New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-05-06

| W
| arrest of fugitive slave; the dogmas of these
| voluntary organizations soon obtained control of
| tho Legislatures of many OF the Northern States,
| and laws were passed providing Tor the punish
ment, by ruuous fines and long continued i'm
pris opment in jais and pententiaries of citizens
of the Southern States who should dare TO ask
| aid of the officers of the law for the recovery of
| their property, Enboldened by success, the
theater OF agitation and aggression against the
| clearly expressed constitutional rights of the
| Southern States was transferred to the Congress
Senators and Representatives were sent to the
common councils of the nation whose chief
title TO this distinction consisted in the display of
spirit of ultra fanatieisnl, and whose business was
not promote the general well afes or ensure do
nestle tranquility, but to awaken the bitterest
hatred against the citizens OF sister States, by
| violent deuuneiation of their institutions. The
| transaction of public affairs was impeded by
repeated efforts to usurp powers not delegated by
the Constitution, for the purpose of importing the
security of property in slaves, aud reducing those
| States which hold slaves to condition of nteri-
1 GRITTY. Finally, great party was organized for the
purpose of obtaining the administration of the Gov
ernment with the avowed object OF using its power
for the total exclusion of the slave States from all
participation in the benefits of the public domain
| acquired by all the States in common. whether by
CONQUEST or purchases of surrounding them entirely
| by States in which slavery should be prohibited;
ofthus rendering the property in slaves so insecure
as to be comparatively worthless, and thereby an.
| Initiating in effect property worth thousands OF
| millions of dollars This party, thus organized,
/
election of its candidate for The Presidency of the
| United States.
In the meantime, under the mild and genial eli
| mate of the Southern States, and the increasing
care and attention for the eltbeing and comfort
of the aboring classes, dictated alike by interests
| and humanity, the African slaves had augmented
in number from about six hundred thousand at
| the date of the adoption of the Constitutional
| compact to upwards of four millions. In moral
| and social condition they had been elevated
I from brutal savages into doeile, intelligent and
civilized agricultural aborers, and supplied not
1 only with bodily comforts, but with careful re-
| lirious instruction. Under the supervision Of a
| superior race, their labor had been so directed
| as not only to allow gradual and marked ameio-
ration of their condition, bnt to convert hun
| dreds of thousands Of square miles of the wilder
| ness into cultivated lands, covered with prosper
| Gus people towns and cities had sprung into e&-
istence, and rapidly increased in wealth and
population under the social system of the South
| the white population of the Southern slave-hoid-
! inp States had augmented from about l,25OGG0 at
the date of the adoption of the Constitution to
more than S,500,00u in 1850, and the productions
of the South in cotton, rice sugar and tobacco, for
| the full development and continuance of which the
| labor of African slaves was and is indispensable,
! had swollen to an amount which formed nearly
| three-fourths of the exports of the whole United
States, and had become absolutely necessary to
| the wants of civilized man.
| With interests of such overwhelming magnitude
| imperled, the people of the Southern States were
driven by the conduct of the North to the adoption
| of some course of action to avert the danger
| with which they were openly menaced. With this
view the Legislatures of the several States invited
! the people to select delegates to Conventions to
| be held for the purpose of determining for them
selves what measures were best adapted to meet
| so alarming crisis in their history.
Here it may be proper to observe that from a
period as early as lT9S there had existed in all Of
| the States of the Union a party almost uninter
ruptediy in the majority based upon the creed that
each State was, in the last resort, the sole judge
| as we'll of its wrongs of the mode and measure
of redress. Indeed, it is obvious that, under the
law of nations, this principle is an axiom as
| applied to the relations of independent sovereign
States, such as those which had united themselves
! under the Constitutional compact. The Demo-
| cratic party of the United States repeated, in
| its successful canvass in 1855, the declaration
| made in numerous previous political contests, that
it would faithfully abide by and uphold the prin-
| ciples laid down in the Kentucky and Virginia
resolutions of 1913. and IN the report OF MI
Madison to the Virginia Legislature in 1888; and
that it adopts those principles constituting one
of the main foundations of its political creed"
The principles thus emphatieally announced en-
brace that to which [ have already adverted,
the right of each State to judge of and redress the
wrongs of which it complains. These principles
were maintained by overwhelming maJorlties OF
the people of all the. States of the Union at diff
ferent elections, especially in the elections of Mr.
Jefferson in 1905, Mr.. Madison in 1909, and MIR.
Pierce in 1852.
In the exercise of right so ancient so we'll es-
tablished, and so necessary for selt-preservatlon
the people of the Confederate States, in their Con
ventions, determined that the wrongs which they
| had suffered and the evils with which they were
menaced, required that they should revoke the del
| egation of powers to the Federal Government
which they had ratified in their several ConVen-
| tions. They consequently passed ordinances re-
Stunning all their rights as sovereign and independ-
ent States, and dissolved their connection with the
other States of the Union. Having done this they
proceeded to form a new compact amongst them
selves, by new articles of Confederation which
have been also ratified by Conventions OF the sew
eral States with an approach to unanimity far ex-
ceeding that of the Conventions which adopted the
Constitution of 1887. They have organized their
new Governmental all its departments The func.
tions of the Executive, Legislative and Judicial
Magistrates are performed in accordance with the
will of the people, as displayed not merely in
cheerful acGuiescence but in the enthusiastic sup
port of the Government thus established by them
selves and but for the interference of the Govern
ment of the United States in this legitimate exer-
else of the rights of a people to selt.government
peace, happiness and prosperity would now smile
on our land
That peace is ardently desired by this Govern
ment and people, has been manifested in every pos
sbe form. Scarce had you assembled IN February
last when, prior even to the Inauguration OF the
Chief Magistrate you had elected, you passed
resolution expressive of your desire for the APP
pointment of Commissioners, to be sent to the
Government of the United States, s'for the purpose
of negotiating friendly relations between that Gov
eminent and the Confederate States of America,
and for the settlement of all questions of disagree
ment between the two Governments, upon prn-
ciples of right, justice, equity and good faith"
It was my pleasure well as my duty to cooper
ate with you in this work of peace. Indeed, in my
address to you on taking the oath of office, and be-
fore receiving from you the communication of this
resolution, had said that, necessity, not as a
choice, we have resorted to the remedy of sePa
ration, and henceforth our energies must be d
rected to the conduct of own affairs, and
the perpetuity of the Confederacy which we have
formed. If just perception of mutual interest
shall permit us to peaceaby pursue our separate
political career, my most earnest desire will have
been fulfilled"
1t was in furtherance of these accordant views
of the Congress and the Executive that made
choice of three discreet, able and distinguished
citizens, who repaired to Washington. Aided by
their cordial cooperation and that of the Secretary
of State, every eff rt compatible with serespect,
and the dignity of the Conederacy, was exhausted
before | allowed myself to yield 10 the conviction
that the Government of the United States was de-
| teFmned to attempt the conquest of this people,
and that our cherished hopes of peace were unat-
| tainable.
| On the arrival of our Commissioners in Wash
| ington, on the 9th of March, they postponed, at
| the suggestion of friendly intermediary, doing
| more than giving informal notice of their arrival.
| This was done with view to afford time to the
President, who had Just been inaugurated, for the
discharge of other pressing official duties, in the
organization of his Administration, before engaging
| his attention in the object of their mission.
1t was not until the 18th of the month that they
| officially addressed the Secretary of State, in
forming him of the purpose of their arrival and
stating, in the language of their Instructions their