Year: 1861

pie of Mississippi knew there was a higher
law-not the higher law of their foes--bu { the
higher law of the peoples power when they
put the lance in its rest Id decide the iss ,ie
IN the field. When the North shall make III,
us mind to coerce u.s. we shall meet the issue.


lie hoped for peace in all sections, and trust
ed that Providence would so ordain that the


friends of liberty throughout the world should
not nave TO mourn over the madness AID fol-


~ OF a conflict of arms on this continent; but


II war must come, they were preparing for ii,


and the Southern people would meet IT with


hrmness. The justice OF their cause was a


tower of strength When the hour comes (he


continued) we know, however you may dread


20 withdraw from the Union and all its re-


vered associations, where Virginia will then


he found. Her sons will bear the banner OF


ihe South aloft, and their blood will enrich


every field in defence of her honor and sacred


rights. GApplause.1


Circumstances have demons trated that the
South should take her destiny in her own
hands. No brave people would ever place


its honor and its property in the hands OF 4
Government where hostility TO them is the
law of ADMINISTRATIONS Government not
founded on the policy OF equal rights, but on


the policy OF hatred to the South and her in :
stitutions We are not opposed 10 the prnci-


pie of confederate Union. 1t was no fault


OF ours that a form of confederation with the


NoTther States ceased to be desirable. What


thea is the remedy II is that which we have


adopted q Union of States with common


hopes and common interests. The destiny OF


the South rglnia now holds in her hands


Let Virginia take her stand by her Southern


sisters, and the revolution will be n peaceful


one. Grim -yisaged war will smooth his


wrinkled front, and we shall 10 longer hear OF


the despot;c power of coercion by the Federal


Government. North Carolina, Tennessee


and the other border States will take their


stand by Virginia. We shall then have a


united South, with fifteen stars our ban


ner, and territory more compact and more


desirable than one with the Northern people.


a


where faction viii cease TO trouble US, and


where liberty and prosperity will take up


their permanent abode--3 Republic to which


we may safely entrust our interests and the
interests OF posterity.


In concluding, the speaker, in the name OF


the people of Mississippi, renewed his ex-
pressions of admiration Tor this State and her
people, and urged their cooperation in the
great movement now going on; hoped they
would come out from the house of their enc
mics and take place in the house of their
friends and kindred They wanted the ad-
vice and counsel of Virginia. If she came
10 them, her arrival would raise "A shout of
congrttulation which woult; echo and re echo
from the shores of the Atlantic to the Rio
Grande- [Applause.J


THE GEORGIA COMMISSIONER


The President. of the Conven-
tion--1n further execution of the order of the
day, l introduce 10 you the Hon. HENRY L.
BRSNISG, Commissioner on the part of the
State of Georgia.


Mr.. BENNISG said he had been appointed by
the Convention OF the State of Georgia TO pre-
sent her ordinance OF secession and to invite
Virginia, through this Convention, to ioin
Georgia and the other seeded State in form
ing Il Southern ConfederacY. This was the
whole extent OF his mission. He had no 20 wer
make or to receive promises. StiN, 4 proper
respect for this Convention required that he
should explain the reasons which induced
Georgia 10 take the step of secession. lie
would, therefore, lay before them some facts
and considerations in favor OF the acceptance
of the invitation by Virginia.


What We're the reasons for Georgia's seceS-
sion ? A deep and settled conviction, on her
part, that a separation from the North was
the only thing that could prevent the aboli-
tion of her slavery. This was the main cause
He main tanned that ii was true, that unless
there was such Il separation slavery would
be finally abolished in the South. III the first
place, the North hates slaYery-hates it viii
liugly, and hates it in ten tionally. An admin
istration was about TO be inaugurated found
ed upon this hate. To satisfy any mind that
might doubt this PROPOSE ton, he then read a
few sentences from speech delivered by Lin
coin, in October, lo5S, wherein he said that he
always hated slavery as much as any Aboli-
ZIONIST; that he was always an old line Wing !;
and that il he was IN Congress he would vote
for the abolition OF slavery.


These were pregnant sentences. Hatred Of
slavery as extreme as hatred can exist His
political principle is that his action against
slavery is not 10 be estraned by the Cons tt
tuition of the United States, even inter
preted by the Supreme CoDrt. This is the
sentiment OF the chosen header of the RepUb-
iican party. Can you doubt that it is enter
tanned by every solitary man of that party =?
He is the representative maE-his eGtiments
are the sentimen Is OF his party-his principles
are their principles. 1t is true thai the Black
Republican party hates slavery, and the Black
Republican majority iii the orth is eQul Va
lent TO the whole, for the voice Of the minority
is drowned when the majority is permanent.
The party is so deeply seated in the North
that it cannot be oNerthrOWn. 1t has the
press, the pulpit, the school houses, the Legis-
latures, the State Governments, the Mdgis-
trates the Constables-in fact, all Official
Iife--and it now has the General Government.
In addition, II has an Inexna ustible reserve TO
fall back upon and recruit from-a reserve
that believes slavery Is Il moral and social
evil. 1t is also i'll alliance with the tlrif,
internal improvement and Pacific Railroad
schemes. 1t cannot be cverthrown. You
might as we'll try To lift Il mountain out of
its bed and pitch it into the sea.


But suppose the party were oYercome-hoW
long would the victory last? The fragments
might get into q najority-but the Republi-
can party, he argued, would soon again get
the power, and come down upon its oppo-
nents like an avalanche, crushing them by its
weight. The Republican party cannot be put
down 1t is TO be the permanent dominant
party at the North, and tnus we We're au-
thorized to conclude that the North hates
The whole people there regard it as
q moral and social evil and in the course of
events it would merge from passive into ac-
tive hatred In the past, the North nvaria-
bly, exerted against slavery the whole
amount of power which il had to exert
They abolished it in the magnificent empire
which Virginia presented them in 1857 and in
every State and Territory North of So, 80; then
endeavored to put the Wilmot Proyiso on all
other Territories of the Union, and succeeded
in Washington and Oregon. They had taken
all that was acquired by the Mexican war;
Il riat tod n nfyx
do all they can to make negroes free-mal-
treat their pursueTs, and make raids to mur-
der all classes and sexes; and when the chief
perpctrator is caught and punished, half the
North goes into mourning. IL any of the
escape, they are shielded by the
law This is what they have done against
have always done what they
could TO put it under the ban in Christen-
dom.


We had a right to argue from the past 10 the
future. If the North has done all ii could in
the past, so il will in the future, and if il can,
will abolish slavery i'll the States.


The speaker alluded to the fact that the
North is constantly acquiring the pow
er to abolish slavery by the acquisi-
ton of new States. The public territory is
practically Northern territory, and every
State that comes in will be II free State. Kan
sas should satisfy every one of that. These ad-
ditions VIII go very near 10 bringing the pow
er OF the n tn high enough TO change the Con
stitution so as to suit their own views. There
l. also "A process going OH by which some of
the slave States are becoming free States In
some The slave property is on the decrease
The census shows this to be the case in Della
ware and Maryland, and in other States on
the same parallel the relative increase and
decrease Is against the slave population. The
anti slavery feeling is so predominant III the
North, that owners of slaves in these States
feel that their property is doomed, and they
haste 10 get rid of it. Thus it goes down low
er, until IL all gets into the pocket. Under the
weight now pressing on this property, it is
bound to go into the Cotton States, and he
feared the day was not distant when they
Ia fhf. only Sla ST