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

IN the North rs IN the South. Slavery wa
strictly sectional interest If this could bt
made the criterion of the parties at the North
the North could be united IN its power; and
thus carry out its measures of sectional anLi-
ton, encroachmeat and ACKNOWLEDGEMENT. TO
build up their sectional prcdolninancc in the
Union, the Constitution must bc first abolished
by constructions; but that being done, the
consolidation OF the North, to rule the South,
by the tariff and slavery issues, was III the OBJ
vious course of things.
The Constitution ofthc United States was al
experiment. The experiment consisted in uni,
ting under one Government different peoples
living in different climates, and having different
pursuits of industry and institutions. ltmatters
not how carefully the limitations of such a
Government he laid down in the Constitution
its success must at least depend upon the good
faith of the parties to the constitutional com
pact, in enforcing them. It's not in th' power
of human language to exclude false differences,
constructions and pervcrsions, i'll any Constitn-
ton; and when vast sectional interests arc to
be s.,hscrvcd, involving the appropriation Of
countless millions ofEonev, it has not been the
usual experience of mankind that words Oh
parchmcnts ca!: arrest power. The Consttn-
tion of the United States, irrespective OF the
intcrpositon of The States, rested OH the as
Sumption that power would vicld 70 faith
that integrity would he stronger than interest
land that thus the Limitations OF the Coristi-
tuition would lie observed. The experiment.
has Lceu fairi:; made. The Snuthcrn States,
from the coumcnceimnt of the Government,
- tI,a
scribed try the Constitution. The experiment.
has failed. The whole Constitution, hy the
constructions of the Norlherl people, has hccn
absorbed 10y its preamble. In their reckless
lust for power, they seem ruabe to- coInprc-
head that seeming paradox-that the more
power is gwen to the General Government,
the weaker it becomes. lis strength consists
in the limitation of its agency to Objects OF
common interest to all sections. To extend
The scope Of its power over sectional or local
interests, is ia raise mp against 1t opposition
and resistance. In all slch matters, the Gen.
craI Government must necessarily he dcspo-
tis, hcca.lsc all sectional or local interests must
be represented hy Il minority III the cnamclis OF
the Gcuelal o2rrnmcnt-haviEy 10 power t.
protect itself against the rule of the majority.
The majority, constituted from those who do
not represent these sectional or local Interests,
will control and govern them. \ free people
cannot submit to such Il government. And
the more it cnlarges the sphere Of its power,
the greater must he the dissatisfaction it must
produce, aud the weaker it must become. On
the contrary, the mare it abStains from llsllrped
powers, and the more faithfully it adheres to
- xf 81 ctr oar
ii is made. The Northern people have had
neither the wisdom nor the faith 10 perceive,
that to observe the Limitations Of the Constitn-
ton was the only way to its perpetnisr.
Under such government there mnst, OF
7;iet4 ete1H iii @s E7sat sscFioas T5
l!nion. IT. II same ,..inlcssicss wh,...n has
abolished the Cq!.,rltution of the United States,
will! not f;.i! to carry oat the sectional purposes
for which it has hccn abolished. There must
be conflict; and the weaker section of The
Union can only fml peace and liberty N an
independence Of the North. The repeated
efforts made by South Carolina, in wise coil
servatiSin, to arrest the progress Of tho General
Government in its fatal progress TO consolida-
tiom, have been unsupported, and She has been
Constitution, by the very men alhl States who
were destroying it 10y their usurpations. 1t is
now too late. to reform or restore the Govern
mclt OF the Unitcl States. Al! confidence in
the North is lost 10y the Snath. Ill" tai,hc>S
ness oflhc North fora half century. has opened
gulf Of separation between the North and the
South whicl, no promises Tor engagements can
| fill.
It cannot be believed that or ancestors
wou!d have ;.ssc&tr'| TO any Union whatever
witt, the 18ppc Of the North, if the feelings
and opinions now existing among,t them had
existed when the Constitution WAS framed.
There MAS then no Tariff--no fnnaticiSrn coil
cernin. negroes. 1t WAS the delegates from
New England who proposed, in the Convention
which framed the Constitution, to the delegates
from South Carolina and Georgia, that it they
wuu'd a;rec 10 give Congress the power of
regulating commerce by II m"jorit:y, that they
would support tic extension Of the African
Slave Trade for twenty Years. African slavery
exi ted in all the States but one The idea
that the Southern States woul | hc made to pay
that tribute to their Northern conitdcratc<,
which they had refused to pay to Great 3ri-
tain; or that the institution Of African slavery
won!d be mad. the grand basis Of Il SECTIONAL
organization OF the North to rule the South,
never crossed the imaginations of our ancestors.
The Union of the Constitution was Il union of
slavchoIing States. 1t rests on slavery, 10y
prescribing Il Representations i'll Congress, for
thrcc.hflhs of our slaves. There is nothing III
the proceedings of the Convention which
framed the Constitution, to slow that the
Southern States would have formed any other
Union; and still less that they would llavc
formed Union with more powerful aon->lave-
holding States, having majority i'll both
branches Of the Legislature ofthG Government.
They were guilty Of no such folly. Time and
the progress of things have totally altered the
rcluiol,s between the Northern and Southern
States, since the Union was established. That
Identity Of feelings, interests and institutions,
which once existed, is gone. They are now
divided between agricutnral-and manutactur-
i,.n and commercial Satcs-hctween slave
holding and non-savcholding States. Their
institutions and industrial pursuits have made
them totally different peoples. That equality
in the Government between the two sections OF
the Unon which once existed, nolongcr exists.
We but initiate the policy Of our fathers in
dissovmg union with non-slavchoIing COLI
frdrratcs, and seeking a confederation with
sIavchoding States
Experience has proved, that slavchocing
States cannot be safe, i'll suljccticn to noli-
slavclol,.ing States. Indeed, no people can
ever expect to preserve its rights and liberties,
unless these be in its OWL custody. ToPluIdcr