Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-08-04

lawful possession OF any properly Jlat ieglu-
matelv belongs to the federal government
They are Willing, upon a fair settlement, to
pay for such property according as Justice and
,ght may require. They desire a pescsahle
End an honor bic settlement Of all tie ques-
tions that ma~ be involved 10 their separation
from the old Union and il was 10 eFsctthi that
they sent comm issioueTs TO Washington last
winter, and also Last spring. But those com
missiOHers were MT rtrecgiVed. Negotiation with
the Confederate States Government was refused
and now Il is said, that we ask to hs " let
alonen in the possession OF property that we
have stolen from the federal government. The
charge is false and s'snderous. We ask fag
nothing but what we can have according 70
Justice and la~, and this will be made TO sp-
pear, whenever their high mightiBesses at
Washington CitV, shall ccudescend % treat
with the Government Of the Confederate S alPs.
It is alleged again, that We Of the South are
trying TO "stFEe down the federal govern
ment It is ssid, that the issue upon which
his war is waged is not Union or disunion,
but government OF no government Our ens-
mics give out, that we OF the South want aBar-
chv. that we are for the destruction Of al gev-
eTnment and law, and that they are standing
up for the defense and support of good govern
ment against our attempt TO destroy it. Now
all this is q complete Misrepresentation of the
quarrel. The people OF the Confederate states
are rot after no government. They already
hsVe a government OF their own, not inferior
20 any in the globe, so far as it is organised.
They have adopted the co s.itRtion Oe the
United States. with such alterations as render
IT, in the estimation Of the wise men Of the
North, an improvement upon what it was be
fore. The people Of the South, 10 sav the least,
have ever Sd sWn as much respect for law and
government as those Of the North The truth,
at the present time, Is, that while law and
a. I - Al sr.
South, they are completely ignored and tram
pied under foot in the North. II would be as
consistent for be devil to Teprnva sin, So It i'
for the people Of the northern States to Teprove
anybody for a want Of respect for law and
government How true it Is, that many things
occur 10 this world, marvellous 20 orr eyeE,"
which are vet not g the LORDS doings
Nor is it true, that we dasrs 70 strike
down " the vsrnment Of Mr.. Lincoln. We
do not propose TO invade any northern ate,
unless it should become necessary ss defsa-
sive measure to save ourselves from ruin. We
do not wish 20 deprive them Of any Of THAR
rights They are perfectly welcome to govern
themselves 10 their Own Fsy. II the people %
the North desire Mr. Lincoln 20 reign over
them till the dsV Of iuigm=at, we say " 20 be
IT," All We ask is, th=t be Nhsll not reign
over Us. Hence we derire to leave his govern
nent, not 10 destroy it. State leaving
/ 4
more lban a Safe coming into it
does. There wss a federal CovsGamen'
before the annexation 0f Texas, and here may
Be the same after the SEPARATION of Texas. and
also the other southern States. These remsrkS
are true, ,u7less il is 50 that the Northern States
sre not competent to maxi and sustain CAV
| eTnnent without the Southern States. r. this
be so, then x ? have bsfors Us the smszirg spec
tacle Of those Sta'es that are not competent to
make and sustain government endrsvoriEg
hv war TO subjugste and make tributary to
themselves those Sta pg that are. The ele-
meuts to sustain a government are 10 the South,
not in the North: vet Il is said that the North
can "wire the South from the esrth''-sDt she
has really undertaken the work. This is won
derful
The truth in the case Il, thst tbe people Of the
Confederate States desire to be separated from
the government Of Hr. Lincoln; that is 81.
They desire that ibis separation sh'll take
place peaceablv and honorably to all parties.
I They do not ask to be let alone with what does
not belong to them; hey wish to be let alone
/ In the enjoyment of their rights under = Gov
eminent made by and for themselvss-a Gov
eminent adapted TO their peculiar institutions,
and which proposes to commit no wrong upCn
env other Government IN the world. II thers
is anything snfsir or in the Iesst degree repre-
hsnsible in his, nuSt confess that am una
bic 10 gee it.
In the foregoing remarks I have simply en-
d5avOrsd to show that TIE charges made By our
enemies ef wrong upon onr part in this CoGtro-
varsy with the North are false; snd now letting
81 hist 90 for what It is worth, Eill take
higher and broader ground. DO so upon my
own responsibility and leave those who hsar
ne to Judge ss to Uhether / am right or wrong.
Nv position is, that the government OF the
United States, as our fathers made it, and ~
we were under obligation to obey It, does not
now exist: I contrnded that it was destroyed
when Pr Lincoln was elected to the pFrsi-
deRcv, and thst The government If which he is
row the bead is new government TO VII ch we
never owed allegiance, aud to which, I hope,
we never sbsll This being 90, it follows that
no southern S ate has seeded from the United
| States government, and that we are net now in
rebellion against that government. now
| proceed to prove the proposition above as
surned.
| When the constitution OF the United States
| was fra med, all the States in the government
were slave States, except one-NssSachUsrtts
/ To the advance Of time the number OF free
{ S atps increased, the people Of some OF the
States now free selling their slaves to the peo-
! pie Of tho South. The constitution OF The
1 Cuited States, then, being mad by slayehold-
/ ers, and FOR q confederation OF slave States, 1t
! Is not to be supposed that it would BE- antsgo
nistic to slavery Accordingly, We find that
the constitution recognizes the existence OF
slavery in the government and provides for its
protection. L was adapted % The condition Of
the s stes a. ihev existed whfn l. was made
md a. they were expected to eXis'-psTt slave
and psrt free-in the future Then The con
stiiutiOD regards all the States impartisllv. +
regards fhe slave States ~ slave States, and
the fTes States as free States, and protects
them accordingly It does not saw that the
slave States are inferior to the free States, or
|. that the free States are inferior 20 the Eisv'
States. The constitution does not sav that
slavery il an eyil--thst it ia "the svIn of al
Villsinies," !" and ought 70 be abolished. II does
not say that there is sn "irrepressible conflict
, bptween free and slave labor. i do,s not saI
that the government cannot endure baf slsvt
and half free. The constitution Of the UriteC
: States knows nothing of such s'uff a.
T that. On the contrary, it places all the State
: in the Union upon q perfect equality, and re
= CARDS all their institutions, common md pc
eulisr, as being perfectly consonant ana bar
monious throughout
Well, without the coDstitu ion, OF course tht
} United States government cannot eYis'. A
\ Mr. BTeckiHridge said in his late speech in tk
/, federal congress, "Tbs government derives it
= life from the constitution" Each oficer con
T nscted with the federal government takes a
: oath 70 support the constitution, that Is all
= and il is enough, because, to support the con
Z | stttution 10 to support the government. All th
Z Institutions Of The government, North an
e South, re upon the constitution, and the lif
8 and existence OF the government is from th
- constitution. All his we admit. Then it fol
4 lows thar when the constitution is altered II
3 any Of its essential features, the govsrnmen
= is so far changed, and when the constitution
n il set aside OF repealed the government is de
q s'Toysd, and II, when the government is e
destroyed, there is any thing under the nam
4 OF government put into it's place, IL ia a dif
> feTrnt affair from that which existed before
Well, what is necessary to the repeal Of th
= constitution Only this: Let another instru
. ment, claimed TO be higher and more sacrs
than the constitution, be put into its place
!, and let the government be administered &C
i cordng to that end not according to the con
/. gtitBtioh, end the work is done In this ygsv
: say the constitution OF the United States Ia
: been repealed, and consequently the govern
= msnt DESTROYED. Now for The proof.
3 In the Northern GATES there is the Republ
c can party. The descriptive word ''rspubi
. can" prehxed 70 this "party," has reference {
e the freedam-not O? white men, but OF th
e black slaves of the South. The very name
= this party indicates that its existence an
d aims are for the abolition Of slavery. rs nam
n Stamps il as an incendiaTy party, the exis
n ence Of which is a violation Of the principle
n upon which the government Of the Unite
q States was based.
= This party has a platform Of doctrine
q | which are ia Perfec accordance with ifs nam
: and in which rhe purposes of the party al
q avowed. This platform says that slavery, 3
2 it exists IN this country, is a moral, social an
n political evil i says that there is an "irr'