Year: 1861

The Independent sovereignty OF Louisiana
has become a fact since the committll Of an
overt act against the United States by taking
possessi5n IN Of the forts We now find our
selves in state OF transition, when every
step is fraught with either ruin or success -
The conmon- place idea is the formation Of q
Southern Confederacy." Every one consid-
crs it the only road open to us and it Is the
very road TO ruin" A confcdefdcy Of tateS
Just from the field Of battle and victory iol
States rights and for the doctrine of scces
sion What would such a eoniederacy be
but a rope of sand? But granted that in our
blindness, we should build structure upon
the same basis of quicksand, sucha structure
as we lust now demolished by blow of one
breath, and that we surmount the prcinina
ry wranglings with those politicians of sub
tile constructions, reared under the influence
of Atlantic b. eezes, and the more prac' ical
men of the w est, and what would our condi-
ton be2


Louisiana, seated proudly on the Gulf of
Mexico, having in her keeping the keys of
the gates of the world wide valley of the
Mississippi, born to command, and to sway
the destiny of millions upon millions, would
be in "A hopeless minority, and be made to
submit and to contribute at the cost of her
own city of New Oreans-towards raising
the decaying and worn out cities on the AT
lantic to some artificial rivalry with the i'm
pcrial city Of New York. Ask any Carroll
nian if it be not his aim to make Charleston
the emporium of the South; and Virginian
if he does not imagine that Norfolk will in
good time excel New York, while Georgia
will set up her claim for Savannah Shall we
Louisianians be made tributary TO the sill
y attempts at terminating the dry bones and
ollete yigor of those superanuaed and impos-
sible localities? And in hopeless decided
minority in any southern Conlrderacy, how
could we avoid being bled to death to feed
and refresh those emasculatcd shadows? Do
not visions rise up of Jobs for armies, never
raised, which aim at extracting from us and
squandering millions Of money upon an army
OF otlice-h holders


I All such follics will be the blinds and play
things of Il Congress Of our Southern Coufed


eracy We require none SUCH for when We
struck down the United States We,
struck down the pedestal which raised us
high among the nations of the world, and we
must now retire gracefully from an untenable
position, to sustain which from motives OF
silly pride would eat out the very core of our
substance. Leave that to others, and let them
alone by all means. Louisiana cannot afford
it just at present On the contrary, we must
husband our resources, as our vast sugar
planting interest will be severely injured
which will require all the benefit derived
from unshacklcd free trade to keep up its
head Can we lay new burdens and taxes
upon the sugar planter to support conlede-
racy of no possible value to him or to any
one excepting oticeholders, of whom W may
be sure but few will hail from Louisiana? IT.
is the duty of our patriotsto to look first after
our own necessities, and our statesmen are
imperntively called upon to take advantage
OF our ilnpregnabe position, which protects
us from the nroads made upon border States,
end which relieves Us from the permanent
state of uneasiness and warfare which may
become the normal condition of those unhap-
py communities out of the Union. Their
slave property must speedily seek refuge
within our borders, and we shall welcome
their citizens as IL most valuable acquisition
of wealth and strength and the development
of our agricultural resources Better men,
more congeuial fellow citizens there are none
than our brethren from Kentucky and Tenn
esSCe.


A Contcacracy of Southern States this wr
ter boots at as an absurdity, and sure enough
it is huge one, having to be composed as it
must be Tor rather has been already ofStqtcs
holding to separate, absolute and iudefcasi-
bic sovereignty, and claiming the right to
withdraw whenever they feel like it. A
Southern Confederacy, having such seeds in
It, what is it? A humbug. A Government
recognizing ths right of secession is no gov
ernment at all. tt can stand no pressure from
without and no comnotion within. There
fore it is, that so many among the secession
lists are opposed to the confederated system
and desire to see a monarchy established or
some other strong consolidated government.
There is difference Of opinion among those
opposed to federation, some contending for
the policy ofMeir State setting up for itself
and annexng others as provinces, and Others
contending for a republic, with lifelong
President and Senators, and others again, as
we have said, for monarchy.