Year: 1861

The news from Texas is that the State Conven-
ton has ratified the Montgomery Constitution,
with only two votes in the negative. Thus, Ala
bama, Georgia, Louisiana and Texas have rati-
fed the Constitution, and its ratification by one
more State only is wanted to make it operative.
The Mississippi Convention is now in session, and
we may expect that that State will soon follow.
The Montgomery Constitution is so unexception-
able there can be no doubt it will be accepted by
every one Of the Confederate States.


We observe that the Abolition press of the North
and the Submission press of the border slave
States are making great ado over the fact that
the people were not allowed to vote for or against
the acceptance of the Montgomery Constitution.
The complaint Is hardly worthy of notice, but it is
sufficient to say that there was no necessity for
submission to the popular vote and hence no sub
mission was made. When time was pressing, and it
was wellascertaned fact that the Montgomery
Constitution was acceptable to nine-tenths Of the
people of the Confederate States, submission was
but useless formaty. What is the use of sub
mtting Constitution to the people when nobody
objects to it, and everybody is loud in its praises?
we believe that if the matter had been left to the
people whether they themselves should ratify the
Constitution, or the respective State Conventions
should do it, they would have said, :" Let the Con-
ventions ratify it. They were elected to consnm
mate the act of secession and the formation of q
Southern Confederacy. The Constitution is a
good one. Go ahead and ratfy it Immediately,
and let the new Government go into operation at
oncen AS for the idea that the people, in any
| of the Confederate States, would have voted
against the acceptance of the Montgomery Consti-
tution if the question had. been submitted to them,
it is simply preposterous We hope, therefore, to
hear no more about the s. disregard of the popular
will" and all that sort of humbug in which the
Abolition press indulge. That party, themselves,
refused in Congress, to let the Crittenden Compro-
mise propositions be submitted to the people Of
the Union and yet all at once they are great stick
| lers for "popuar rights" Submission of The
Montgomery Constitution to the people in the State
of Texas, where there was almost a unanimous
popular vote for secession, would have been as
superhuous and unnecessary proceeding as in any
other one Of the Confederate States.


P. s.-Snce writing the above, we learn that


the Mississippi Convention on Saturday ratified anG
accepted the Montgomery Constitution by vote
nearly unanmous-only seven names in the mega
tive. Mississippi was Il State in which strong ef
forts were made to have the Constitution submit
| ted-but the Convention has wisely determined
that there was no necessity for act which in


volved useless delay, the result in either event be


ing the same. Thus, then, the five States necessary


to put the Constitution in force have ratified it


and the new Confederacy is established under


permanent plan of Government. The States whicl


have ratified the Constituton-we name them il


the order in which it was done-are Alabama


Georgia, Louisiana Texas and Mississippi. Soutl


Carolina and Florida will fall into line as soon a


their Conventions meet. The Government of til


Confederate States is now an established fact.