The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-04-05

/ ]
| in tke movement. She could not have
been huch concerne about the safety of
/ hcs tlaves. Guarded as She is bv North
| Carolina. Virginia, Tennessee. and Ken
lucky; and ] take it for granted, those
gallant States are as scnsitively alive to
their honor, and quite rs capable of ta.
, king care OF it, as any State in the Union.
South Carolina desired n separation from
! the United States Government upon n
| question of very grave importance 20 her,
rs always insisted upon by her statesmen
! Her public men have uniformly insisted
! that the revenue policy of the United
| States Government was unjust and op.
| pressive; and to get clear of that princi
| pie, am inclined to think, she embraced
the occasion of the election of sectional
| President and Vice President to dissolve
! her connection with the Government of
| the UnhPd States. am supported in
| these pos'ions by the line of argument
| pursued y, one Of the leading secession
.iournalssSy,, South Carolina, upon the ac.
ton of-fhv teirrsherrn Congress at Mont
| gomery, Alabama, in adopting, as that
! paper says, the tariff of 1857. The
Charleston Mercury says:
1--WE regret that any provisional gov
] tlIiltli wis lpIlllc'i Ut Ull, anu III one OF
two important particulars confess to dis
| appointment and surprise at the govern
| ment and laws enacted. 1t seems that
the United States protective tariff of 1857
! has been adopted, and that n positive
condemnation of the institution of slave.
ry, through the slave trade, has been in.
serted into the constitution itself. Neith-
er OF these did we expect. We did not
| C,,,t,.V,,
whether for month or year, would
sanction the policy of protective tariffs.
| The tariff of 1857 is odious and oppres-
sive in its determinations. 1t was made
| to favor. Northern enterprises at the ex-
pense of the people of the South--a
| huge free list for th"m-the burden OF
taxation for us to bear, and we main
| tain is adverse TO revenue. unjust in prin-
ciple, ard oppressive in practice Wheth-
er this is brought about by partial re-
mission in duues,o or n partial imposition,
| it is still the same in effect. We enter
our protest against the scheme and poll
cy, both as regards ourselves, and in the
results, so far as foreign nations are con.
cerned and their friendship, at this time,
is valuable to Us. In each respect free
trade is the true policy OF the Confeder-
ate States.
ave deem it also unfortunate and nal
apropos that the stigma of illegitimacy
and illegality should beplaced upon the
institution Of slavery by fundamental
! law against the slave trade. In our opin-
ion, it is matter of policy, and not OF
! principle, to be decided now and hereaf-
| ter, from sound views of the necessity
and safety of our people. We think it II
| a. ,pl l., < y
Every principle of right government
and every, digta'e of policy seem to be
against the Mississippi scheme. But
| ty behind this scheme. 1t is nothing else
! than tie polcy of rccoastrUcting the Unjoa.-
| Take the Constitution of the United
, States as it is, with all its constructive
/ pOwc5s and yet the frontier STATES in the
| Confaderacy with H., viii the CDns,i,u-
ton ever be altered. VIII we ever be
/ freed from the same troubles and dangers
we have been contcuding against for the
last thirty years! Maryland, Kentucky.
| and Missouri have been protective tariff
| States, and all Of them in favor of intern
| al improvements. Suppose the Constitu-
! ton ofthe Omitted States is taken as it is.
| with its consolidation constructions, to
]
sent to have il altered so as to prevent
constructive abuses? And, if not alter
ed, will we not have the same battle to
| fight over again with them, after few
| years which we have been compelled to
! light with the Northern States! We will
only have changed masters. But will u
Southern Coniedrracy exist Mt all with
such policy? Will not all the Northern
States come again into Union with Us:
Why should they not? They are sltisfi
ed with the Constitution of the United
States rs il is, open to their interpreta,
ton. 1t establishes n capital despotisni
under their power. OF course they viii
seek to reconstruct the Union. And
will it not be done? Yes. certainly, un,
der this scheme. After all, we will have
run found circle and end where We
started. The Union will be restored
with few guarantees about negroes
such as the frontier States want, but
which are of no consequence to the cot.
ton States and we will again enter upon
the broad road OF consolidation and
ruin"
The maiorities in Congress against the
Republicans would have been abundant
ly able TO protect the rights OF the South
upon the slavery question:; but many
Southern men would support revenue
tariff, giving incidental protection tc
home industry, which the Mercury re
CARDS as unjust in principle and oppres
sive in practice. The editor of that pa
per thinks the policy of the Confederate
States Of North America" will lead to a
restoration OF the Union, with n few
guarantees about negroes, such us the
frontier States want, but which are of nc
consequence to the cotton States.' This
leading and influential secession journal
sustans me in the position that the Dor.
der States arc more interested in quietiug
the agitation Of the slavery question than
the cotton States. Maryland, Virginia
| Kentucky, and Missouri, have over fiji
teen hundred miles of border on the free
States, and must be the first TO be inter
fered with 10y the Northern fanatics; and
yet they stand here to defend their con
sttutional rights in the Union, demand
ing firmly, though respectfully, such con
stitutional guarantees as will place il
beyond the reach of politicians the IN
stion of slavery, and forever silence tn,
agitation Of n subject which ought nevcl
to have been brought into the politica
arena With all the interest these State,
have in slavery, they are still here; and
would suffer martyrdom before would
iorsake them in this their hour of triul
and difficulty.
mention these things because | be
lieve, if the cotton States had renamed
in tho Union instead OF secoding, and
the South had unitedly made known hei
grievances and demanded in firm ant
manly tone settlement of all the diff
culties between the North aud South
upon basis alike honorable to both sec
tions, we might have been saved from The
| Derils of reyOlution