The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1861-01-12


The "Dcclara,ion Of Independence of South
Carolina, done in Convention December oath,
$780," is not only fully done but has some in
excusable errors for what is intended to be a
grave document Had the immortal state paper
of which this is buresque contained such in
accuracies as the South Carolina document, il
would scarcely have survived the war that gave
1t existence. Among other blunders and mis-
takes is the one SO often exposed in relation to
Virginia, and "her cession OF the territory which
now composes the States north of the Ohio
river" As Virginia never owned the territory
composing these States, never had the shadow
of title to any portion Of it except the southern
parts of Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, the republic
of South Carolina betrays great ignorance il,
her .Declaration of Independence" 1t would
be we'll for her distinguished sons, in Convention
ass mbled, to make themselves acquainted with
the geographical and documentary history OF
the country with which her commissioners are
seeking to open negotiations.
By an examination of our revolutionary annals
they will learn that Connecticut, Massachusetts,
and New York, as we'll as Virginia, coded terri
tory northwest of the Ohio river; that The Vir-
ginia charter covered no territory north OF the
forty-rst parallel of latitude, and OF course she
ceded nothing above that parallel. They will
also learn that the other States owned the ter
ritory north; that Connecticut in making her
decd of cession north of that parallel, while she
surrendered jurisdiction reserved the fee or pre-
emption to the soil, the breadth of that State ex-
tending one hundred and twenty miles west OF
| Pennsylvania and south of Lake Erie--cOnstitu-
ting what is known as the Connecticut Western
Reserve. If they will farther prosecute their in
quiries they will find that the owners OF land in
all that part of Ohio derive their titles, not from
Virginia or the Federal Government, but from
| Connecticut, whose charter covered that terri
tory, and vino never parted with the right OF soil
until long after the Revolution and the organlZa-
ton of the territory north Of the Ohio, when she
sold it, and derived therefrom her munihcent
| school fund.
New York, whose title conficted with Massa-
chusett., was the first State to cede her claim to
the United States in 1881, and was followed by
| Connecticut whose territory was bounded south
| by Virginia and extended westward to the Mis-
| sis>ippi.
| 1t may be said in extenuation of the signers of
| the South Carolina Declaration" that others
besides themselves have adopted this error,
which for some years has been prevalent among
the superficial members of Congress, most OF
| whom are shamefully ignorant of our territorial
history. Even Mr.. Crttenden, in his lately care
fully revised speech, commits the same mistake
rs the South Carolina Solons, and builds com
appeal on their false presumptions He says:
"Mr. President, rise to suggest another con-
sideraton. l have been surprised, to find upon
a little examination, that when the peace OF
1888 was made, which recognized the indepen
dence Of this country by Great Britain, the States
north of Mason and Dixon's line had but terri
tory Of one hundred and sixty-tour thousand
square miles. 1t was so divided. Virginia
shortly afterwards coded to the United States ali
that noble territory northwest of the Ohio river,
and excluded slavery from it. That charged
the relative proportion of territory. After tina,
the North had four hundred and twenty-five
thousand square miles, and the South three hun
dred and eighty-fve thousand. Thus, at once,
by the concession of Virginia. the North, from
nne hundred and sixtv-four thousand, rose TO
four hundred and twenty five thousand square
miles, aud the South fell from six hundred thou.
sand to three hundred and eighty five thousand
square miles By that cesson the South became
smaller in extent than the North Well, let us
look beyond"
Before the Kentucky Senator entered upon
the square miles," he would have done well to
have posted himself on other primary essentials.
When did he suppose Virginia acquired her title
ito all that noble territory northwest of the
Ohio river" which, he says, she coded to the
United States? She had nc more claim to any
of the territory north of the forty first parallel
of latitude than she had to Nova Scotia, as Mr..
Crittenden will be satisfied if he will investigate
the subject lie has, like too many of our Congress
men, permitted himself to be imposed upon by
idle pretenders; like the secessionsts, be adopts
assertions without inquiry, and with false pre-
misses arrives at false conclusions. Here are
Senators building theories and arguments, and
revolutionists predicatins their acts on the emp
ty assumptions of arrogant and ignorant parti-
10 tiip,p hat nuryp mhpr nf
should desst from the utterance of this pitiable
error, unjust to other States, who entitled
to equ,l credit, at least, with Virginia, for do.
mating the territory northwest of the Ohio.
~. Y Eve. Post.
PECUNIARY DISTRESS AT THE SOUTH-A Phila- |
delphia correspondent of the N. Y. Tribune re-
lates the following:
A heavy house in this city, engaged in the |
Southern trade, embarrassed by the failure OF
remittances and the protest of innunerable notes,
some weeks since dispatched two clerks in diff |
terent routes to make collections, the only |
remedy for suspension. One OF these clerks |
traversed along the sea-board TO New Orleans. = |
At many poi Is he was assured that payment now |
was impossible. The debtors had 10 money |
nor could they collect any from those in the |
country who owed them. In fact, all the money |
seemed to have disappeared. Cotton was at a |
dead lock, down in price and no buyers. Real |
estate utterly unsuitable Negroes were ruinous
ly depressed
One man in the interior of Georgia, pressed |
by maturing obligations on his plantation, sent |
SIX of his choicest hands to a seaboa-d slave I
pen for sale, fixing lasr years price upon them |
--$l, 700 each. The slave dealer sent him word |
they could not be sold. He then lowered the |
price to 81 400 ard answered they would |
not command it. Then followed orders to sell |
them for what they would bring, as mo"ey must
be had, and they were finally sold at 800. This
ratio Of depreciation prevailed throughout. Ne
groes were, in fact, the only personal Chattels
that would command money. Owners were IN
many cases compelled to SELL while others sold
from apprehension of the future. The distrust
as to slave property was universal. Invasion
was looked to, and insurrection guarded against
more stringently than ever. As these chances
multiplied. the difficulty of selling increased
and prices fell. In only one instance was pay
nlent OF his clam offered him. and that was ne
groes at prices Of a year ago. In Virginia one
man offered to sell his entire property at thirty
per cent OF its recent value, SO that he might
get money enough to get away to the NORTH
Others privately expressed the strongest deter
mlnation to leave region where values were
disappearing, and everything in confusion. At
many places he grossly insulted and threat
secreting himself on board vessel sailing next
morning tor New York. He returned without
collecting single dollar. He described Ala
baIa as almost destitute of food and looks to
great suffering among the slaves from that
cause.
Preston King OF New York, in recent letter |
on the state OF the country, takes calm and |
reasonable view. lie says Il do not consider it |
absolutely certain that even South Carolina will |
do ANYTHING more than to pass Laws, ordinances, |
and resolutions of secession. These will not move |
the state out of its geographical or political posi-
ton, though the South Carolinians may swear it
does. If its citizens do not resist the execution OF
federal laws, or levy war, there is no breach OF
the law, and 10 Treason. Hut il is possible that
the South Carolnans and others may be so mad
to resist the law, or attack the United States
forts, and commit treason For them and for
the whole country this would be great calamity,
because vindication of the law by the whole
power of the country, and the legal punishment
of treason, must ~ once be entered upon by this
government, and if the civil officers are made