The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1861-03-30

the session, enc more non-slsvehoiding State
Vas admitted aud seven slavehlslding States
seeded. leaving the present UniOn consist
ing Of 10 aon-siaveh.llding and slavehold-
ina States. We lost by secession more than
one.Eith Of the Union and near sne-half Of
the slasehOlding States, with gres. dissaiis-
faction prevailing in the remaiaing Southern
States. Under al these circumstances, the
South bsing the weaker section, aud having
by her Commissioners placed herself in that
condition, some concessions from the North
might reasonably have been expected.
But sorry = he was TO make the an.
nouneepleas. said Mr. T., truth and caudor
required him to say that no such concessions
were made or offered. or any reasonable as
surance that they would ever DO obtained
The same session Of the S6th Congress began
ia gIoom and ended 10 darkness and storm,
with no CLEAN Of light to cheer the hopeful
patriot, or promise Of security 70 our people,
As the session ended, the inaugural pro-
session moved up towards the Capitol, com.
posed in avery large proportion of Northern
men. Batteries of cannon charged with
grape and canister commanded the streets
aud avenues; sharp shooters were placed
upon the houses that lined the, avenue, aud
the President proceeded and followed by
armed soldiery, his carriage was IN hollow
| square, as fhe were some royal rnler, whose
power could only be sa,ttined byrisilitary
despotism. 1t was novel and sad sight :
enc never before witnessed in our country
The Congress had just closed, and moth
| ing had been done but to pass an odious and
/ oppressive tariff, siil further to burden the
South. Some of the more hopeful INDUCED
some anticipations from the inaugural ad-
dress about to be delivered The Southern
States we're clamoring for assurances of
safety, these had been refused by Congress
They then looked to Mr. Lincoln, he CON-
forted them with the information that he
"would hold, occupy, and possess the public
property and places, and collect the Duties
and imports" They demanded our rights
under the Corstitut on, the decisions of the
Supreme Court, and to be protected against
the abolition majority; be assured them that
the courts were not to settle these construc.
tionai questions but that they were to b
determined by the majority.
What, gentlemen, is the situation of the
South under government with no Consti,
tuition to protect its rights against Blacl
Republican majority. You may reply, W,
have constitution. True, we have on,
upon paper, but if the majority is to inter
pref it, it is what the majority says it is, o
it is the viii of the majority. Constitution
are intended to protect minorities agains
maiorities. Mr.. Lincoln makes that re
straint whatever the party to be restrained
desires it to be; in other words. if the ma
jority are to construe the Constitution q
they please, they may do what they desire
and as if no constitution existed
Mr.. 7. said he heard the address alten
: lively, and remained some hours in Wash
ington afterwards, conversing.with other
who heard it, and heard no other opinio
there or on his journey home, until h
: reached Tennessee, but that it was a wa
u speech and promised nothing favorable +
the poace and prosperity of the country.
Mr.. T. reviewed the Inaugural and tn
Cabinet of Mr.. Lincoln He referred tn
= people to the platform upon which the
Il came into power, and tie principles whic
: had given them prominence and powt
. among the abolitionists. That Mr. Lincol
. was unknown to fame by any great act
9 craftsmanship, but it was his speeches, h
= declaration that he always hated slavery
V and that he " desired f" it should be put
: course of ultimate extinction Ibis ii
peals for the ''practical equality of all II en-
u and his /" irrcprcssble conflict made hi
&c the President, and he has not to this hor
le retrsctcd or abated one of them.
IS Mr.. Seward, his prime minister, declare
'e that slavery "must be abolished, and VI
e and | can and must do IT," and in the ca
L vass for Mr.. Lincoln. he said the poop
re have for their standard bearer, Abraha
y Lincoln, confessing the obligations of Il
II Higher Law, and contending for veal
is woe, for life or death in the irrepressil
o. conflict between freedom and slavery; til
ID we were in the last stage of the conflict b
nc fore the great triumphal inauguration
tits policy into the government of t
IS United States" These were the wor
of of Mr.. Seward, and upon the fourth
to March, Mr. I. said he had witnessed IL
n, "great triumphal Inauguration of this poll
re into the government Higher law. ir
20. pressible conflict, abolitionism. and \
n; Seward is called to the highest afice in t
ST cabinet to carry it out.
ne Mr.. Chase, of Ohio, declared " for N
IT, self, [ am ready to renew my pledge, anc
IT, will venture to speak in behalf of my
ng workers, that we will 90 straight on, wi
Vi out faltering or waverins until every vest
nc of oppression shall be erased from the stat,
ut book-until the sun in all its journey fir
IN the utmost Eastern horizon, through
hu mid heaven, till he sinks behind the Westt
&C. hills, shall not behold the foot print of
ae single slave in all our broad and gloric