The Camden weekly journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1853-1861, 1861-01-01

tic. Great Britain was DESTROYS of carrying,
out the policy Of all nations towards their Col,
onies, of making them tributary to her wealth
and power. She had vnst and complicated re.
lations with the whole world Her policy to-
wards her North American Colonies was to
identify them with her in nil these complicated
relations; and to make them bear in common
with the rest of the Empire, the full burden Of
her obligations and necessities. She had a
vast public debt; she had an European policy
and All Asiatic policy, which had occasioncd
the accumulation of her public debt; and which
kept her in continual wars. The North Amer.
lean Colonies saw their interests, political and
commercial, sacrificed by such policy. Their
interests required that they should not be idcn-
tilted with the burdens aud wars of tho mother
country. They had been settled under Char,
tcrs which gave them sclfgovcrnmcnt at least
30 FAR As their property was concerned. They
had taxed themselves, and had never been tax.
cd by the Government of Great Britain. 10
make them a part ofa consolidated Empire
the Parliament of Great Britain determined to
| assu.ne the power of legislating for the Colon,
les in ali cases whatsoever. Our ancestors re-
sisted the pretension. They refused to ac 81
part of the consolidated Government OF Great
Britain.
The Southern States now stand exactly il,
the same position towards the Norti,cru States
that onr ancestors in the Colonies did toward;
Great Britain. The Northern States, having
the majority in Congress, claim the same pow
er of oinnipotcncc in legislation as the British
Parliament. "Tl,e General Welfare is the
ouly limit to the legislation Of either; and the
majority in Congress, as in the British, Parla.
mcnt, arc the sole judges Of tho rspcdiency c
the legislation this General Welfare" requires
Thus, the Government of the United States
has become consolidated Government; and
the people of the Southern States are compel
cd 70 meet the very depotism their fathers
threw of il the Revolution of l7fG.
The consolidation OF the Government oi
Great Britain over the Colonies, was attempt
cd to be carried out ly the taxes. The British
Parliament undertook to tax the Colonies, to
promotc British interests. Our fathers resist
ed this prctension. They claimed the right oi
sclftsxaticn hrongh uteir Colonial Legislatures,
They were not represented in the British Par,
Lament, and, therefore, could not RIGHTLY be
taxed by its legislation. The British Govern
ment, however offered them representation
in Parliament; but It was not sufficient to en-
ablc them to protect themselves roni the ma
iority, and they refused the offer. Between
taxation without any representation, and taxa
ton without representation adequate to pro
lection there was no difference. In neither
case would the Colonies tax themselves. Hence,
they refused to pay the taxes laid by the Brit
| ish Parliament
And so will, the Southern States towards
the Northern States, in the vital matter OF
taxation. They arc in minority in Congress
Their representation in Congress i. useless to
protect them against unjust taxation; and they
Jsai5fi, exactly as the peeil :.e w. .at Britain
taxed our ancestors in the l:rtisn's' 'ar!iame:!l
for their benefit. For the last forty years the
taxes laid by the Congress Of the United States,
have been laid with view Of sulscrsns the
interests Of the North The people of the
South have beer taxed by duties on imports,
not for revenue, but for an object Inconsistent
with reycnue-to promote, 10y prohibitions,
Northern interests in the productions o. their
mines and manufactures.
There is another evil, in the condition Of the
Southern towards the Northern States VIII ch
our ancestors refused to bear towards Great
Britain. Our ancestors rot only taxed them
selves, but all the taxes collected from them
were expended amongst them. Had they sub
mittcd to the pretenSionS of the British Gov
ernmcnt, the taxcSwcollected from them would
have been expended in other parts of the Brit
e., Empire. They We're fully aware o: the c.:
feet of such policy in impoycrsling the pco
plc from whom taxes are collected, and III en-
richipg those who receive the benefit of their
expenditure. To prevent the evils Of such Il
policy. was one of the motives which drove
them on to Revolution Yet this british poll.
CIV, has been fully realized towards the South
crn States, BY the Northern States. The peo-
plc of the Southern States are not only taxed
fer the benefit Of the Northern States but ;f
ter the taxes are collected, threc-tourths Of them
are expended at the North. This cause, with
Others, connected with the operation of the
General Government has made the cities Of
the South provincial. Their growth is paralyz-
cd; whilst they are mere suburbs of Northern
cities. The agricultural productions Of the
South are the basis of the foreign commerce of
the United States; vet Southern cities do not
carry it on. Our foreign trade is almost ami
hilatcd. In l740 there were five ship yards in
South Carolina to build ships to carry OH our
direct trade with Europe. Between l740 and
i779 there were built in these yards twenty
five so,,arc-riggei vessels. ..bcsidcs great num-
Der OF -sioops and sthooners, to carry on orr
coast and West India trade. In the half cell
tury immediately preceding the Revolution,
from 1925 to l775, the population Of Soath
Carolina incra rascd scvcn-!uld.
No nau can for moment believe that our
ancestors intended to establish over their pos
tcrity exactly the same sort of government
they had ovcrthrown. The great object OF
the Constitution of the United States, in its
internal operaton was, doubtless. to secure
the great end of the Rcvolution--a lmitc,l
free govcrnmcnt-a government limited to
those matters only which were general and
common to all portions of the United States.
All sectional or local interests were to be left
TO the States BY no other arrangement would
they obtain free government, by a Constitution
common to so vast n Confedcracy Yet, by
gradual and steady encroachneLts on the part
Of the people OF the North, and acqniescencc
on the part of the South, the limitations in the
Constitution have been swept away; and the
Government Of the United States has become
consolidated, with q claim Of limitlcss powers
in its operations.
1t. is not.at all surprising, whilst such is the
character of the Government of the United
States that it should assume to possess pow CT
over all the institutions Of the country. The
unitations OH the subject Of slavery are the