RESIGNATION

O F MILITARY

OFFICERS CALLED FOR.

45

tice and liberty, the world has ever seen.

With such a Constitution and our institutions, we can establish a Confederacy which shall endure for ages; and our Confederacy will be as powerful as it will be great. * The Union is dissolved, and henceforth there is deliverance and peace and liberty for the South. We leave it, not in a time of public danger and trouble, but in a time of established security; not in a time of war, with a foreign enemy thundering on our coasts, but in a time of profound peace with all the world. We leave it victorious in three wars, led on by Southern generals; and with a vast domain of territory, stretching from sea to sea, greater than all civilized Europe contains-the glorious fruits of Southern statesmanship. We leave it, as our fathers left their union with Great Britain, after a patience of endurance, which they would have scorned; and armed like them, with the mighty consciousness of right, more powerful than armies with banners. The long weary night of our humiliation, oppression, and danger is passing away, and the glorious dawn of a Southern Confederacy breaks on our view. With the blessing of God, we will soon be a great people-happy, prosperous and free."

This speech was significent not only of the state of sentiment in the State, but demonstrated, incontestably, that the work of rebellion had been progressing long enough before the Presidential election to render secession a fixed fact in event of Lincoln's success.

started the ball of revolution, and they will carry it forward to the consummation and the end they have in view. Solitary and alone, it is my fixed belief that the State of South Carolina, whatever may betide her, whoever refuse to stand by her-that South Carolina, solitary and alone if need be, will launch her gallant little bark of independence upon an untried political sea; abiding in the justice of her cause, and relying upon the gallant arms and the stout hearts of her people, will peril all in the contest with our enemy."

*

Another speaker from the delegation said:
"The wicked and nefarious plot which forty years
ago was conceived to seize the reins of this Govern-
ment for the purpose of plundering the South and
uprooting her institutions has, day by day, matured,
until the hour of its accomplishment has come.
The knell of this Union has been sounded, and it
must go down, if it has to go down in a stream of
blood and in a multitude of human suffering. Of
what value, my friends, is this Union to you now?
Three thousand millions of property is involved in
this question, and if you say at the ballot-box that
South Carolina shall not secede, you put into the

sacrifice three thousand millions of your property.
Aye, my friends, that Union of which so many speak,
in terms of laudation-its virtues, its spirit, its splen-
dor has forever fled. It is now a dead carcass, stink-
ing in the nostrils of the South. *
* Aye, my
friends, a few weeks more and you will see floating
from the fortifications the ensign that now bears the
Palmetto, the emblem of a Southern Confederacy.
A thousand hearts will rally to its support, and a
thousand swords will leap from their scabbards, re-
solved to make it their winding-sheet ere it shall

trail in dishonor in the dust."

On Thursday evening a great meeting was held in Charleston, to welcome the returning delegates to the Legislature, to secure the passage of the Convention bill. Mayor Macbeth presided. From the speeches made we see that the mere act of calling Reception of DeleUpon the adjournment of the Court of a Convention was regard- Chancery, on the afternoon of Friday, Nogates. ed as equivalent to seces-vember 16th, the Chancellor, in his parting sion, although the Convention would not asaddress, "expressed the earnest hope that semble until December 17th. One speaker, when they again met, it would be as the Mr. Porter, responding for the delegates, Court of an independent State, and that State a member of a Southern Confederacy." About this time a de-. Navy and Army offi mand was made by the cers to re-ign. Mercury, of "all the Army and Navy officers of the State of South Carolina, now in the service of the General Government," to throw up their commissions and join in the revolutionary movement.

said:

"This great Government, the wonder of the world --this mighty Federal Union, the centre of so many hopes and aspirations-is now sliding from under our feet, and those great sovereign communities that

breathed into it the breath of life; that called it

into being, but which has been most perfidiously

abused and betrayed, are about to recall the powers with which they clothed it, and to assume their orig. inal positions among the people of the earth as a sovereign and independent nation. But, fellow-citizens, what is most remarkable of all is, that it is not a legislative, but a popular revolution. The people

The call read :

vice of the Government of the United States, to renounce at once the sword and the rations of the vulgar oppressor, and to hasten at once to the homes that gave them birth, for the protection of their native soil, the preservation of the institutions of their State, and the maintenance of the liberty of freemen, bequeathed them by their fathers.

blessed our fathers belng imperiled, we ask Thy fa vor and aid. Inspire us with courage, with a spirit of self-sacrifice, with a love of law and order, and with dependence upon Thee. Bless our State, and her sister States, in this great crisis. May they act as becometh a moral and religious people. Consecrate with Thy favor the banner of liberty this day "South Carolina wants her soldier citizens around hung in the heavens. May the city over which it her now. The mother looks to her sons to protect floats be in Thy gracious keeping. Shield our comher from outrage. Shall she look in vain? She merce on the seas, and protect our homes and firewants, now, military skill and science, to direct the sides. May agriculture bring her stores to our mart, courage and energies of her people. She looks to and order and quiet abide in our streets, if it be Thy her Army and Navy officers to supply that want. will. Avert from our land the horrors of war; but Let them return home at once, without any hesita- whatever we may be called upon to endure, be Thou tion whatever. They need have no more doubt of our fortress and defence. O God! our fathers have South Carolina's going out of the Union, than of the declared unto us the noble works which Thou didst world's turning round. Every man that goes to the in their days. Continue Thy goodness to us their Convention will be a pledged man-pledged for im- children, and make us that happy people whose good mediate separate State secession, in any event what-is the Lord, through Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. ever. Once out of the Union, nothing but conquest will bring her back. She is resolved, sick of the Union, disgusted with it upon any terms that are within the range of the widest possibility.

Greit Popular Demonstration.

Saturday morning, Nov. 17th, the people of Charleston inaugurated a gala-day by erecting a pine pole, ninety feet in height, from which was flung the Palmetto flag. It consisted of a white ground with a palmetto tree in the centre, under which was inscribed -"Animas assibusque parati." The State flag also flew from all the public buildings and leading houses in the city. It is estimated that twenty thousand persons took part in the festivities of the day "to inaugurate the revolution." As the flag ran up the "liberty pole," the Washington artillery fired a salute of one hundred guns, while a band discoursed the "Marseilles Hymn"-adding the "Miserere" from Il Trovatore, as a requiem for the departed Union.

Amen."

This was succeeded by speeches, chiefly from business men, since it was a business men's, or people's celebration. The crowd was addressed as "Citizens of the Southern

Republic." Processions came pouring into the public square from all sections of the city, bearing banners and mottoes expressive of the sentiments of the hour, viz. :-"Now or Never," "Stand to your Arms," "South Carolina Goes it Alone," "God, Liberty, and the State," "No Stripes for South Carolina,” “Let us bury the Union's Dead Carcass," &c., &c. Secession badges were worn by men, women and children. A reporter present said :— "All classes are arming for the contingency of coercion. Revolvers and patent fire-arms are selling like hot cakes." The same authority said:—

"Not a ship in the harbor has the Federal flag flying, but, far down in the Bay, it can still be discerned flying over Fort Moultrie."

In the evening of the same day another vast concourse of people assembled in the square to hear speeches, all of the most radical disunion character. One thought, feeling and devotion to the secession sentiment prevailed. Merchants from Northern cities, it is said, took part in the proceedings-giving the people strong assurances that New York, Philadelphia and Baltimore, would sustain South Carolina in her course.

From the speech of Mr. Theodore G. Barker we must re-produce a paragraph to show

VIGILANCE ASSOCIATIONS.

Resolved, That each and every captain of patrol be furnished with a copy of these resolutions, which they must show to all persons residing in their neighborhood, and request their signatures.

Resolved, That each captain of patrol be required to make a return to the President monthly, and report all persons who refuse to do duty.

according to the Constitution of this State, to exercise the office to which I have been appointed, and will, to the best of my abilities, discharge the duties thereof, and preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of this State and of the United States."

It was also provided, among other things, by the State Constitution, that the Governor "shall command the military forces of the passing through our section of the district, unless State, except when they shall be called into

Resolved, That we will prohibit all peddlers from

they be legally authorized to do so by law.

Resolved, That any of the above resolutions may be

the service of the United States." As it was

changed at any regular meeting by a majority of impossible to alter that Constitution for the emergency, the entire obligations of the in

two-thirds of the votes of the members present.

Resolved, That the officers do duty equal to any of strument were ignored as part of the scheme of the revolution. The Constitution could the members.

These Vigilant Associations and Commit-only be altered after the following process: "No part of the Constitution shall be altered untees were soon at work, and large numbers of Northern men and women-teachers, preach-less a bill to alter the same shall have been read ers, travellers, peddlers, &c.—were arraigned by them and compelled to leave the State. In a few cases violence was resorted to, in the way of tar and feathers, where an "abolitionist" was "spotted."

three times in the House of Representatives and three times in the Senate, and agreed to by two-thirds of both branches of the whole representation; neither shall any alteration take place until the bill, as agreed to, be published three months previous to a new election for members to the House of Represenne-tatives; and if the alteration proposed by the Legislature shall be agreed to in the first session by twothirds of the whole representation in both branches of the Legislature, after the same shall have been read three times, on three several days, in each House, then, and not otherwise, the same shall become a part of the Constitution."

From the planter owning six hundred groes, down to the "white trash," all seemed to feel the fire of enthusiasm in the cause of disunion-all alike were inspired with hatred of the North and contempt of the Federal compact. So far as we can know, not one solitary voice in South Carolina was raised in behalf of the Union, after the middle of No

vember.

A Queer Case.

A strict constructionist may, very properly declare the whole act of secession illegal and [A very remarkable fea- unconstitutional under the laws of South Cature of this "popular up-rolina. As the Wheeling Convention afterrising" is the fact that the wards declared the entire vote of Virginia Legislature and the people in the action taken and the declaration of secession illegal, so any abrogated their own Constitution, and never for citizen or body of men in South Carolina can a moment regarded its provisions. Thus, declare the acts of their Legislature and Conevery officer serving the State was required vention entirely illegal under their State orto subscribe to the following oath:ganic law, and consistently might repudiate the entire proceedings.]

"I do swear (or affirm) that I am duly qualified

CHAPTER VII.

VIEWS OF THE

O F THE REPUBLIC ON THE
AND DISUNION.

FATHERS
QUESTION O F UNION

indignantly frowning upon the first dawning of every attempt to alienate any portion of our country from the rest, or to enfeeble the sacred ties which now link together the various parts. For this you have every inducement of sympathy and interest. Citi

BEFORE entering upon the narrative of the events which rapidly followed upon the opening of the XXXVI Congress, (2d Session,) which assembled Dec. 3d, we must pause to introduce the opinions of the founders of the Constitution and of its most eminent expound-zens, ers, on the question of Union. It is only by having their views, of the right of a State to secede, that we can form a just estimate of the position which parties soon assumed on the question of disunion.

Opinions of President
Washington.

Chief of all comes Washington. In his Farewell Address, we have at once his warning and his encouragement. The Union, one and indivisible, is his prayer and bis adjuration. Did he sadly foresee, with the prescience of his patriot spirit, the circumstances of 1861, when he wrote that immaculate document? It says:

by birth or choice, of a common country, that

country has a right to concentrate your affection." Upon the benignant character of the Constitution, and its provision for all needed amendment, the Address says:—

"To the efficacy and permanency of your Union a government for the whole is indispensable. No alliances, however strict, between the parts, can be an adequate substitute; they must inevitably experience the infractions and interruptions which all alliances, in all times, have experienced. Sensible of this momentous truth, you have improved upon your first essay by the adoption of a constitution of government better calculated than your former for an intimate Union, and for the efficacious management of your common concerns. This government, the offspring of our own choice, uninfluenced and "The unity of government, which constitutes you unawed, adopted upon full investigation and mature one people, is also now dear to you. It is justly so; deliberation, completely free in its principles, in the for it is a main pillar in the edifice of your real inde- distribution of its powers uniting security with enpendence; the support of your tranquility at home, ergy, and containing within itself a provision for its your peace abroad; of your safety; of your pros own amendment, has a just claim to your confidence perity; of that very liberty which you so highly and your support. Respect for its authority, comprize. But, as it is easy to foresee that, from differ-pliance with its laws, acquiescence in its measures, cnt causes and from different quarters, much pains are duties enjoined by the fundamental maxims of will be taken, many artifices employed, to weaken, true liberty. in your minds, the conviction of this truth; as this is the point in your political fortress against which the batteries of internal and external enemies will be most constantly and actively (though often covertly and insiduously) directed, it is of infinite moment that you should properly estimate the immense "The basis of our political systems is, the right of value of your National Union to your collective and the people to make and to alter their constitutions individual happiness; that you should cherish a corof government. But the constitution which at any dial, habitual, and immovable attachment to it; ac-time exists, till changed by an explicit and authencustoming yourselves to think and speak of it as of tic act of the whole people, is sacredly obligatory the palladium of your political safety and prosperity; watching for its preservation with jealous anxiety; discountenancing whatever may suggest even a suspicion that it can, in any event, be abandoned; and 7

"If, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be, in any particular, wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment, in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation.

upon all. The very idea of the power and the right of the people to establish government pre-supposes the duty of every individual to obey the established government."