The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1906-03-24

that war be declared forthwith. The
Southern States had comparatively
little at stake, except as the Federal
honor was concerned: came gener-
ously to the rescue. Of the shipping
States, and war was declared But
the first burst of her passion having
spent itself, Massachusetts, found that
| she had been indiscreet: her shipping
began to suffer more than she had
at first thought, and she began to de-
nounce the war. New England was
losing the almighty dollar, and every
other idea was drowned in that Gts
"a Yankee), the most absorbing sem
tlment on earth. They cried aloud
against the administration which was
this, Massachusetts, in connection
with other New England States, or
gained a convention at Hartford,
Conn, with the avowed purpose to
adopt some Interior measures. We
find the following among the records
of that conventions:
Events may prove that the causes
of our calamities are deep and perma-
nent. They may be found to proceed
not merely from blindness of preju
dice, pride of opinion, violence of
party spirit, or the confusion of the
times: but they may be traced to inn
placable combinations, OF individuals
or of States, to monopolize office, and
to trample without remorse upon the
rights and interests of the commercial
sections of the Union. Wherever 1t
shall appear that these causes are
radical and permanent a separation
by equitable arrangement will be pref
cradle to an alliance by constraiiit
among nominal friends but real en-
emies, influenced by mutual hatred
and jealousy, and inviting, by intes-
tine divisions, contempt and aggres-
sions from abroad
These proceedings took place in
January, 1875. A deputation was ap-
pointed to lay the complaint of New
England before the Federal Govern
nent, and ther is no predicting what
might have occurred if the delegates
had not found that peace had been
declared when they arrived at Wash
ington. 1t would we'll repay any one
the reading OF the journal of the
II
in such expressions as these: 1.-The
Constitutional Compact; at must
be the duty Of the States to watch
over the rights reserved. as of the
United States to exercise the powers
which were delegated" etc, etc It
is replete with sound constitutional
dotcrine
The odium which has justly fallen
upon the Hartford convention had
not been because of its doctrine, for
these were as sound, as we have seen,
as if the Virginia Kentucky resolu-
tons of % and 90, but because it
was secret conclave gotten together
in a time of war, when the country
was hard pressed by foreign enemy,
the war having in fact been under
taken for the benefit of the very
shipping States which were threat
of it.
When Texas was annexed and JEFF
ferson Davis was III Congress advo-
eating it, Massachusetts, was declar-
ing it unconstitutional, and that any
such act or admission would have no
binding obligation on its people.
While the Mexican war was being
fought and Jefferson Davis, the sol
der statesman of Mississippi, was
carrying the STARS and Stripes"
over the heights of Monterey, and
bleeding in the battle shock of Buena
Vista, Abraham Lincoln was denounc-
ing the war as unconstitutional, and
Northern multitudes were yet ap-
plauding the eloquence OF the Ohio
orator CThonas Corwin), who had
said III the United States Congress
that the Mexicans should welcome
our soldiers with bloody hands to
hospitable graves.
Let liz recall a few contemporary
opinions of Northern publicists and
leading journals They knew that
when the Constitution was adopted
by the votes Of States in Philadelphia
and accepted by votes of States i'll
popular conventions, it was safe to
| say there was not a man IN the coun-
try, from Washington and Hamilton
on the one side to George Clinton
and George Mason on the other, who
| regarded the new system as anything
but an experiment entered upon by
the States, and from which each and
every State had the right to peace
ably Withdraw right which was
very likely to be exercised So tho
New York Herald considered coer.
cion out of the question On the otl
OF November. 1900. the New York
Tribune. Horace Greeley editor, said
..If the cotton States shall decide