Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-05-03
MESSAGE or qHg paEssDENri

Miasgon'ey april 29h, 1851.
GES'.LEMEN OF Tlis CoxGREss:
IL is my pleasing duty to announce 10 you lHas
the Constitution framed for the eslabllsnnens W
permanent government for the Conienerats ntalss
has been ratified by Conventions III each OF thOse
States TO wbs,h II was referred. To inaugurate the
government ID its full proportions ana upon Us own
substantial basis of the popular Will only remains
that electsons should be held for the designaon OF
the officers to administer II:
dav States identified in political principles and
conmuntv of interests with those which you rep
,esnt viioin this Confederacy giving TO its typical
onn,elIati.Jn increased splendorto its government
IF Tree equal and sovereign States wider sphere
Of sefuness- and to the friends of constitutional
liberty greater security for its harmonious and
peroetual existence. -4
Ii was not, however. for the purpose of making
this announcement that | have deemed it my duty
cunvoke- you at an earlier day than that fixed by
yourselves for your meeting The declaration of war
made against this Confederacy by Abraham Lincoln,
the Prt sient of the United States in his pruclama-
tion issued on the fteenhday of the present month
rendered It necessary, In my Judgment. that you
should convene at the earliest practicable moment
to devise the measures necessary for the defense OF
the country.
The occasion is indeed an extraordinary one. 1t
justifies me in brief review of the relations here
tofoTe existing between us and the States which now
unite in warfare against us and IN succnct state
fare; TO the end that mankind may pass intelligent
and impartial Judgment on its motives and objects
During the war waged against Great Britain by
her colonies on this continent common danger I'M
PEELED them to close alliance and to the formation
of Confederation, by the terms of which the colo
MES styling thernsel.e States, entered "seJerGHg
into firm league of friendship with each other for
their common defense, the security of their liberties
and their mutual and general welfare, binding them
selves to assist each other against all force offered
70 alta 40 fhpfn
account of religion. sovereignty, trade or any other
pretense whatever
In OF der to guard against any misconstruction of
their compact, the several States made explicit de
caraiiOn in distinct article, that each State re
tdias lis sovereignty. freedom AID independence, and
every power jurisdiction and right which is not by
this Confederation expressly delegated to the United
States in Congress assembled"
Under this contract of alliance, the war OF the
revolution was successfully waged. and resulted IN
the treaty of peace with Great Britain 1888. by
the terms of which the several States were, each 6y
| aagae recognized to be independent.
| The articles of confederation contained clause
whereby all alterations prohibited unless con
irmed by the Legislature of eUeTy State. after being
agreed 10 BY the Congress; and in obedience to this
provision under the resolution of Congress of the
2lst February, 1851 the several States appointed
delegates who attended a convention for tine sole
and express purpose OF revising the articles of con-
federation and reporting to Congress and the sever
| al Legislatures. such alterations and provisions
therein shall when agreed to in Congress and con-
ira,sd by he States rend the Federal Constitution
adequate to the exigencies Of government and the
preservation OF the Union
| IL was. BY tn delegates chosen, by the SeUeTdi
>tltes under the resolution just quoted, that the
Constitution of the United States was framed in
1857 and submitted to the several States for ratif-
cation shown by the 9TH Itice, which is in these
/ words:
The ratification of the Conventions of nine States
| ha the establishment of this Con-
stitution BETwEE> the States ratiy ing the same.
have iIalicised certain words in the quotations
just made for the purpose of attracting attention to
| the singular and marked caution with which the
| States endeavored. in every possible form. to ex
| cude the idea that the separate ard independent
sovereignty of each State was merged into one COM
mon government and nation; and the earnest desire
! they evinced to impress on the Constitution in its
| true character that Of compact BETWEEN indie
pendent States
The Constitution Of 1887 having, however. omit
ted the clause already recited from the articles Of
Confederation. whicheprOyided in explicit terms.
that each State retained Ns sovereignty and ndepen-
dence some alarm felt in the States when invi,
| red TO ratfy the Constit ton. lest this omission
should be construed into abandonment of their
cherished principle and they refused TO be satisfied
| until amendments were added to the Constitution,
placing beyond any pretence of doubt the reserva-
ion by the States of all their sovereign rights and
pOwers-not expressly delegated 10 the United states
| by the Constitution.
| Strange indeed must it appear to the impartial
observer but it is the less true, that all these
carefully worded clauses proved unavalling to pre-
vent the rise and growth in the MOI thern States of
a political school which has persiStently claimed
| that the government thus formed was not COM
pact betoeen States. but in effect national gOv>
eminent set up QbOUe and OUer the States TO secure
the blessings of liberty and independence against
foreign aggression, has been gradually perverted
irtO machine for their control IN their domestic
affairs: the creature has BEEN exalted above Its cred
tors: the principles have been made subordinate 10
the agent appointed by themselves.
| The people of the Southern States, whose almost
exclusive occupation was agriculture, early per-
| cpived tendency liz the Northern Stats TO rem
| der the common government suhservient TO their
| own purposes, by imposing burthens on commerce
| as a protection to their manufacturing snd ship
| ping interests. Long and angry controversy grew
out of these attempts often successful, to benefit
/ one section OF the country at the expense OF the
| other; and the danger of disruption arising from
| this cause was enhanced by The fact that the
| Northern population was increasing by immigra
ton and other causes in a greater ratio than the
| population of the South. BY degrees. the
| Northern States gain5d prepOnderance IN the Ma
tonal Congress, self interest Taught their people
| to yield ready assent to any plausible advocacy
of their right as a majority TO gov rn the minors
ty without control they learned to listen
with impotence TO the suggestion of any constl-
| tutonal mpediment to the exercise Of their will;
and SO utterly have the principles of the CUnst-
tuition been corrupted in the North I'm mind, that
| in the inaugural address delivered by President
! Lincoln in March last, he asserts as an axiom
| which he plainly deems to be undeniabe, that
the theory of the Constitution requires that IN all
cases the majority shall govern and in another
memorable instance the same Chief Magistrate
did not hesitate to liker the relations between
State and the United ) ates to those which exist
, between a county and the State in which II Is
situated and by which it was created. This is
| the lamentable and fundamental error on which
rests the policy that has eliminated IN ms decia-
ration of war against these Confederate States.
In addition to the long continued and deep seated
resentment felt by the Southern States at the persls
tent abuse of the powers they had delegated to the
| Congress for the purpose of enrchlng the manu-
factories and shipping classes OF tie North at the
expense of the South there has existed for nearly
halfa century another subject of dscord involving
interests Of such ndent magnitude as at all
times to create the apprehension in the minds of
many devoted low Of the Union, that its perma-
hence impossible.
When the st veral States delegated certain powers
to the United States Congress. large portion of
the labOrng Opuation consisted Cf Afr can slaves
imported into the colonies by the mother country.
10 twelve out of thirteen States, negro slavery ex
iRed. and the right OF property in slaves was pro
tected by law This proper ty was rec gn'ztd IN the
Constitution. a, provision was made against its
los by the escape Of the slave The increase in
the number of slaves by further importation from
Africa WAS also secured by clause hiding Con
gress to prohibit the slave trade anterior TO GER
ain date: and in no clause can there be found any
delegation of power to the Congress authorizing 1t
any legislate TO the pre- JUDGE, oetrl-
Tlent OF encouragement of the owners OF that sp6-
ces OF property, excluding it from the protection
Of the government
The climate and soil of the Northern States soon
proved unprOpitiOus 10 the continuance OF slave
labor, whilst the converse the at the South
Under the unrestricted free intercourse between the
two sections the Northern States cons J:ed their
own interest by selling their slaves to the South.
and prohibiting slavery within their limits. The
South re willing purchasers of a prop rty suit
bic TO their and paid the pIi"e of acquisi-
ton Without harbOrRg a suspicion that their quiet
possession TO be disturbed by thnse who were
Inhibited, not only by want of constitutional author
Ity. but by good faith vendors from dlsguietIng
a title eman iting from themselves.
As soon. however. the Northern States that
prohibit, All lean slavery within their limits had
reached number sufficient TO give their rrpresen-
tatiOn a controlling voice in the Congress, a persist