The southern aegis. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1857-1862, 1861-10-26

tizens, and it's negation of the rights
Of the State-in its doctrine of ne
cessity-well called "the tyrants'
plea" that justifies equally the Aus
trian dungeon, the Siberian wilds,
and the classmates of Fort Lafayette,
and knows no limit but an arbitra-
ry will. They must uphold the
necessary" inventions of martial
law, of political prisoners, of verbal
treason, of permits to cross the Ches-
apeake, or the Atlantic; they must
furnish men and money, must levy
taxes and impress citizens at the
dictate Of the Government, whose
right to coerce they admit, and
whose arms they cannot resist.
For them there is no middle
ground or hating place. They
stultify themselves if they justify
the demands of the Government"
and disobey them.
But they do not mean to disobey.
They were eloquent and earnest in
decrying coercion and war-dem-
ohstrating their folly and crime
predicting the horrors that have
come to pass-until the Admins
tration determined to coerce and
then in prudent blindness they turn
from the fulfilment of their own
prophecy; in submissive silence ig-
more the wrongs of their fellow citi
zens, or meekly declare that the
Government is "lenient" because it
has not done all the harm it might,
it has let some innocent men escape
from oppression it had no right to
infict.
They shout loudly now, perhaps
to drown "the still, small voice."
the new watchword, war ! to the
last dollar and the last mani
They have already voted millions
of dollars and half million of men
ALREADY imposed their taxes, and
the process must go on until the
Government deigns to declare that
it has its fill of war, the law of ne
cessity is gratified and the Constitu-
ton may creep out into the sun.
No State has yet determined to
sustain the Government without
creating war debt.
Let usehaed the warning of Ken
lucky .sa Missouri. Kentucky as
serted absolute neutrality, and just
as long as her Governor and Legis-
lature united to maintain it, it was
recognized by the Administration.
A new Legislature determined not
only to preserve this position, (for
which it was elected) but to streng-
then it by supporting the Govern
meht also-at the word, the FEEDER
al troops seized Paducah; the Con-
federates occupied Columbus, the
Legislature rushed into the inevita-
BILE debt Of two millions, and the soil
of neutral Kentucky trembles be-
meath the tramp of hostile armies.
The Convention of Missouri made
for her a similar history, and her
fields are drenched with the blood
of her sons
We have addressed you thus freely
in plain words, that there may be
no misunderstanding. We have not
stopped to pick the delicate phrases
of new-fangled loyalty.
We do not counsel reasonable
acts or combinations; we do not
advise violence in conduct or I'M
kindness in feeling; we abet no re-
sistance to the law, or its constitu-
ted authorities. But we think, and
say, that we should not consult our
fears rather than our consciences; we
should not volunteer our substance
to the tax gatherer, or our hands to
the fetters-if we are doomed, let us
not be suicides. Whilst we are per-
mitted to speak, let us speak boldly
for truth and justice and civil lib
erty; whilst we are permitted to
vote, let us declare by our ballots
that we cling to State Rights as the
only barrier to oppression, and that
we know no necessity superior to
the nstitution. aa s7 70 t-ysa .5sls
Let us continue to advise, as the
Union party did in February last,
"that if it be found we cannot live
together in harmony under the Con-