The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1864-08-31
WEDNESDAY MORNING. AUGUST 81, 1854

WEDNESDAY MoRNiNt....s,aeuo %, '''''
Tae Charleston Mercury, feeling assured that the
ch,esge Convention will lay down plank Ia its
platform proposing general convention Of all the
states that ones formed the United States, takes oc-
,s,an 10 show tina. the Constitution OF the Confe'i-
,,,ie state discs no, authorize the Government to
mai tg SAID States. OF OF them, into convention
With ,ne f,reiea pewar There is has one purpose
for " eh the STATE can b. called into conver,iion
that Of aachdiag the Confederate Constitution; and
th m annar IA which the eenvocatoa is to be made
~ described by the Constitution itself 1t no where
grants ANY power to convoke a convention OF the
States to any agency whatever for any other purpose
than that alluded to. The Asrcatg Is perfectly
risht in che matter The Confederate states are SO
many savereirntes each nation IN itself, with All
,h, claims and Attributes of sovereignty. THIS Is
the doctrine We went on, Of tio Union prosaiming
,he doctrine for the maintenance of which We have
bn fighting for tie last three years and hall; the
.io trine which distinguishes from our enemies Of
the Yankee States aud which, If We surrender W.
give ap all have becn eontendIng ;os. Being III
dep nieu: natio,.. they have united in partner
ship fsr certain specified purposes and have appoint
.I an agent OF attorney to carry those purposes
the Government of the Confederate States. Its power
ot at.orpc- is the Constitution, ana II cannot
,ransccna the limits conferred by that instrument
amy more than an attorney of flesh and blood can
10 beyond the limits of the paper by which he Is
created such Now, what right has such an agency
as This 10 pu, any one OF the independent nations
from whom it holds ITS power into the proposed
convention or any other sort of convention not au-
a. ny,r.S.lS the Constitution Ii there
h. any power to put these States into convention
OF any sort. why not put them into a convention
with Great Britain, which is no more foreign power
than the United States
The Constitution confcrs upon the President, by
and with the advice and consent Of the Senate, the
power of making treaties; ana apprehensons have
been expressed lest. under this treaty making
power, the pre,iaent make treaty providing that
the States shall 60 into convention with the an
kea States to alter AMI amend the Constitution
The Mercury ITSELF seems 20 entertain some fears
from this quarter We are convinced that they are
eroundess, if for other reason, yet from the an
,swer made by him to Jacques and Gilmore when
they made proposition to submit al questions III
a;snute to a convention OF all the States, Yankee
and Coniederate,in which vote OF two-thiid' WIS
to be decisive. We had seoedrd, he sud- ana were
now fighting 10 get nd OF tie tyranny ci the ina
iority 1t il, therefore, We Think hardly fea5ohabe
10 suppose that he will wilfully violate the Con-ttu-
ton he is sworn TO support in order that he may
replace us under that very tyranny OF the majority
from which We have effected escape at the cost
of so much blood. That it would be palpable rio-
Iation OF the Constitution to the treaty making
power-eonferred with very different obJeet-to
bring the States of the Confederacy into convell-
ton with the Yankee States, We have no doubt Is as
clear the President it is to the writer III the
Nerenrg-as it is to everybody, indeed, who has read
the Constitution and understands its Objects grants
and limitations. The Constitution has pointed cut
one way OF altering the Constitution If II be al
tered In any other way the Constitution Is violated
Now by putting these States into convention with
the Yankee States, with the understanding that all
parties to acquiesce in the decision OF such con-
vention, render not the change merely but the
destruction OF the Constitution matter OF absolute
certainty. The President certainly can have no
power tending to any such result, nor do We think
he ever dreamed Of exeiting any such power
Whenever treaty Of peace shall be made, 1t
must be done solely the basis of the entire indie
pandence and sovereignty OF each particular State.
That must be preliminary to, and cannot be It sub
has no right to make any peace ! which one inch
of land belonging to any OF the States shall be
given up, or one iota of its privileges soyer-
elgn be surrendered. This, So far from being the
subject of negotiation, must be the starting point
from which all negotiation must proceed. Ii the
enemy refuse to conceie it, then we cannot negot-
ate with him. 1t follows that there be no such
thing as treating for peace in earnest until every
II .I..ll l,l,
soil and every hostile ship from our waters Then
We can talk Of peace and all those matters of
ondary importance which it may be necessary dis
pose Of and which, involving principle, and
affecting the rights Of State, come properly
within the sphere OF the treaty-making power We
have no reason to believe that President Davis
does not stand upon this ground, although judge
OF his opinions only from his acts and his public
declarations.
The Yankee President has more power TO put
the Yankee States into Convention with ours than
President Davis has to put Us into convention with
them. The treaty making power is the i'll
both governments. But the Yankees have long ac-
customed themselves to consider theirs a CONSOLE
dated government, possessing all power for all pur
poses. The States they regard possessing
sovereignty than the counties. Indeed, in ope
of his speeches. Lincoln expressly declared that they
had no more power than this Should We agree,
therefore, the convention would certainly take
place 1t is wonderful, in the meantime, that inte-
gent men like Vailandigham ana Fernando Wood
who must be fully acquainted with the Southern doc
trine of State rights and must know that all this
blood has been shed in their defence should think
1t possible to get us into such convention, TO
restore the Union by means OF it. What We want,
first Of ALL is entire and separate independence.
The Confederate States go into convention with
the Yankee States i'll one way, and one only. They
can withdraw from the Confederacy, each State on
its own separate account and responsibility. They
then, each State for itself, go into such con-
vention. This they will De pretty sure not 10 do ;
that the hope OF getting them into this scrape Is
but lost hope. The very act OF sending delegates
to such convention would be construed by the sister
States into withdrawal from the Confcleracy. The
sending delegates to it would be exercise of SOW
ereignty, and as the Confederate Government is not
sovereign, il follows necessary consequence that
it neither send delegates nor compel the States
" 10 it.
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