The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1876-10-04

>s'-Nt y ~ go 49,
You and your predecessors. fTom the
earliest times, have been a~nti-constitE-
Ii"naI in all your proclivitics. Con-
lr,rl'tuous disregard Of constitutional
obligations is not HOW the hncrc germ of
II doctrine; it is a part of your settled
creed. Before the war, and since, you
lave trodden under foot every provis-
ion contained in the great charter Of
orr liberties. | do not speak at ran
dom. | challenge you to designate a
single constitutional right of the
States, or of individuals, which you
have not at some time, or in onc way,
deliberately violated.
TIE DEMOCRATS OF TIE NORTH.
You persist in misunderstanding the
anti-bcllum attitude of the Northern
Democracy. We stood stcadfastly by
the Union against all attempts Of the
New England party tn break it up by
secession. We sustained the Constitu-
ton against the ter0ciOus assaults of
.lc N~bolitionist; we lubored earn-
rstly to save Republican institutions
from the destruction with which they
were threatened by you; and as long
It's the Southern people acted with US,
we gratefully accepted their aid in the
good work. Your avcrment that the
Democratic party desired the aggran-
,iiZemcnt of slavery, and ''yiclued
their con~scicnccsn OH that subject to
the South, is grossly unjust, if you
mean to charge them with anything
more than a Willingness to protect the
southern. as we'll Is the Northern and
NI:lll, St,tnr IN tI,n n>npnich nf thniy
constitutional rights. We had d!spos-
ed of slavery within our own jurisdic-
ton according to our sense of sound
policy and Justice. But we had made
an express compact with the other
States to leave the entire control OF
their domestic affairs to themselves
We kept 0ur covenant, simply because
it would have been gross dishonesty
TO break it. The Abolitionists took
a different view, and refused to keep
faith. They swore as solemnly as we
did to observe the terms Of the bar
gain, but according to their code it
was a sin not to violate it. The fact is
true that we did not think it right to
cut the Threats, or shoot, or strangle
the men or the women of the South
for believing in negro slavery ; but
that is no justification Of your asser-
ton that we yielded our consciences to
them. Again: You charge us Uhe
Northern Democracy with having
given bad advice to the Southern peo-
lie. This consisted, you say, in as
surfing them that if they seeded we
would take their part against any at
tempt to force them back again into
! the Union. This is a gross error, and
you will see itwhen | recall your attcn-
ton to the facts. In all our eXliOrta-
items to Southern men against seces-
sion we were met by the expression OF
their fear that the Abolitionists in
tended, in any event, to invade and
slaughter them. Some reason for this
apprehension vas given by the fierce
threats of some Of your leading men,
and especially by your almost univer:
sal admiration OF Brown for his raid
Into Virginia. Certain Democrats
(and very good men, toO) did then de-
clare that 4 lawleSs expedition intend
ed for purposes Of mere pillage could
not ana should not oe started in the
North, without such opposition as
would cfieclually stop it. But this
WAS before secession, and it was in.
tended to prevent that movement, not
10 encourage it. You can not, with
ANY show Of justice, deny that devo-
ton to the Union Vas one OF the
strongest feelings in the heart Of the
Northern Democracy. We had al
ways deprecated Il separation from the
Southern States with so much earnest
ness that one of the opprobious cpl
thets yOu bestowed on us was that OF
"Cni0n savers.n This was not a mere
sentiment of admiration or gratitude
TO the great Southern men who had
led Us through the pcrils Of the Revo.
luton, settled Il institutions, and
given our country its high place in the
estimation Of the world. We felt all
this! but we felt much morc. Tho
preservation Of the Union was to IL
an absolute necessity. 1t was indis'
pensiblc to the security of our lives,
our personal liberty and u plaincsl
right of property. How true this was
at all times, and especially in 1850,
you will seeif you reflect u moment Oh
our situation at that time.
TIE ADVENT OF R.ADICALISM.
The Aholitionists were coming into
power. l need not say by what com
bination of impo>ture and accident
got it. All the Northern States n
well as the Federal Government fell
into their hands. No doubt their dis
like Of Southern people was very
great but Northern Democrats were
objects Of the special n%a!ignity
I .,,,. l,F L,,n iI,,t fibNn ~, n,,h. - ~ RAJ,
this sentiment has been expressed il
words and acts too plain to be misun'
derstood. You show how strong it il
in your own heart when you tell The
Southern men (and you do tell them
so in this very speech that you honor
them ten thousand times more than
Democrats Of the North. Remember
in addition to this, that the leading
.Aholi,ionistS acknowledged no law
which might stand in the way OF
their Interests or their passions
! Against anybody else the Constitution
OF the country would have been u pro
lection. But they disrcgarded il>
limitations, and had no scruples abouJ
swearing to support it with II prede'
termination to violate il. We hat
been well warned by all the men hes
entitled to II neutrality-suspicious.
~ and cloqucntly warned by Mr.. Clay
and Mr.. M'cbster-tlat if everthe Alb
o%litionists got a hold upon the organ
lied physical force Of the country they
would govern without law, scott Il
The authority of the Courts and throw
down all the dcfenses of civil liberty
But if the South had not seeded W.
might have made q successful defense
of our Constitution though the pow
crS Of the Government were in The
hands of its enemies. With the aid 0
the Southern people, if they had been
true to their duty, We could have or
ganized an opposition SO formidable il
its moral and political power that yol
would scarcely have dared to assault
us. No wonder that we were "Uniol
savers; :" for to us the Union mean
personal liberty, free thought, an in
! dependent press, hubcds corpus, tria
by jury, the impartial administration
Of juslicc-ail those great legal insti
tutions which our forcfathers llat
shed so much Of blood to build up
The South deserted us at The crisis o
our fate, and left US in 0ur weakness:
to The mercy Of the most unprinciplcd
tvrants that ever betrayed Il public
trust. Secession was not mere folly
and madness ; it WAS something mucl
worse. We could IOt but feel that W,
were deeply %wrOngcd. There was IT
remedy for the dire calamities will
which we were threatened except il
bringing the seeded States back tt
- ~ 1900,