Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-02-23

e The following communication which .nno.-o,
originally in the Charleston Courier, rs attrbn,.J
by a contemporary to the pen of Col Memmin,aNn
VINO was South Cardinals Commissioner to Vira;H,,
last winter: "snNS
10 the Members Of the State Leoi,lat,,r-
mere IS grave task awaiting you It is vor.
duty tC see in your coming deliberations ,b, 'our
State receives no detriment Your constit',o Tue
nave lett you Tree to deliberate. They exnect No
pledges They rely upon your ability and bono.t Nv
fou Will not be the less willing on that account !
receive and consider the suggestions of those 10 "
are like yourselves solcitous for the public ssf.t,
let us assume tEat the Southern States will .Jo..
sot'e niooe Oh recresS- some plan by which to vim.
dictate their rights and protect their pronertv WL
sha4l that plan be? " nat
In the course thus forced upon them bv a..
Northern States, by words and acts the S,ates ~" 0
grIeved may be compelled to dissolve the ties ,b;
now unite the country. If they cease to he ons
people with the North, they may refuse to continno
unde- one government. The South NAV be chit
to go over the ground which their fathers trod bo
them, TO resort to the same mode of redress. VIII
was that mode 1t was one, We know of 60
wisdom 1t received the applause of the 81
Statesmen OF Europe. The leaders of the Colorios
were reSoluter bat calm and deliberate They an
Preclated fully the difficulty and delcacy of the sS
imposed upon them They laid their plans SLOWLY
cautiously, With deep sagae;y- Let US trace ,bc;,
course. '"eir
RAISING over their preliminary complaints and 70
monstranceS, We will take the calling tocethor -
the Congress at Philadelphia in 1874 As the f-ot
systematic proceeding of the American Colonies ~
the assertion OF their liberties. They beozn h..
uniting their councils No Colony seeded ILL.,
They formed Congress for joint deliberation and
action The Congress so formed assembled in SOM
liI4 They did not beg in by dissoving the Cni,n'
they adopted declaration of rights: they iSsrsJ
addresses to the people of the United Colonies -
those OF Canada and Great Britain; they petitioned
the King; they adopted resolutions to import no
goods from Great Britain OF Ireland and 10 export
none to those countries; they prepared arms. thev
formed or recommended associations they still do
layed they knew that in reforming abuses the last
step IS to dissolve the Government; they were firm,
but patient. Boston was occupied by the British
army. The battle Of Bunkers Hill was fought =
The victory of Fort Moultre was achieved Still
the resoiute, moderate patriots of Congress kent
open the door of Cancellation. From September
lI74 to July, 1916, they made every effort that was
honorable to preserve the Union. They still hest
tated to abolish 1t even in the midst of battles segeS
and frequent bloodshed. 1t was at the end ONLY If
nearly TWO years. when every appeal to the Justice
friendship, and interest of England had been made
IN vain, that Congress severed the bonds that united
the Colonies to the Mother Country. There rus no
60yish petutaRce no indecent haste no blind rush
ing into the mire Of revolution uih rague de-
Pendence on some contingent Jupiter to assist then.
IN getting out OF it. The leaders OF America were
statesmen-calm firm. moderate. They took care
to secure and establish new Union before tbey
dissolved the old. They strove to preserve the old
by every fair and proper effort.
We ask you, gentlemen, whether you can devise
any better mode of proceeding in the emergency
that awaits your counsels? If you cannot, then
adopt the one prepared 10 your hands You pro-
pose to follow the examples of the Revolution: fol-
low them faithfully. Do not disregard the pregnant
teachings Of your own history, of the fathers
whom you so much respect and whose sagacty and
spirit you profess 20 emulate. Listen to no rabid
enthusiasm, no chimercal projects of feverish impa-
thence. Exhibit the courage of your ancestors. bit
take cure TO preserrc also their cisdOm and prudence
We can forfeit nothing of self-respect by deiib-
crate proceedings We owe them not only to the
teachers whose lessons we have been learning but
to the worlds Judgment, and to the sympathy of
large portion of the North and West We shall!
weaken the hands of our friends by hasty counsels
and strengthen their enemies and ours By con-
trary course we shall prove the truth of our asseyer
atoms, that IRE desire to preserre the Union, pro-
rided 1t be q Constitutional Union. We shall
deprive our opponents of every pretext for assaing
us andrender ourselves inpregnabe to their attacks
We do not profess to enter INTO details We point
only to our own history, to the textbook of Amer-
can Revolution, your safe and certain guide We
say nothing as to what States or how many States
should unite their councils that is for your iudg
ment and honesty to determine. But in view of
our Revolutionary examples and the duties of those
who profess to follow Them we hold these PROPOSE
tons to be unquestionably true: That no State
should secede singly under present circumstances;
that a Congress Of the States proposing to secede
should precede their action; that the Congress 50
formed should exhaust all honorable efforts to reform
and restore the purity Of the present Union on q
safe basis before they proceed to destroy it, Hasty
and impatient advisers are bad advisers Even the
virtues of ardent and irregular minds mpracticable
in temperament dogmatc in understanding are CO.
piouS sources of caIamtous counsels. Let US re-
serve bold celebrity for action whenever it comes
But in councils, in those above all, which may
lead to revolution, we cannot value too highly nor
practice too carefully the precept which teaches us
TO make haste slowly. FESTINA LENTE.
HILLSBOROUGH
ATT TN II W ~ Dr1FT-