Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-01-16

the Georgia State Convention, in January
/, 1861, or three Years ago. Let the rebel al
: vOcatcs of thiswar perusc this speech, an
weigh well its facts and It's arguments.
is crushing reply to Southern advocate
Of the rebellion, and to all that Northern
sympathiSers say, when they vociftrate til,
South has been injured and had been de
MED her rights in the Union. We cndors,
the speech Of Stephens now. We endorsed
it when delivered. How is it with those
who made him Vice President?
ArsT,tephens said
This &c lor Seccsson) once taken can never b,
recalled; and all the balefll and whitening consc-
quences that follow will rest on the convention
for all coming time. When we and our postcritv
shall see our lovely South des"lated by the demon
of war schich this act Of yours rjA ncrta5{y 0arc
/ o'1d cdd forth; when our green fields Of waving
! harvest Shall be trodden down by the murdcrorIs
soderyi and fiery of war sweeping over our
land our temples Of justice laid in ashes; All the
horrors and. associations of war upon us; ,rho bit
this coarentio,e ciL be hed responsible for It, and
who but him who shall have given his vote for this
unwise and il-tlmed measure honestly think and
believe sta be held to strict account for this suicidal
cceueF By poSte1ify for ico,q time for the wide
and desch Eating ruin that will inevitably follow this
act you how propose to pcrpetratc?
THE NORTH BLAMELEss.
Pause, entrcat YOU, and consider for a moment
what rcasons you give that will even satisfy
yourselves in calmer moments-what can
you give to your tellowsutferers in the calamity that
it will bring upon US What reasons can vo girc TO
the nations Of the earh to JUSTIFY it! They will be
calm and deliberate Judges in the case, what
or overt act can You point to, which to rest the
plea of Justification? What 1'i9ht has tie North
ds$0cd y " hat interest of the South has been in
vadrl hat justice has been denied, and what
claim l9nndee in justice and right has been with
nCi'r+ - 7.E!eI 81 you Hanp governmental
act OF wrong deliberately and purposcly done by
the Govcrnmet of Washington of which the South
has right to complain? | challenge the answer.
While the other hand, let show the facts (and
believe me gentlemen, | am not here 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 l speak thus plainly and faith
fully for yours, mine and every other mans inter
est. the words of truth and sobcrncss,) of which |
wish You to judge, and will only state facts which
clear and undenable and which stand as
records authentic in the history Of our country.
When we Of the South demanded the .lave-trsde
the importation of Africans for the cutiya-
ton of lands, did they not yield the right for
twenty years? When asked three-ftths rep
rcSentttion in Congress for slaves, was it not
granted? When asked and demanded the re-
Of any fugitive from justice the recovery of
those persons owing labor allegiance, it not
incorporated in the Constitution, and again ratified
and strengthened by the Fugitive Slave Law of
1850? But do You reply that in many instances
they have violated this compact, and have not been
faithful to their engagements! As individual and
local communities they may have done SO, but not
by the sanction of Government, for that has always
been true to Southern interests
A,rIin l,I-
have asked that territory should be added, that
might spread the Institution of slavery have they
not yielded to our demands in giving Us Louisan.
Floridaand Texas, out of which four States have
been carved, and ample territory for four to be
added, if you, by this unwise and impotic act do
not destroy this hope and perhaps by lose all and
have your last slave wrenchcd from YOU by stern mil
itarv rule as South America and Mexico were; or
by the vndictivc decree of a universal emancipation
which may reasonably be expected to follow?
WHAT THE SOUTH HAD IN THE UNION.
But again gentlemen what have We to gain by
this proposed change of our relation to the General
Govern. We have always had the control and
can vet if we remain in it. and are uutcd rs we
have been. We have had a najoJity Of the PreSi-
d,,S chosen from the South, rs well a. the control
and management of most of those chosen from the .
North We have had sixty wears of Presidents to
their twcntv-four. thus controlling the Executive
Department So of the .I,dgcs Of ths Supreme
Colf5t we have had eighteen from the South, and
but eleven from the North; although nearly four
ffth> Of judicial business has arisen in the free .
States yet majority Of the Court has always been
from the South
This we have required 50 ; to guard against any
intern rotation of the Constitution untIvorble to
In like manner have been equally w&tchtul to
guard our interests in the legislative branch OF Gov
ernment In choosing the presiding Presidents
(p1o TIM Of the Senate We have had tweny-tour to
their eleven. Speakers of the House We have had
twcnty-,hrce and they twelve. While the minority
of the Representatives from their greater popula-
ton have always b, en- from the North. Vet have
50 generally secured the Speaker because he to
gr,St,r shapes and controls the legislation Of
the cxnntry.
parinn.nt of the General Government. Attorney
Generals we have had fourteen while the orth have
had but five Foreign ministers We have had eighty
six and they but titty-four While thrce-fourth> Of
the business which demands diplomatic agents
abro;d Is clearly from the free States from their
greater commercial interest. yet have had the
principal embassies, to secure the world mar
kets for cotton. tobacco and sugar the best pos
Siblc terms. We have had vast majority of the
higher offices of both army and navy while larger
proportion If the soldiers and >ailcrS w.rc drawn
from the North. Equally 50 Of clerks, auditors and
controllers filing the executive departments; the
records show for the last fifty years that Of three
thousand thus employed ~ have had more than two
thirds of the same while have 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 that of
revenue or means al supporting Government
From official documents we learn that fraction
th5r-f0ILhS Of the rer,ie eotctrd fol the support ~
Corrnm0d has uniformity bcrp raised from tire /,
Worth.
Pause now while YOU can. gentlemen, and con-
template carefully and raudldly these important
items. Leaving out L v''w. for tn present, the
COMMITTEES mi Hons a, dollar -,t! must ,Ur!.