The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1865-09-12
From the Petersburg Express. ]
South Carolina.


results to Virginia by the secession,
movement, very truly laid all our suf.
ferings at the door of South Carolina.
That State is mquestionably chargeable
with the whole catalogue of woes by
which we have been afflicted, and un.
der which we are still, and will be for a
long time, groaning. Previous to the
election Of Lincoln, her leading pollti.
clans, her press and her people had, for
years, been manifesting spirit of disaf.
fection for and hostility to, the Federal
Government, which brooded only multi.
plying troubles to the country. Hatred
Of the Union was the universal feeling
in that State, and it was not concealed.
1t was evident long before the election
of 1860, that size would eagerly embrace
the first favorable opportunity for prac.
tically carrying out her cherished scheme
of Southern Confederacy." The
triumph of the Aholitionists in the eec.
ton of Mr.. Lincoln was received in
Charleston with uproarious rejoiclngs.
Why 2? Because it afforded what was
pronounced to be good ground for sepa.
ration from the North, and the occasion
was embraced in the hottest kind OF haste
for preciptating upon the South the
issue which for more than quarter of Il
century had been threatening to involve
the two sections of the Union in bloody
conflict. South Carolina was a unit for
secession. There were scarcely hun.
dred of her people whose hearts were
not thoroughly and irreclaimably enlist.
ed in its favor. They would listen to
no appeals or arguments addressed to
them from without in behalf Of temper
ate and concIiatory measures. Vir.
glnia, at that time, was decidedly, over.
whelmngly, opposed to disunion. We
did not think that secession was the
remedy to be applied in the case. We
thought that, as Mr.. Lincoln mad been
fairly and constitutionally elected, (how.
ever obnoxions the platform on which
he stood and that, MS the South, had
gone into the election and was party
TO tive thought, that, in view of
these important facts, her proper course
would be to abstain in the onset from all
resistance and to wait until tho new
President should commit an overt act
that would justify resort to extreme
measures for selfprotection This was
what we conceived to be the wisest and
safest policy, and we accordingly urgedit
with all our humble ability in the long
interval which elapsed between the
election and the Inauguration OF Mr..
Lincoln Blu. nothing could restrain
South Carolina. Shutting her eyes to
consequences and her cars to moderate
connsels, she determined to plunge heels.
over head into the fiery abyss, under the
lamentable delusion that she would
emerge not only in safety but with
glory. Each of the other Cotton States
l'es,tated in being the first to "breakt the
ice in the affair, but all of them as good
as pledged themselves to follow the one
that would be bold enough to set the ex.
ample. So South Carolina Instantly
went to work, and in six weeks alter the
news OF Lincoln's election had been re.
ceived in Charleston, she was as much
out ofthe Union as an Ordinance ofSe.
cession, passed by Convention of her
people, could put her. Six other States
rapidly followed suit. The Border
States held back for n while and yir.
ginia, especially, was slow and reluctant
to throw herself into the boiling periloIs
waters 1t was not until tie last mo.
ment, when She coald not longer bro
tract her decision, that she, in an evil
hour joined the ill.starred Copfederacv
and in so doing exposed herself to tie
brhnt Of the gigantic and desolatino
war which was then commencing. IN
South Carolina the Ordinance of Seces.
sion was greeted with the universal nc.
clamations of the people. 1t was hailed
with enthusiastic delight and with pub:
hc rejoicings from one end to the other
OF herland. How little did it entef into
the thoughts Of the shouters that their
songs Of Joy would be changed into bit
ter wallings, and that their delirious
dream OF an independent powerful and
aAwakrS Grz.- - H