Smyrna times., 1861-01-17
ISCELLAN NEOUS.
History of Attempts at Disunion.

Inc SOuth not the only ones to Blame.
The project of dissolution of the Union is
not new one. It, has been the one idea of
the leading politicians of South Carolina for
the past thirty years. That State contained
the most tories during the war Of Independence
of l776. 1t furnish ed some gallant spirits to
the Revolutionary army, but it's population
was must notOrIOusly devoted to the monarchy
of Great Britain and, after the establishment
of the independence Of the American colonies.
South Carolina was the last to adopt the Fed
eral Constitution and come into the cnnfeder.
acy OF American States. Her obligations to
the Constitution and the Union have ever
rested lightly upon her shoulders. although
always o devoted supporter of the democratic
party, she has never adopted democratic inst-
tutions. There alone, out of all the States of
the cOniederacy, the people have had no voice
in the election of a President of the United
States, but her government, in that respect,
was In oligarchy. Since the tariff troubles of
1882 and '33 South Carolina has been an un-
easy member of the Confederacy. She would
have seeded at that time if Gen jackson had
not, by his firmness and foresight and devotion
to the Union, taught her rebellious leaders to
respect the obligations into which the State
had entered. Again in 1851 she kicked at the
Union, and would have repudiated it if she had
found said and comfort anywhere to back
her in her petulance at the adoption of the
Compromise measures of 80.
But South Carolina is not without an exem-
plar in the former history OF our country. Mas
sachusetIs, at the other extreme, was equally
a disunion State at one period of that history
Then, as now, it devolved upon the Middle
States TO avert dissolution of the Unioa and
bring the erraRt back into the fold. During
the Congress of l803-4, after the election OF
Mr. Jefferson and subsequent to the purchase of
Louisiana from Napoleon Bonaparte, a number
OF the leading federal members of Congress
from New England projected the establishment
ofa seperate government for the New England
States. The reasons they assigned were pre-
cisely similar to those assigned now for a sep
crate Southern Confederacy. They were based
upon the probable supremacy and the acknOwl-
edged antipathy of sectional influence. The
New England dsunionists alleged that by
means of their slaves the slaVe-hOlding States
had acquired an undue increase in the repre-
sentation in the House of Represen tatives
that too much revenue was raised at the North
and expended at the South and West, and that
the States to be formed out of the Louisiana
: purchase would annihalate the influence Of the
North in the Government.
To carry out this project, select meeting
of the leading federalists of New England was
to have been held at Boston, in the Autumn Of
1904, Ito consider and recommend a govern.
t ment for the Northern States" We earr
from Ingersoll's History of the War of 18I 2
that VIM. Plumer, Senator of the U. s., from
New Hampshire, in 1904, was one of these
conspiraters, and he testifes that the proposed
meeting was abandoned on account of the deatE
, Of Gen'l Hamilton, at the hands of Aaron Burr
According to the testimony of Plumer, Hamil
ton had promised to be present at the Bostol
: meeting, and was expected to take the lead il
the revolt against the General Government
On account Of his death, the meeting was post
PohSo1 Out hHS VI was uOL hOe0
doned. 1t was revived in 1904 by the " Com
mittee of New England Royaiists," an associa
/. tion that had been kept up since the Revolu
Iion, and an effort was made then to effect
dissolution OF the Union and establish mon
archy, TO be composed of the New Englan
States, under the Duke of Kent. Again i
y" 1907 the effort was renewed to cut off the Ne,
England States, and establish separate no,
l. ernment under British protection, on accoun
of the embargo or the restriction system adopt
ed at that time. .
,e The disunion fever of New England ths
had been secretly nursed from the time of tn
A. Revolution, and had attempted to break out i
c. 1904, and 1907, and 1909. came TO crisis
1873. The New England States nad Massr
: cbusetss particularly, opposed the war of IsI:
They were bitterly opposed to the course
\. Mr. Madison. The Massachusetts, LegislatuI
passed resolutions torbidding any tejociu