The Buchanan County guardian. (Independence, Buchanan County, Iowa) 1858-1864, 1862-07-15

ton about State Rights-here are these
men telling the whole troupe Of Iibellers
Of the Republican party, directly and
and boldly, that they LIE in charging
secession 10 the account of Republican
principles or the Republican party.
Scarcely a man of any intelligence, in
the country, will fail to remember the
fierce disunion conflict which was waged
in The Gulf States in 1851, in which open
and avowed disunion candidates were
run for governors in the States of Geor-
gia and Mississippi, and one or two 9TH
er Southern States. JEFF DAVIS was
then United States Senator, but resigned |
his seat and went home to Mississippi
and became the disunion candidate for
governor on an open and avowed disun-
ion platform. Senator FooTE, also n dem
oeratic Senator from that State, resigned
his seat and went home 10 run against
DAVIS as the Union candidate. DAVIS
was defeated by small majority, as were
all the disunion candidates in the other
States, except in South Carolina. This
controversy secession schemes
remember, were in 1851, long before the
organization of the Republican party,
and Immediately on the heel of the pass
age of the compromise measures of 1850,
in which the North had granted the most
humiliating concessions to the South
Did these concessions satisfy the conspir-
ators ? Not in the least, nor did 1t make
them swerve hair from their purposes.
The history of.that Secession contest,
is instructive, because it so closely par
alels the early history of the present one.
Probably one of the most talented, (after
the death Of CALHOUN as well rs one of
the most energetic and un,iring Of the
dlsruplionists, was Gen. QUITMAN, of
Mississippi. In the Life and Correspon-
dence of that General will be found
very complete history Of the schemes of
he men who, as the South Carolina
traitors admit, had been for twenty years
engaged in the work of overthrowlng the
Union. Immediately after the death of
Mr.. CALHOUN, in 1850, the disunionsts
of the Senate and House Of Representa-
lives met at Washington, and agreed up
on constitution for a Southern Coned-
eracy, and at that meeting, JEFF DAVIS
was selected by the conspirators as the
President of the new Confederacy. On
the 29th of September Of the same year,
only 10 days after the passage of the
compromise acts which the South had
declared were to be a finality, Gen. QuIr-
MAN, of Mississippi, wrote to Gov. SEA
BROOK, Of South Carolina, as follows:
Without having fully digested programme
| of measures which | shall recommend to the
legislature, it may be of service to YOU to
know that propose to call regular conven-
ton TO take into consideration our federal rela-
tions, with full porer 10 annut the federal com
ddtp our organic ia,c 10 such ncp relations. =
Having no hope of an efftctual remedy for cx-
isting and prospective evils but in separation
from the Northern States, my views of 5 .atc
action will look to Secession"
On the l7th OF December, 1850, Gov.
SEADRooK, in answering Gen. QUIrMAN,
said
4 candidly confess to you that am aivo-
eating the immediate action Of the legis
III order TO suggest the first Monday in Deem
Der next for the time and Montgomery, Alabama
as the place of meeting OF Congress. So If
our movements be seconded by Mississippi,
have good reason for the belief that Alabama,
Florida, and Arkansas will follow the patriotic
example"
Gov. MEANS, Of South Corolina, on
May 18th, 1851, thus writes to General
QUITMAN:
There is now not the slightest doubt that
the next legislature will call the convention to-
Sether Mt a period during the ensuing year, and
when that convention meets the State will Sc
cede. We are anxious for cooperation,
and also desire that some other State should
take the lead, but from recent developments we
are satisfied that South Carolina is tie only State
in which sufficient unanimiiy exists to COIN
mence the movement. We will therefore Trad
NJ, even if We are TO stand alone"
Col. GREGG, of South Carolina, in wri-
ting to Ger. QUITMAN, under date Of May,
1851, in encouragement of the Secession
party who were straining every nerve to
elect JEFF DAVIS governor of Mississippi,
SAYS:
" Let these (the Secessionists) contend man
fully for success, and if beaten in the election
they will form minority 50 powerful in moral
influence that when South Carolina secedes
the. first drop Of bLoOd that is SHED will cause an
irresistible popular impulse in their favor and
the subinissonists will be crushed. Let the ex-
ample b. set in Mississippi and it will be fol
flowed In Alabama and Georgia. Imparti ing
and receiving courage from each others cffurs,
the Southern rights men will b. ready to carry
everything before them. in all the three States
the moment the first dLop is struck by South
Cdro!iaa.
Here, then. was the conspiracy, and
how faithfully the plan malured in 1851
was followed in 1869 and 'Gl, every one
clearly perceives. The same Constitu-
/ ton for the Confederacy, the same arch