Year: 1864




dependent States, each Of them being such "peo-
pie" as had the right whenever they chose to ex.
ercise It to separate themselves from political as
sociation and government Of their former choice,
and institute q new government To suit themselves


Sd. That if Rhode Island, with her meagre ele-
meuts Of nationality, was such "people" in 1776,
when her separation from the government aud peo-
pie Of Great Britain took place, much more was
Georgia and each of the other seeding States,
with their large territories, populations and re-
sources, such "peopie," and entitled to exercise
she same right in 1851, when they decreed their
separation from the government and the people of
the United States; and if the separation was right
fu in the first case, it was more clearly so in the
last the right depending, it does in the of
every "people" for whom it Is claimed, simply up
on their fitness and their will to constitute an in
dependent State.


4th. That this right was perfect in each of the
States to be exercised by her at her own pleasure,
without challenge or resistance from any other
power whatsoever; and while these Southern States
bad long had reason enough to justify its assertion
against some Of their hIthless associates, yet re-
membering the dictate Of "prudence" that "gcv.
ernments long established should not be changed
for light and transient causes" they forbore q
sort to its exercise, until numbers of the Northern
States, State after State through series of years.
and by studied legislation, had arraye6 themselves
in open hostility against an acknowledged provis-
ion of the Constitution and at last succeeded in the





and executoner of their ithless designs against the
constitutional rights of their Southern sisters rights
which had been often adjudicated by the courts,
and which were never denied by the aSolitiOnists
themselves but upon the ground that the Consti-
tuition itself was void whenever it came in conflict
with "higher Law" which they could not find
among the laws Of Gcd, and which depended, for
its exposition, solely upon the elastic consciences Of
raneorous partisans The Constitution thus broken
and deliberately and persistently repudiated by
several of the States who parties to it. ceased
according to universal law, to be binding any of
the rest and those States who had been wronged
by the breach, we're justified in using their rights
to provide "new guards for their future security"


9th. That the reasons which justified the separa-
tion when it took place, have been yindicated and
enhanced in force by the subsequent course Of the
government. of Mr. Lincoln-by his contemptuous
rejection Of the Confederate Commissioners who
were sent to Washington before the war, to settle
all matters Of difference without resort to arms,
thus eyncing his determination to have war: by his
armed occupation of the territory of the Confed-
crate States, and especially BY his treacherous at
tempt to reinforce his garrisons in their midst after
they had, m pursuance Of their right Withdrawn
their people and territory from the jurisdiction of
his government thus rendering war q necessity,
and actually inaugurating the present lamentable
by his official denuncation of the Confederate
States as "rebel" and "disloya" States, for their
rightful withdrawal from their faithless associate
states, whist no W0rQ OF cenSure mas ever tailen
from him against those faithless States who were
truly "disloya" to the Union and the Constitution
which was the only cement OF the Union, and who
were the true authors Of all the wrong and all the
mischief of the separation, thus insulting the in
nocent by charging upon them the crimes Of his
own guilty allies: And finally, by his naonstrous
usurpatiOns OF power and undiSguised reputation
Of the Constitution, and his mocking scheme of
securing q Republican form of government to
sovereign States by putting nine tenths of the peo
pie under the dominion of one. tenth, who may be
a6ject ough to swear allegiance to his usurpaton,
thus betraying his design to subvert true constitu-
tional republicanism in the North as well as the
South.


sth That while we regard the present war be-
tween these Confederate States and the United
States as q huge crime, whose beginning and con.
tinuance are justly chargeable 10 the government.
of our enemy, yet do not hesitate to affirm that,
if our own government and the people of both
governments, would avoid all participation in the
guilt Of its continuance it becomes all of them on
all proper occasions, and in all proper ways-the
people acting through their State organizations and
popular assemblies, and our government through
its appropriate departments-tO use their earnest
efforts to put end to this unnatural unchrstian
and savage work of carnage and havoc And to this
end, We earnestly recommend that our government
Immediately after signal successes Of our arms and
on other occasions, when none impute its action
to alarm instead of a sincere desire for peace shall
make to the government of our enemy, an official
offer of peace, the basis OF the great principle
declared by our common fathers in 1776, accom-
panied by the distinct expression of o willingness
on our part, to follow that principle to its true
logical consequences, by agreeing that any border
State, whose preference for our association may be
doubted doubts having been expressed as to the
wishes Of the border States) shall settle the ques
ton for herself by Convention to be elected for
for that purpose after the withdrawal of all mill
tarv forces of both sides from her limits


7th. That we believe this course on the part of
our government would constantly weaken and
sooner or later, break down the war power of our
enemy by showing to his people the justice of our
cause, our willingness to make peace on the prin-
cIples of 1776 and the shoulders on which rests
the responsibility for the continuance of the un-
natural strife that it would be hailed by our people
and citizen sodiery, who are bearing the brunt of
the war, as that peace will not be un-
necessarily delayed, their sufferings unneces-
sarily prolonged and that it would be regretted by
nobody on either side except men whose import
ance or whose gains would be diminished by peace,
and men whose ambitious designs would need cover
under the recurring plea of the necessities of
war.


9Th. That while the foregoing is an expression of
the sentiments of this General Assembly respecting
the manner in which peace should be sought we
renew our pledges Of the resources aud power of
this State to the prosecution of the war; defensive
on our part until peace is obtained upon Just and
honorable terms and until the independence and
nationality of the Confederate States is established
upon permanent and enduring basis.


TH0S HARDEMAN,


Speaker House Representatives.


L. CARRINGToN,


Clerk House Representatives.


PETER CONE,


President of Senate, Pro. TEN.


L. H. KEENAN,,


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