The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1873-05-14

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: warned his hearers against the dis
asters which he believed, would ia
:. evitably follow if thepolicyfof sep
arate secession was carried out
f He. did not, however, deny th'
/ right of "a State to secede from .th'
tiUnion if she chose to do it, and hi
had always upheld the opinion tha
9 there was but one efectual shielt
] against a central despotism by th.
fI General Government, and that wa
in upholding and maintaining tht
!. rights of tile several States wft
were parties to the . Federal com
/ pact. The right of peaceable se
cesssion he held to be the highes
attribute of sovereignty, and ht
believed that its denial would. lea;
'irretrievably to consolidation. Early
in May he attended, as a delegate
the Convention Of the Southern
Rights Association, ,theld in Charles
ton, which numbered about -four
hundred. and fifty delegates, repre-
senting in an eminent degree the
intelligence and wealth of the
State. Among the moderate mem.
bers were the Hon.. r. w. Barn
we'll, .ex-United States senator;
Judge Butler, who was then sena.
tor, and Mr. Orr, each Of whom
addressed the convention in oppo-
sition to the policy of the majority.
Mr.. Orr introduced the, resolutions
upon which the minority founded
their report, and which. afterward
formed the basis of the Cooperation
party for the -one was knownsas
the Secession, and the other as the
Cooperation party. Mr. 1 OT,ss IS
speech upon this occasion was one
of the most effective that he ever
made.in his life, and it was 80 high
~ appreciated that it was published
by the executive committee of the
party in this city, and circulated in
every district and parish in II the e
State.
The election of delegates to a
Southern Congress was ordered for
October, and as no others popular
election was to occur except that
until the probable meeting and ac-
ton iiof the convention, the Co.
operation partysdetermined to test
the strength, of the. parties in that
election. Two deputies were to be.
chosen in each congressional dis
trict, and the party determined to
bring forward MFR. Orr and Colonel
Irby, of Laureps, as their .eandi-
dates. The Secessionists nominatea1
two gentlemen who. probably. en-
joyed more, personal popularity
than any other two persons in the
district. They were the Hon. r: !:
F, Simpson, a member.of Congress
for several years, a gentleman off
high character and great moral
worth, and the Hon, il. G, Young,
who had long been q member Of
both branches Of the Legislature,
and was a distinguished lawyer
enjoying a sweeping practice at the
bar. The canvass lasted ten weeks,
and was close and exciting, but
upon counting the votes it was
found that Mr. Orr had Received
FIVE thousand and ten votes and his
highest opponent eighteen hundred
and six, giving the former. q major
ity in his district Of .thirty-two
hundred and four votes. When
this canvass opened, FIVE out Of the
six newspapers in his district as
sailed his position,,7 and brought all
their influence to bear against him.
When the canvass ended he ex-
pressed his opinion that there: had
not been such a change of public
opinion as was supposed; that the
opposition to secession had merely
developed itself, and that the Sc
cessionists had deceiyedthemseive
in assuming that the majority was
overwhelming in their favor in the
outset.
Mr.. Orr was successfully re-
elected to the Thirty second,
Thirty-thrd, Thirty fourth and
Thirty-ffth Congress, serving until
1859. While. a member of the
Thirty-third Congress he was ap-
pointed chairman. Of the committee
on Indian affairs, and made an
elaborate report on the means of
civilizing the tribes, which was
adopted, in the case Of some, with
considerable success. He was a
candidate for speaker Of the House
of Representatives in the Thirty
fourth Congress-. and was elected to
that position in the. Thirty-ffth
Congress, and discharged his dnties
from December, 1857, toeMarch,
1859, with great ability. In the
South Carolina Convention, which
assembled in December, 1860, he
favored the immediate secession of
this State, and he was one of the
three commissioners who were sent
to Washington to treat with the