Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1861-02-21
REMARKS OF SAMUEL HALL. ESQ.
Commissioner from Georgia, before The General Assembly
of North Carolina, Fl braary 18Th, 136l

her historic fame may elieitae myself upon being COM
who were the first to take open and decisive ground against
unconstitutional taxationvbo first proclaimed the princ
pies If American independence and upon whose soil the
of the soldiers of liberty first crowned with vic
tory. To the descendants of such confidently make
appeal ard in bearing to this General Assembly mes
sage from her ancient confederate and ally aid in asking
her cooperation in the important step have taken Ill
with several others OF sisters need hardy as
her that Georgia has disposition either TO dctae or
offer unsolicited advice.
These States have been united by the closest
tiesno rivalry iii the pest has sprung up between them
and their amcabe relations have never been disturbed 10
indebted for nconsderable orion OF pop
uaton which atter ourselves has not deteroated o
being transpanted and which can truly say no dis
A-cd to kindred ard friends they left behind them
shoulder Georgia and North Carolina marched
through the revoutonhey Joined their counsels and uni
ted their wisdom ID forming mat compact OF government
called the Constitution of the United States and we're mann
~ instrumental in procuring provisions in that
for the increase and protection OF slavery Thus con cted
and bound to you Georgia would have deemed herself de
have given you tim y information that she had dissolved
her with the late United States OF America ana
RESUME the powers which she had deegateo 10 tas gov
eminent and to invite you t. cooperate with her ana oher
that have hereafter secede from the Union IN
the formation Of Southern Conederacy
She will welcome you back to her warm embrace and on
of the brief separation feel only the more near
when you return She that among her citizens
Thereare eyes will mark your coming,
And look brighter when you come"
She knows she suffer peril that does not equally
asai youthat your interest is her inerestyour honor
her honoryour cause is her cause and hat the same
therefore asks to lay before through her humble Rep
reentave the which have mpeed her this sepa
/
dignity Of truth She enduges the hope that they will strike
the great popular heart and mind OF your state as hey
struck hers and will result in harmonious and united action
upon the part of her Southern sisters IN 1ssoyg our
with the ae government of the United states
claim have overthrow the work OF our fathers,
but that our northern coneerates selz9o WIN unnlaI
hands the pillars OF the Constitution ana overtnrew
the temple OF liberties. No act of bad faith has
stained escutce0n We have kept The covenants of
fathers, and with the blessing OF kind and tav0r'ng roV
dence WILL OF the Materials reconstruct the no
bic old edffce. The government had scarcely been put in
operation before peculiar property was sought TO be
assaed in the LEGISLATURE of our General Government by
class of persons Who however meek ana gehte they may
have BEEN and however bameless their lives in other re-
spect certainly buted nothing to the OF
the elubc his appeal was made TO men fresh from the
battle fields of the revolution and well aNprsed OF the scope
and meaning of the Compromises contained III the Consu-
ton and bond Of Union and hence as might have been
anticipated, was unsuccessful.
1t necessary to the increase of our strength
and the consolidation OF our power as pe0-
pie that should acquire from France the vast ter
ritory extending from the mouth TO the sources OF the
Father aers and 1903 the Louisiana territory be-
by treaty portion of our rich domain In every foot
of this territory the right to hold slaves existed and this
by article of that treaty That there opposition to
this would be lie to deny and opposition too,
of the protection afforded to slavery but this
position confined to the people of New England, who
seemed to be unmndu Ct the rich beneacons conferred
upon all the States by Georgia. orh Carolina and Virginia.
in the donations If e vast public territory to the General
Government Again, in 1872 the commerce of the Eastern
from the We of the South had little pecunary in
in this contest but involved honor and against
their protest went with the mistress Of the
ard the field OF = Orleans stands to day, as
lection the other. Nor did iberay stop here. Not
content with giving them monopoly OF building and the
coatng trace stimulated and encouraged their industry
oy pou!es rPoL 'hef uisuts Inc war "lnc terminated
g0iousy bad crippled and TO some extent exhausted
their resources and embarrassed their manufacturing inter
again we faxed ourselves for their benefit and sought
by another generous sacrifice to augment their osperiy
IN 1870, state formed Of the Louisiana Territory in
which rights Shareholders recognized and pre-
tected by the supreme law Of the land, present G0ns
tuition Republican t0rm and asked Tor admission into the
Union upon terms OF Equality with the other states How
were her advances met by Northern conederates-by
these ope whom we had generously lavished ben
ets aud bounies Was her advent greeted with sistery
affection and grateful of the fayors which the South
proaChes repeed We told that her Constitution
cognzd slavery and that she could be admit except
conditions degrading TO the equality OF her Southern
SISTERS Borne down b superior numbers he south was com
PEELED succUmb, Missouri ected except upon the
hand unconstitutional restriction that slavery invouna
ry seTVude. except crime should be prohibited in all
that territory north OF certain geographical nea restric
ton which aar ed the fears and filled with apprehension.
like bell in night, the wses and sagacious
patriots of the land But degradation not complete
the cup Of cur humiliation lad to be drained to the dregs
So opposed were these a recognition in any
to extent of our rights that before the ink which
corded this so-caed compromise scarcely dry they
violated hey did not repudate their proposition and
second time kept this from federal constellation
uaUTdmary. The constitution Of that state contained
provision to prevent tue Introduction of free negro ele
ment in her boz ders Ibis was pretended denial of
the rights of Citizens OF Of tie States ad consequent
y vocation that clause Of the Constitution of the United
be entitled to all phi ege and mmuu!tes OF citizens in the
several states " But INDUSTRIOUS and IN ounded
table courage, matchess eoquence and
manshp OF HENRY CLAY who lesorted to the device Of
to the determination Of the President of the United States
and instead Of coming into the Union in the ordinary
! Executive proclamation. All this did not appease the
Unsuitable appetite Of Northern foes Our power had
to be limited and influence the Government destroyed
to enable them fully to compass their ends The agitation
kept up by resolutions intr duced into Congress
Court United Stat opinion approving this
rage Our people determined abandon this hopeless
foSt
redress Gov Iroup after noticing these attempts aedged
that compromised dignity by discussing the question:
and having declared the exhausted, ured
US to stand by cur amsThe Federal Executive and
Congress from past experience of his determination end
spirit knew this idle and that they had
deal with ruler and people who would readily yield
they had deliberately taken The check given by
TINS stern Was only mOmentary IN the life of
natoDfath was broken with s0veeig State through
her treaty stipuIaons with the Federal Government.
An attempt made to influence the legislation of
other and compel her submission to the most oneroas i'm
positions and burhens by federal troops 1t then dis
covered that the Constitution compact but formed
consolidated government and upon this perverted view Of
institutions the liberties OF this country woud have
lshed had not the clear discrm nation the great
powers ana reasoning OF JOHN u been
pressed into service With heroic he breasted
the storm and single and unaded except the powers
TRUTH justice and OF right constitutional freedom trum
pied his the combined powers the Federal
Governments the arce education and talent of the North
the touch of his bade like the spear hurie the
fend to remble and for time aayed the demon. The co
ven foot again displayed itself Excuses justify out
wanting and the inventive Of
Northern friends when they seek assa rights drain
our substance are They become suddenly
amored of the right of the liberty of the
press and the freedom OF speech order test wheh
these justly priced rights were in danger flooded congress
with batch of incendary petitions praying the abolition
of slavery in the District of Columbia the forts asenas
dock yards and territories and the Introduction the trade
in slaves the States The sgners Of these petitions
those who were prominently put forward in this agitation
were without talent and destitute of influence. They
only the advance guard OF the main army which lying
= in ambush They were treated with neglect if not with
But John Calhoun again the elements of their
power and warned his cOunrymen against their insdous
clearly predicted each step that we would
take IN our progress to ruin and Identical his Vac
nations with the circumstances that surround that
ignorant OF the facts under which these oracles
tered would suppose that he recording the Of
BE nartialV nv