minority. They mean % make the weake
section their tributaries. Between a rcpresen
tation incompetent t1 protect, and norspresen
tation, there is no difference. where there arr
conf etinr interests in legislative body: and il
the election OF a chief magistrate, Of wha'
use is the right Of suffrage, when, If ever
nan in TIE oppressed section should vote
seainst the candidate OF the stronger section
tas the Southern States did in the late Presi-
! tsntisl election they cannot prevent bis eisc-
tioa. He is the exponent and instTums1t Of
the stronger secfien, and is elected simply be-
e usa be j. fheir exponent. The only effect OF
4 tha right Of suffrage under such circumstances
! 70 a minority, is to elect an enemy 70 rule
them; and the only effect Of representation Is
o give the majority power to iegis,ate f0F heir
( oppression. by the forms Of free govern
! Hent, therefore, a msBy-headed dsspotism may
I he established by a stronger section over a
T weaker section far worse than the daspotism
. Of ore man. One man may have conscience,
+ bat us1 setinr ir masses seldom exhibit con
Heiart'0ls sri-7iss. Individuality and ~
4 s1aBribil.T ere lost In numbers. That " p
I corporation has no soul,0 is the proverbial
/ aTh0Eis-i OF English law, indicating the IN
I scupHiousnrss u men acting in masses. A
7 r'Hgls d0seoe las 10 motive to oppress one poF-
ti0n o. hls people more than another; bat here
( one haR oE country rises up to Plunder and
( oppress aIetberbslf.
The States composing the Confederate States
/ needed DO Development Of the nature If the
I consolidated Government established at Wash
I ington bv The late Presidential election to sat
Z isfy them Of ita despotc tendencies. With
+ the Constitution over-hr0wn, and tho Govern-
ment Of tbs United States in the hands of p
hostile 5ecticn, no 0nlv liberty. but saif-nres-
ergstian, demanded their separation from It.
Z To accomplish this separation no usurpatioa
Of power was required. They bad the ready
instrumsHtalty Ia the sovereignty Of the States.
Z There ia not a fact in all history more indis-
putahle than that the several STATES which
adop'ei the Constitution Of the United Sases,
for the establishment OF a govarnnent over
then, at the time Of its adoption were free,
sovereign and Independent States Robsd with
all the attributes Of sovereignty, did they, BY
tie adoption OF the Constitution Of the United
States, surrender their sovereignty? II they
did, the fact should be clearly shown. Not
one Of the powers granted was surrendered
By the States 70 each other, much less 70
their mere agsDt--tbe Government Of the
United States. Every act Of their agent
! IN ro-rfrrn1fA-r 20 ha r1rr-nro eoufrrr,I
their act its powers were their powers
They called themselves under this Consttu-
ton ~ tied States" As States, acting with
equal power, thsv made the Constitution; as
States, acting seVsTaly, they adopted it: and
bv the States only Il can be amended Il IL
an auOuaiy unheard Of in the political iuris-
prudsncs OF nations-thst the sovereignty Of
a nation is destroyed because It exercises any
Of its powers by express compact in common
with another sovereignty. They have estab-
lislet a governmental agency, 10 The Govern
ment o. the United States, for The common
benefit They are the sovereign parties to the
constitutional compact establishing this
isgeHcF; and whsh the compact is violated By
their co-sovereigns, they haT, the right to re.
'ect it and 20 establish for Themselves another
agency in ifs stead. There is not one word in
the Constitution Of the United States which
denies this right, and nothing but plain spe-
cifc alienation OF it can wrest it from the
States.
II seeding therefore from the United States,
The Confederate States have only exercised a
right inherent in all s0vsreigBties. In their
Judgment, the agreement they had made with
ihs Northern States bad been grossly violated.
It's whole purpose was overthrown. Instead
Of an agency Of very limited power, having
fer its object the defense of the States against
the aggressions OF foreign nations, It has been
converted into a government Of unlimited in
ternsi powers. Uriess the people Of the Con-
fe5sra.e States were prepared to surrender for
ever their liberties, there was but one course
isft for them to puTsus-Sbey must escape from
tie douiustion Of such a government.
Eat they have a rght to withdraw from the
Union By virtue Of another and broader prin-
eipls.
In I776, the Southern and Northern States
were colonies Of Great Britain. The British
government set up the preteutinn TO tax them
unius.lY; sad5 as they thought, without au-
tb0ritY. They refused obedience to the taxes,
.hTsw Of the British government, and set up
government for themselves. In their declaTa-
ton of independence, they justified their
rourse upon the bread ground that "the people
haFe q right 70 alter or abolish their Govern
arnmeHt, laying its foundation upon such prin-
cipies, and organizing its powers in such form
as 10 them may seem most likely 20 effect their
SAFETY and hsnp'neasn I. right 10 be a right,
Is entitled TO the Respect OF an men and nations.
One people cannot have a right, and another
people Be- justified 10 taking it from them.
Aav sLtemptfO take Il from them, must Be
ong. Eenca our ancestors denounced tbs
courss of Great Britain in attempting TO sub
Dc hem 60 ben Authority, in eontravention Of
The ight Wheeler IBIS right exists or not, it
is uaasniahle thft or ancestors affirmed that
e existed: sHd i;iu dtuted not only tho basis
% which LEY e q ID their Government, bat
the basls On " 2 the cllonsss united their
dcstiries seEese4. il was a clearly under
s.ood pfircipl q Government between them;
anf is iHs s' chg -o-Y uDon an who take th5
b-nrlt - The compact Of union, &c f inserted
iD the CGlsa 4tiol itself. IHs people OF the
North aEd o. people of the South, having snI-
emnly be'nrs TIE world asserted the right
o. every people to schange thsir form Of
government, rons togcther and make a union
snd Constitution. Can pitheF OF thsm deny
this right tI>the dtheF, consistent With any
pFfnCiuie nt.E1oa faith or honorf Il is not a
moral, as wsii So Political law, cleazly obliga-
tory upon thRm
Il is true, has every people are not capable
Of sef goVegnms1t Tho ssif-Fsstraiat and
oded .1n.a e. isW, which are sbsolutely neces-
ssry % mantaln free governments, are not
coum0 to a TIE 3eoPls Of the world In
stead Of Wlicg lhemselTes, they may attemEs
70 rlle otherH and he right 70 Salf- government
may Be 20 abRgedi 90 to iogfify the use Of de-
isnsivs force fHaHa wifbia to enforce iustice,
orfrom wiiho. By other nations, to protect
themselves. Ine people Of the Nor cannot
sag that the asoplr q ths South are iaeapsb bic
Of faFng fla4 4se,vss, TaeF cannot say, that
bY assuming seNsFa5ion from them. we take
from thsan a5y Fusrsntee they possess for
their libeT sees We leave them n no condition
I Of weakness einong ne nations a tae world.
Z We set Up no nsaeFe1y CT dsspotism on thelr
{ borders, oangeious to their forms Of free gov
4 srnmsn.. We take the Constitution unda7
( which hey iFf. and purging it OF TIE faithiess
I and vicious interpretations taey have pat upon
IT, adopt = G. q b 0IRn. Such reasons as these
I do net, taereiorf, govern their hostility. They
I en1elvor TO coeaea ul into a uniou vi b thsh,
I by military t1Ica, with a view cf ultimately
I ovuthrowing osr donsstie Institutions, OF
scplR beaanse ss az useful 70 them, Al con-
vsBient aublte-s ad most eKcslient tributa-
ries.
/ Z is true tie PTlsident ot toe Uaisad States
add tie great iead,Fs Of big party declare, that
! tbsY have had 10 aAsign Uhatever 10 assail or
( interfeTe vita toe f3itution Of African slavery
10 the State5. But be laws Of party presress,
/ are sometimes as incl ATable az tie laws Of na.
+ure. ina they hse4 tsd no design. St pres
] Ettaf "a itE slavery zoe states.
may be simply bessgae they supposes that Ii
I would dissolve he Union Nor have thov az.
itatea tfe subject Of slavery from any regard
70 the negro. Il is not humanity. which has
I cicta-ed this agitation Z has been policy. Iu
tbe seciiaaai dominion they propose 70 estab-
ish IN tie Union, every free State 3 an ally
every slayoholding Stair sn onetsy. Hence
the struggle 10 Cur territories between the free
aud siaveloiding States, has not BAN a ssrur-
gle tor the emancipation Of slaves. It has
5sen contest for power between the two
grea. sections OF the Union. The South, nee T.
ing sae aid O. slaveholiing s'ates arising in
c1r territories, 20 protect herself in The Union;
and The North rroBiring hem. to assist her IN
zoe Ereat enterprise Of rniing the South.
But there is marked difsranas IN this
contest, between the two sections Of the
baioas IN matter o. principle. The Southern
people. IN eisiming e right to settle in terrific
ries With their slaves, assert right sanctioned
by the Constitution. The Northern people. To
attempting to preclude he SSaihsrn people
by the legislatian Of Congress from our terri
tories, war sEsinst tie Constitution. This ID
the declaration Of the Supreme Court az shs
Untfd States. If the Northern nopitioa has
prevailed hy the late presidentlal election,
curt he NaTtnsfn people maintain, 1t has over
wiveWn the Constitution. For BY this result.
!. - -ty hostile boih TO tie Constitution and
-isi0ns Of the SapTsras Court, have haes
a. many Aia control of 'he Government. This
. fFe enefi-id fnsfify ! aiqsnlrfsrn ~ fhs Tr,3o,