The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1865-09-15

w The Pesssss. 81 A,ssas.appE 81,
The noble letter Of President Jonses
to Gov. SHARxEY, Of Mississippi, snnnoi-
ates clearly the keynote Of his policy,
that the original design Of the Government
will be resumed under the principle of the
great chart of freedom handed down to
the people by the founders of the Repub-
lie: "1Ae people must be trusted soith
their government, and, if trusted, my
opinion is they win act in good faith, and
restore their former constitutional rela-
tons with all the States composing the
Union" This exposition of the opinions
of the President has raised loud hue
and cry among the radical organs, and has
sharply defined the great issue of the day.
The Chicago Tribune denomces the letter
to Governor SHARKEY in the severest
terms, and all the lesser lights
of radicaiism will surely follow
in it's wake. In order to understand the
grounds for the confidence of the Presi-
dent in the people Of Mississippi it will
only be necessary to recapitulate the action
of the Oonvention which remodeled the
Constitution Of that State, on the doc
trine Of secession. A resolution was in
troduced declaring that the Ordinance Of
1861, to dissolve the union between the
State of Mississippi and other States united
with her under the compact entitled the
Constitution Of the United States of Amer
ics," was "auU and oOid." A PROPOSE
ton was made to amend thisresolution by
saying that the ordinance Of secession I" be,
and the same is hereby sbrogsteds" The
author of the amendment pointed out in
an elaborate argument that, by adopting
the original resolution the whole doctrine
of secession would be formally repudiated,
because by declaring it null and void, the
original right to adopt it was denied, and
the crime Of treason was inptued to the
body that passed it, and to the citizens
who yielded to their authority. The de-
tenders of the original resolution virtually
admitted that this view was correct, but
they were willing and anxious to put on
record their antsgonism to secession. One
member, Gen. MARTIN, in opposing the
amendment, said:
Hanything has been settled py the war, it is
this doctrine of secession. opposed il in 1861
friend to the South, though there is not q
drop of Northern blood in my veins The
right of secession is q right don't want. 1t
is rope of sand. Its, indeed, no right at all.
No State ought to have 1t; If any one has, am
in favor of taking it away. Revolution is .
natural ONE When gentlemen ts talk about
ofwar. Itmeans long and hazardous marches,
much suffering, starvation. death. That is
what the 'peaceable secession" as offered to
us, means. want no man deceived in the fu-
sure as our people were In the past. / do not
want this people again, for comparatively tri-
val offences, to go into revolution, for that is
what it was. It was because regarded it as
revolution that entered it, and because my
sympathies were with the South.
But hereafter let there be no secession-no
revolution, unless without it we are called
upon to endure things more than deaih. If
ever go into war again, l want those who
persuade me to take such step to go with
me and share the hardships-not to stay back
sno talk about peaceable separation, which is
an impossibility. No, sir; this doctrine is
dangerous. Men are deceived by it; and if
e7er had any such idea it would have been
whipped out of me ere this. hope we may
bury secession beyond the power of re-
surrection. Many times, sir, after victory,
when we were eXulting, did the thought come
over me, What, after all, are we fighting for2
What will be the result? How long will the
government We are trying to establish hang to-
gether with its rope of sand-knit by the doe
trine of secession ?"
1t is the first duty OF this Convention to for
ever throttle the tailacy that there is reserved
right to these States / want no more of it in
the future. There is not and cannot be any
such constitutional right.
After debate of considerable lenth the
amendment was rejected, and the original
resolution adopted by a vote of 81 to IA.
Thus Mississippi, in her new Constitution,
presents q clear record against secession
as reserved right, and virtually re-
sumed her place in the Union, and is en-
titled to all the rights possessed by any Of
the loyal States. The radical Black Re-
publican papers may carp and cavil as
they please, but the whole country has
reason TO rejoice at the action Of the Mis-
,;,,;on, Noouo,%:oo oo5 .ao ,oouna, -