Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1864-07-29

A. HI. Stevens speech against Secession.
THE REBEL vIcE-PREsIDENT's REASONS.
The following remarks were made by
Alexander H. Stevens at the Georgia
Convention which met at Milledgeville,
in November, 1860, to consider the ques-
ton of seeding from the Union. His
Arguments against secession are valua-
bic as matter OF history:
when we and our pOsterity shall see
our lovely South desolated by all the de-
mons of war, which this act of yours will
inevitably invite and call forth; when
our green fields OF waving harvests
shall be trOdden down by the murder
| GUS sOldiery and frey car OF war sweep
ing over our land our temples of Justice
laid in ashes all the horrors and desola-
ton of war upon US who but this con-
ventiOn will be responsible for it? and
who but him who snail have given his
| vote for this unwise and ill-timed meas
ure shall be held to strict account for
this suicidal act by the present genera
| ton, and probably cursed and execrated
! by posterlIy for all coming time, for the
| wide and desOlating ruin that Will inev-
| itably follow this act you now propose to
perpetrate?
Pause, entreat you, and consider
| for moment what reasons you can give
that will even satisfy yourselves in
| calmer Misunderstanding reasons can you
give to your fellow-sutferers in the ca
lamity tnati will bring upon us? What
reason can you give to the nations of the
earth to justify it? They will be the
calm anu deliberate judges in this case
and to what cause or one overt act can
you point, on which to rest the plea OF
Justification? What right has the North
assailed? What interest OF the South
has been invaded? What Justice has
been denied! and what claim founded
in justice and right has been withheld t?
Can either of you to-day name one gov
ernmental act OF wrong deliberately and
purposely done by the government at
Washington, OF which the South has a
right to complain? l challenge the an
swer! While on the other hand, let me
show the facts (and believe me, gentle
men, l am not mere the advocate of the
North, but am here the friend, the
firm friend and lover of the South and
her institutions, and for this, reason
speak thus plainly and faithful to yours,
mine, and every other mans interest,
|
which wish you to judge, and will
only state facts which are clear and I'M
deniable, and which now stand Us rec
ords authentic in the history of our
| country.
"When we of the South demanded the
slave trade or the importation of Afri-
cans for the cultivation of our lands, did
they not yield the right for twenty
years? When we asked a three-fifths
representation in Congress for our
slaves, was it not granted? When we
asked and demanded the return of any
fugitive from justice, or the recovery of
those persons owing labor or allegiance
was it not incorporated in the constitu-
| ton? and again ratified and strengthen
ed in the Fugitive Slave law of 1850?
| "Do you reply that in many instances
they have violated this compact, and
have not been faithful to their engage
ments? AS individuals and local com
munities they may have done so; but
not by the sanction of government, for
that has always been true to southern
interests. Again, gentlemen, look at
another fact: when we have asked that
more territory should be added, that we
might spread the institution OF slavery,
have they not yielded to our demands,
and given us Louisiana, Florida and
Texas, out of which four states have
been carved, and ample territory for four
more to be added in due time, if you by
this unwise and impolitic act do not de-
stroy this hope, and, perhaps, by it lose
all and have your last slave wrenched
from you by stern military rule, as
South America and Mexico were; or by
the vindictive decree ofg universal eman-
cipatiOn which may reasonably be eX-
pected to follow?
"But, again, gentleman, what are we
to gain by this proposed change of our
relation to the general government
We have always had the control, and
can yet, if we remain in it, and are as
united as we have been. We have had
a majority of the Presidents chosen from
| the South, as we'll as the control and
management of those chosen from the
North. We have had sixty years OF
southern Presidents to their twenty
four, thus controlling the Executive De-
partment. So of the Judges of the SUI
preme Court, we have had eighteen
| from the South and but eleven from the
North; although nearly four-ffths of the
judicial business has arisen in the free
states, vets majority of the court has
| been from the South. This we have re-
quired so as to guard against any inter
probation of the constitution unfavOrable
to us. In like manner we have been
equally watchful to guard our interests
| in the Legislative branch of government
In choosing the presiding officer pro
| tenn. of the Senate, we have had twenty
four and they eleven. While the major
| ity of the representatives, from their
greater population, have always been
from the North, yet we have generally
secured the Speaker, because he, to a
great extent, shapes and controls the
legislation Ofthe country. Nor have we
had less control in every department of
the general government. Attorney Cen
erals we had fourteen, while the North
had but five. Foreign ministers we had
eighty-siX, and they but forty-four-
While three-fourths of the business
which demands diplomatic agents from
abroad is clearly from the North from
their greater commercial interests, yet
| we have had the principal embassies
so as to secure the worlds markets for
our cotton, tobacco and sugar, on the
best possible terms. We have had a
vast majority of the higher offices OF
| ton of the soldiers and sailors were
| drawn from the North. Equally so
with clerks, auditors and comptrollers
| filling the Executive department; the
recordsshow that, for the last fifty years.
of the three thousand thus employed we
have had more than two-thirds, while
we have had but one-third of the white
population of the republic.
"Again, look at another item, and one,
be assured, in which we have great
and vital interest: it is that of revenue
Or means of supporting government.
From official documents we learn that
fraction over three-fourths of the rev.
enue collected for the support of the
government has uniformly been raised
from the North.
"Pause now, while you can, gentle
men, and contemplate carefully these
important items. Look at another nee