Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1861-10-10
County Secession

Our contemporaries who have hastily understood US as
asserting the doctrine of county secession have wholly
misunderstood u.s. We neither assert nor believe any
SUCH thing. That indeed. would be rebellion ag,iust
the sovereignty which would be the last either to
advocate or sanction.
In our article of yesterday referred to the consti
tutional obstacles in the way of carrying out the trans
fer of territory from one State TO another We
quote the provision find it in the permanent Con-
stitution of the Confederate States Art ILL., Section
ill.,, Paragraph /.
l. Other States may be admitted into this Confedeacy
vote twothrds the whole House of Representatives
and of the Senate the Senate voting by states
State shall be formed erected within the ju
sdcton of any ether State any State be formed by
the junction of States part of States with
out the Of the Legislatures of the States concerned
as well as Of the Congress.
The provisions Of the Confederate Constitution upon
this point are almost identical with those of the old
Federal Constitution and evidently asser. the principle
of the sovereignty of State all it's territory which
would be- of course Inconsistent with the idea of the
secession seperae action of subordinate parts. Any
change could only be accomplished by voluntary cesson
on the part of one State and voluntary acceptance on
the part of another added to all which, the consent of
Congress would have to be obtained Accomplished in
this way the change would be perfectly consistent with
the exremest notions of State Sovereignty nay of State
nationality We do not now recolect whether any such
change or transfer has ever been made but we would
remind the editor of the Raleigh Register, that the idea
is not new one by any means as he will recolect in
the case of Norfolk and Portsmouth, at time when he
was citizen of the State of Virginia. The cities Of
the Elizabeth situated as they the south side Of
In 90
Carolina and looking for more thinking themselves cut
off from the internal improvement system OF their oWr
State and believing that if a part OF Norta Carolina
they would be made the focus of ours did seriously agi
tate the question: not of secession, but OF requesting the
Legislature of Virginia to cede them to North Caro-
lina and the Legislature of North Carolina to receive
them. That idea, however, has long ago beer
abandoned in Norfolk and Portsmouth. These cite
Fare now united to their State in feeling, il indeed
they ever were at heart otherwise which we do muct
doubt. We only allude to this matter practica
illustration of idea, not because it resulted in any
thing because outside of that idea there any grea
similarity in the circumstances
Thenterests of this town. of this county, of this
ton, are identified with North CarOlina-so are tbei
feelings ard their history and so, no doubt cH be thel
history but there disgusting the fact that at
dry times they have been irrtated and goaded to sue
feeling Of evaporation that, for the time being the
!, would be willing to give expression and emphasis
such feelings 10 the most decided and unmistakeabl
o manner. They would certainly be willing to seced
from the systematic depreciation of their interests an
ignorance of their wants which marked too strongly th
course of action of which they know they have had
right to complain, and that bitterly And who sha
blame them for that?
But things mendng litte-perhaps all wi
" come right after much tribulatOn. Things may com
to be understood little better, and the confidence
which such understanding will give rise will be some
thing better than that blind confidence that fear gu
contemporary of the Register would have Us to indulge
: Acts alone can confidence and true kindness
spirit can alone ensure return in kDdsury sueel
or Misrepresentation viii do neither, while they ma
neutralize much Of the good sftct which even aco
It itself might produce-DaIy Journal, Sd inst.