Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-08-26

TIMES Of the British Enpis Still in hope, they con-
tinued the struggle fof one whole year: At length
the British Parliament declared the colonies out OF
fle protection Of the parent State. And then At
last no other course was left them but to proclaim
their INDEPENDENCE, and defend it if need be with
their lifes blood. The battle of Lexington-was
fought on the 10th of April, ITO, and on the ll.a
Of April, l778, the Provincial Congress OF NORTH:
Carolina "empowered their delegates in congress
to concur with the delegates of the other Colonies
in declaring Independence and forming forsgn n
liances." and on the 10th Of the following month
Vre;ni,. through her Convention, instructed her
delegates in the Continental Congress ito propose
to t6at BODY to declare the United Cooniesfree and
independent States absolved from all allegiance TO-
or dependence on, the Crown or parliament OF
Great Britain" and on the 4th of July following
the ever memorable Declaration was made.
But how different has been the course OF the &C.
cessionists They seem to have resolved years ago
that the Union should DO destroyed, and then to
have set themselves to work to forge such grievan.
ces as would seen, to give them d decent prete1t
for the accomplishment Of their prsmeditated
schemes, The first effort,was made in the days Of
notification by the secessionsts of South Carolina
The grievance then complained Of was the tariff, al
though the State of South. Carolina, herself, had
been from the foundation of the government nearly
up to that period, as strong an adTocate of high
tariff as any State in New England. That question
was compromised Carolina obtained all that
she ostensibly demanded. A revenue tariff with
incidental protection, became the settled policy OF
the government and, except for short period un-
der the tariff of 1912, was never departed FROM
But still they were not satisfied. Immediately Of.
tor the passage Of Mr. Clays compromise bill, the
newspaper organ of the seccssionists at Washing
ton, declared that the South could nsrer be uni
ted the tariF question and that the 9laoe cues
ton was the only one that could unite them-"-
And Mr. Calhoun, if mistake not said the same
thing in speech at Abbeville, in South Carolina,
about the same tilns; and of course was followed
by all the lesser lights among his adherents Then
commenced that violent agitation of the slavery
question which had nearly eliminated upon the ad-
mission of California, in 1850. Again, by the ef-
forts of those immortal statesmen of the last age,
Messrs. Webster, Clay, and others, was the mat
ter compromised The whole country at first ap-
peared to be satisfied with the settlement but it
soon appeared that there were number of restless
spirits among the extremists of the South, that
would be satisfied with nothing short of dissou-
ton of the Union. Of this class of politicians W.
L. Yancey may be ftly selected as representative
man. He Immediately began to agitate the ques-
ton again. He went to the Democratic National
Convention at Baltimore, in 1862 as a delegate
from the State Of Alabama, and there proposed as
the ultimatum On which he could continue to act
with the democratic party, and upon which, in his
opinion, the slave States could consent to remain
in the Union that the doctrine of nonintervention
by Congress in regard to slavery in the territories
should be incorporated into the democratic plat
form. In this he failed, and therefore did not sup
port the nominee of the Convention, Mr.. Pierce
He could not however, at that time, succeed in Gre
ating great schism in the democratic party, so
great had been the calm which the compromise
measures of 1850 had produced. In 1856 he again
went as delegate from the State of Alabama to
the Cincinnati Convention, with his old ultimatum
in bis pocket Contrary to his wishes and expec.
tations, it was incorporated into the Cincinnati
platform, and being thus left without an excuse,
he supported Mr.. Buchanan for the Presidency in
the Gall of that year. In the mean time, however,
that fatal measure, the repeal of the Missouri com
PROMISE had been consummated 1t was brought
about by the extremists of the South, aided by a
few partizan democrats at the North. The avowed
object Of its authors was to open to slavery the ter
rtories north of the Missouri compromise line not
withstanding the agreement of 1920 thatssaid line
should torerer divide the territories between the
slave and free States 1t is said, however, that the
compromise of 1920 was unconstitutional, but what
is that to the purposei 1t was most solemn com.
pact the sections Of the country, made
for the settlement of most perplexing question,
and without any reference to its consttutonality,
SuVulu nave OS0u l0SaIuCu ID Oil VI law uuu
observed as sacredy as the Constitution ITSELF
The effect of this measure was great and rapid,
and there can be but little doubt that it was such
as majority ofits authors contemplated. The re-
suit the formation of great party at the North
opposed to the further extension of slavery, and
which party very nearly succeeded in electng their
candidate for tho Presidency, Mr. Fremont in 1856.
After the election this party seemed to be on the
wane, until the anti-savery spirit of the whole
North cd IN mad hr
the part of Mr. Buchanans administration to torct
! the Lecompton Constitution with slavery upon the
people of Kansas in opposition to the known and
expressed wish of three.fourths of them: But fol
| this most unjustifable measure Of the Republican
| party would undoubtedly have dwindled down to
moderate proportions; and even after this, it is
doubtful if they could have succeeded in the Presi
dental election Of 1860, if the secessionsts with
Ysncey at their head, had not determined that they
| should succeed After Mr.. Yancey and his party
had against their wishes, succeeded in getting thsl
ultiuatum of non-intervention incorporated int
the Cincinnati platform, they went to work to N
iure up another to present to the Charleston Con
vention. Abandoning their doctrine of non-inter
vention, they went to the opposite extreme, ant
demanded that the Intervention of Congress for tn
protection of slavery in the territories should con
stitute part Of the Charleston platform. This de
mand they we'll knew would not be complied With
| nor QlQ t1ey UeSlTc IuSt IL SuOuu Oe 1AolT OUJcC
was to procure the secession Of the delegates Of tn
cotton States from the Convention, and thus by de
feating the nomination Of Mr.. Douglas, and rendn
asunder the democratic party, to insure the cleo
ton of Mr.: Lincoln, and thereby forge for them
selves grievance which would seem to justlf
them in the execution of their long meditated de
signs of destroying the Union. All of this the
accomplished and the election of Mr.. Lincoln wa
perhaps hailed with greater joy at Charleston tha
at New York I will do them the justice to stat
that they also claimed to have some other grle1
ances; among them, that some Of the Norther
States by their statutes INSTRUCTED the execution
| the fugitive slave law, but the only States tina
could compla lain much on that score, were willing
remain in the Union, while South Carolina, tn
State which set the ball in motion, perhaps neve
lost slave. But it must be borne in mind that n
act of the national government constituted any par
of their grievances. They did not pretend that an
act of Congress nfringed their rights, and the d.
cisous Of the Supreme Court were mainly such I
they would themselves have made Nay, even
the very time Of Mr. Lincoln's Inauguration, if tt
| cotton States had allowed their Senators and Rel
resentatives to remain they would have had d
cided majority in both Houses of Congress in fave
, | of the extension Of slavery, and in opposition
, the policy of the party which elected him.