Year: 1861




Commission from the State of Alabama.


To HIS E1ceec, the GcUernor, and TO the Honorable the
members Of the General Assembly Of the ate of North


The General Assembly of the State of Alabama on
the eleventh day OF January, A D. 1860 by iont
lutions made it the duty of His Excelency the Cover
nor of Alabama upon the election of President of
the United States advocating the principles and action
of the party in the Northern States calling itself the
Republican party to issue his wrs of election for dele
gates to Convention Of the State, to consider de-
termne and do whatever in the opinion of said conven
on the rights interest and honor OF the State of Ala
bama require to be done for their protection"


In consequence of the results of the late Presidential
election the Governor of Alabama has issued the writs
of election required The election is to be held the
twenty yfourth day of this month"; and the Convention
is to assemble on the seventh day of January next.


North Carolina and Alabama have been true and
loyal to the Constitution and to the Union. There is
no plighed faith which each has not kept. They have
stood together in fidelity to the Government, and to
each of the States composing the Contederacy. They
are bound together by common duty, common in
terest, common danger and common honor. North
Carolina has largely contributed to the population of
our State, and her have brought along with them
those principles of integrity honor, obedience to law,
and love of wellreguated liberty for which she is known
and admired and which have impaired much Of worth
and prosperity to the States in which her children have
settled 1t is therefore h that now, in this their hour
of trial, North Carolina and Alabama should consult
and advise together and his EXceency, the Governor





native State consult and advise with his Exceen
cy, the Governor, and with the members OF the Legs-
ature to what is best to be done to protect the rights
interests and honor of the slaveholdng States and to
report the result of such consultation. We feel COM
pmented in accepting the invitation of this General
Assembly to appear before them in discharge Of the d-
| ties imposed upon u.s.


we believe that the exhibitions of public opinion in
Alabama so marked and distinct to Justify in
deci1rng that her approaching Convention will with
her tbo E'oJor A co5
and pregnant with consequences to herself and to her
sister States requires that she should have grave and
conclusive reasons for the step; light and transient
causes will not justify it much less should restlessness,
passion or ambition influence her action. Her oblga-
tons to other States to the of free government
and to the civilized world forbid it. Her hopes of
constructing, with the other States of the South we'll
regulated government which shall establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility provide for the common de-
fence promote the general welfare and the bes
sings of liberty to ourselves and posterty alike
forbid it.


Our people consider that the Constitution Of the
United States is the charter of our national rights and
duties by which fathers bound to the Union, and
under which, IN its integrity our people would be con-
tent to live, and would envy the prosperity it
brings but they think that the past and present
duct and apparently settled rule of action of the
slaveholdng States vioative OF It's plain letter and
spirit and the people of Alabama, believe, will
longer be bound by its obligations while deprived of its
!, benefits.


They think the history of the country shows that
some of the non-slavehoding States have, throughout
our political existence proven themselves sectional and
hostile to the rights and interest of the common cOun
try Some Of them have opposed every war in which
we have heen involved from that Of 1872 with Great
Britain to the with Mexico have opposed the &C
qusition of the rich territories have obtained
that which gave US the Mississippi river and the vast
plains Watered by it and yet these States with the
other nonsavehoding States have adopted and act
ing on the settled policy that we OF the South shall be
excluded from the Territories, obtained by the common
eXerOnS and treasures OF the nation and that to main
tain this sectional policy, the Constitution of the United
States, expounded by the grave, well and earnestly
considered decision of the Supreme Court Of the UneC
States, is to be set at naugh and the court tse which
made the decison to be reformed not oy for general
partztn purposes, but for the particular purpose of OBJ
tanning reversal ofthat decision A party which annOun
cardinal article of its creed the degradation of the
highest the world does n the opinion Of the peo
pie Of Alabama offer lue OF government consistent
with well regulated, constitutional freedom. Beyond this
is the fact that tie plain letter of the Constitution prov
ding for the rendition of fugitive slaves has not only
been annued by non-slavehOdng States, but several o
them have, by their socaled personal liberty bills
made it highly penal offence Tor master to attempt
the enforcement OF the fugitive slave law of Congress
So it has to this, that degrading punishment is
the consequence of citizen of the South going into
these States with the constitution of the Uted States
his hand, asking simply for the performance OF the
guarantees therein provided Nor those non-slave





their co-operators in practically annulling the clause
of the Constitution referred to, tor it well known that
in most, il not all of the nonsaveholdng States the
rights of the master OF the slave are deed and set al
naught and that public opinion aided by mobs has as
efectualy overthrown the Constitute and the law
Il as though neither had any existence Were this state
of things the result OF sudden geam Of passion thu
' people of Alabama mig hope that returning sense
of justice would bring obedience to duty, but unhap
/ PLY, the past and present prove that such hope il
T. of n
been so long continued and oft repeated, that th
principle has incorporated itself into their education
religion until the doctrine of the law of conscience ha
been set the supreme law of the land and hatre
to the South and her institutions has usurped the teach
ings of the Bible. The spirit of sectional anmosity ha
3 so "grown with their growth and strengthened witt
l. their strength" that their matdred, cultivated ant


trusted statesmen have proclaimed that the conflict be
~ tween the sections is irrepressbe a0d their peOpl
is have in the late election, responded armavey to tn
e announcement


Is he election of President of the United States
any opon, however heretica and however much cacu
lated to disturb the public mind would of ITSELF
think be considered by people of secondary i'm
portance but the recent presidential election is the il
auguraton of system OF government opposed to th
Constitution it is to rights and safety 1t usher


settled policy, not only the exclusion of the pee
pie of the South from the common territories of th
country, but proposes to impair the value of slave proI
erty in the States by untriendy legislation; to pre-
vent the further spread of slavery by surrounding
with free States to refuse admission into the Unio
of another slave State and by these means to rende
the institution itself dangerous to us, and to compe
U.S. as slaves increase, to abandon 1t Or be doomed
NJ servile war. The establishment alone of the pol
Icy of the Republican party, that no more slave State
are to be admitted into the Union, and that slavery
be forever prohibited in the territories he
property of the United Staes must of ITSELF at d
OF tant day. result in the utter ruin and degradation
most il not ALL of the guilt States Alabama has at ea
eight slaves to every square mile of her tabe SOIL Th
population outstrps any the globe in the rapid
sy of its increase and if the slaves in Alabama al
10 hn within horn dnnhlInO