Year: 1861

stitution Of the kingdom by breaking


the original contract between king and


people, violated the fundamental laws,


and having withdrawn himself out of


the kingdom" that James II. was de-


clared by the House of Commons to


have abdicated the government. Would


it have been less an abdication, if he had


remained within the realm, and at


tempted to hold it as the victory of


France? When, in June, 1775, Gov


ernor Dunmore and his Council took


refuge on board a British man of war,


the Virginians of that day proceeded to


meet in convention, and provide new Of


fcers to manage the affairs of their


State. Let this historical proceeding


be followed now Wherever, in either


of the States which the rebels have


sough hit to appropriate, the loyal citizens


can find spot in which they can meet


in safety, let them meet by their dele


gates in convention, and adopt the ne


eessary measures to elect new officers


under their present constitutions. The


only irregularity will be what results


from the fact that treason in such high
places and on so large a scale was not


contemplated, nor was remedy fur
nishea for it, in their frame of govern


ment. 1t is merel y a case not provided


for, and the omission must be supplied


in the most practicable way. The new


organization should and undoubtedly


would be recognized by the National


Government; and by the other States, as,


de tacto and de jure, the State. 1t was


settled in the Rhode Island case, under


Tyler's administration, that, where diff


erent portions of the people claim to


hold and exercise the powers of a State


government, it presents political ques-
tion which the National Executive and


Congress must decide; and that judicial


recognition must follow and conform to


the political decision.


When, by such course, the proper
relations and functions of each State
should be resumed, there would no lon


ger be any matter of State pride to in


terfere with the absolute assertion of


national authority. The new State gov


ernments would be protected against
armed assailants at home and invasion
from abroad; they would apply for and
obtain assistance to suppress domestic


insurrection; every misguided insurgent


would have opportunity to return to his
duty under the protection of his own


local authorities; appropriations for the
army and navy could be passed with the
aid Of Tennessee and Alabama votes in
Congress-; and Davis, and Tyler, and
Mason be hung upon the verdict of a
jury of the vicinage.


In Virginia, a movement based upon
this principle has been already inaugu-


rated. From Western Nirg ginia, the
progress toward Eastern Tennessee and
Northern Alabama is natural and certain.
The worst case to deal with, unquestion-
ably, is South Carolina. Here is a pc.


culiar people, and jealous, though


scarcely Of good wsrks. That fiery lit
tie Commonwealth is remarkably con-


stituted. The State is inhabited prin-
cipally by negroes: and the remaining


minority may be divided into two classes:
whites who are dependent upon negroes
for a subsistence, and whites whose chief
distinction in life and great consolation
is that they are not negroes. The
former and much the smaller class pos


sess all the wealth, all the cultivation,
and all the polical power, which they
are enabled to retain by an ingenious
and systematic use of the prejulces and
passions Of the latter. They are re-
putel to have much earnestne$s Of con-


viction, and claim an unusual amount of


gallantry and courage for their soldiers.
though it is noticeable that their
princi pal exploits in our time have been
the seizure of friendlcss coiored sailors,
and selling them into slavery - the
achievement of that knight Of the bludg-
con, the representative whose noble
deed his constituents could hardly ad-


mire enough, but the better part of
whose valor was the discretion that pre-
ferred to encounter his antagonist sit
ting and incapable Of resistance-and
lastly that heroic and bloodless victory
at Fort Sumter, where imperishable
glory was won by the ten thousand who
conquered the seventy. They now seem
to be united, and substantially unani-
nous. What elements little adverslty
would develope in them, time must deter
mine Whether there is any reserve OF
patriotism and fidelity. oyerawed and 81
lenced now, but which will come forth to
serve as the nucleus of reconstruction
when it can find protection and security,
or whether we must wait for new genera


ton to grow up, remains to be tried
Their leaders are subtle reasoners, and it


has been shrewdly observed Of them that
''they never shrink from following their
logic to its consequences. because the
conclusion is inmorot" Perhaps they
will find no more difficulty in accepting
the arguments we shall address to them
because the conclusion is a little hu


initiating. In their case, we shall have
little need to concern ourselves about
the wishes of a local majority. The


fact that a majority are blacks, to begin
with, must deprive that consideration Of


all its force, even to their own appre-


hension. 1t will not be the first time


that they have received a benefit which
did not agree with the wishes Of the


greater part Of those upon whom it was


bestowed The men of Rhode Island and


Massachusetts who achieved the indie


pendence of South Carolina did not
stop to consider whether a majority of


her white inhabitants were Torres.


When we hear that the colonel of a


regiment Of Seccssonists sends a flag of
truce to Fortress Monroe to ask for the


return of his fugitive slaves under the
Constitution and laws of the United
States, Il painful doubt must be sug
gested whether such gentleman really
believe themselves to be so wholly and


utterly out of the Union as the theory
Of Secession would Indicate. And when
the novel, but very sensible doctrine