Secession movement at the South.
appeal from South Carolina--Painting a White Girl for the purpose of Selling her — the Pittsburg excitement--Mr. Seward's propositions, &c.
The appeal to the Southern States.
The address of the "people of South Carolina" to the slaveholding States, concludes as follows:‘ Citizens of the slaveholding States of the United States, circumstances beyond our control have placed us in the van of the great controversy between the Northern and Southern States. We would have preferred that other States should have assumed the position we now occupy. Independent ourselves, we disclaim any design or desire to lead the counsels of the other Southern States. Providence has cast our lot together, by extending over us an identity of pursuits, interests and institutions. South Carolina desires no destiny separated from yours. To be one of a great slaveholding confederacy, stretching its arms over a territory larger than any power in Europe possesses — with a population four times greater than that of the whole United States, when they achieved their independence of the British empire — with productions which make our existence more important to the world than that of any other people inhabiting it — with common institutions to defend, and common dangers to encounter — we ask your sympathy and confederation.
’ Whilst constituting a portion of the United States, it has been your statesmanship which has guided it in its mighty strides to power and expansion. In the field, as in the Cabinet you have led the way to its renown and grandeur. You have loved the Union, in whose service your great statesmen have labored and pour great soldiers have fought and conquered — not for the material benefits it conferred, but with the faith of a generous and devoted chivalry. You have long lingered and hoped over the shattered remains of a broken Constitution. Compromise after compromise, formed by your concessions, has been trampled under foot by your Northern confederates. All fraternity of feeling between the North and the South is lost, or has been converted into hate; and we of the South are at last driven together by the stern destiny which controls the existence of nations.
Your bitter experience of the faithlessness and rapacity of your Northern confederates may have been necessary to evolve those great principles of free government, upon which the liberties of the world depend, and to prepare you for the grand mission of vindicating and re-establishing them. We rejoice that other nations should be satisfied with their institutions. Self-complacency is a great element of happiness with nations as with individuals.--We are satisfied with ours. If they prefer a system of industry, in which capital and labor are in perpetual conflict, and chronic starvation keeps down the natural increase of population, and a man is worked out in eight years, and the law ordains that children shall be worked only ten hours a day, and the sabre and bayonet are the instruments of order, be it so. It is their affair, not ours.
We prefer, however, our system of industry, by which labor and capital are identified in interest, and capital, therefore, protects labor, by which our population doubles every twenty years; by which starvation is unknown, and abundance crowns the land; by which order is preserved by an unpaid police, and the most fertile regions of the world, where the Caucasian cannot labor, are brought into usefulness by the labor of the African, and the whole world is blessed by our own productions. All we demand of other people is to be let alone to work out our own high destinies. United together, and we must be the most independent, as we are the most important amongst the nations of the world. United together, and we require no other instrument to conquer peace than our beneficent productions. United together, and we must be a great, free and prosperous people, whose renown must spread throughout the civilized world, and pass down, we trust, to the remotest ages. We ask you to join us in forming a Confederacy of slaveholding States.
Guns for Southern forts — unnecessary excitement at Pittsburg, Pa.
Some of the citizens of Pittsburg were thrown into a great furors on Monday last, on hearing that the Secretary of War had ordered a certain number of guns to be sent from the U. S. Arsenal, near that city, to a couple of forts at the South. The Pittsburg Post says:‘ As far as words were concerned, there was a most rebellious spirit manifested by the people on the streets, and there was plain talk of open resistance to the removal of any of the arms or ammunitions from the United States arsenal near this city, until it should be known what object was contemplated in this removal. The feeling of resistance to the movement was continued until late at night, and some of the Republicans actually seemed to think war, horrid war, was about to bristle in our midst.
’ The real facts of the case we took pains to ascertain. It seems that the United States has for some time past been constructing a couple of forts--one at Ship Island, below New Orleans, on the east side of the Mississippi, and the other at Galveston, Texas. These forts are now ready for the reception of the ordnance. Secretary Floyd has ordered a number of eight and two inch Columbiads, and some eighteen and twenty-four pounders to be transported from our Arsenal for the purpose of arming these forts. Thus we are informed by Major Smyington, who is commandant at the Arsenal, and Major Butler, the paymaster. The circumstance was not so unusual as to attract any particular attention with the military men of our city, but just now many of our citizens, even those with cool heads and calm judgment, look upon this order as inopportune at the present time, to say the least. The excitement which exists in regard to political matters seems to have been greatly increased by the news of this order.--Many persons talk loudly of preventing the removal of the ordnance, should it be attempted.
The steamer Silver Wave has been contracted with to carry the guns to their point of destination. The excitement on Monday evening on this subject was so great that telegraphic messages were sent to Washington by some of our leading citizens, Democrats as well as Republicans, making inquiries regarding this matter, and a public meeting in regard thereto was talked of.
The following are the numbers and weight of the guns ordered to be sent. For the Fort on Ship Island:
| 24 10-inch Columbiads | 15,200 lbs. Each | 319,200 lbs. |
| 24 8-inch Columbiads | 9,210 lbs. Each | 194,040 lbs. |
| 4 32-pounder iron guns | 7,250 lbs. Each | 29,000 lbs. |
| total | 542,240 lbs. |
for the Fort in Galveston harbor, Texas.
| 23 10-inch Columbiads | 15,200 lbs. each | 349,600 lbs. |
| 48 8-inch Columbiads | 9,240 lbs. each | 443,520 lbs. |
| 7 32-pounder iron guns | 7,250 lbs. each | 50,750 lbs. |
| Total | 843,870 lbs. |
Making a total of 1,386.110 lbs. or 693 tons in all.
Mr. Seward's propositions.
Mr. Seward's propositions in the Committee of Thirteen have caused much surprise, but seem to have accomplished no good, and nearly every one now give up all hope of an agreement. His propositions were as follows:‘ First. No amendment shall be made to the Constitution which will authorize or give to Congress any power to abolish or interfere in any State with the domestic institutions thereof, including that of persons held to service or labor by the laws of such State.
’ This was carried in the Committee by the following vote:
Yeas--Messrs. Powell, Hunter, Crittenden, Seward, Douglas, Collamer, Wade, Bigler, Rice, Doolittle, and Grimes--11.
Nays--Messrs. Davis and Toombs--2.
The other propositions offered by the Republicans in the Committee of Thirteen were these:
‘ Second. The Fugitive Slave law of 1850 shall be so amended as to secure to the alleged fugitive a trial by jury.
’ Third. It shall be respectfully recommended to the several State Legislatures to review all of their laws affecting the rights of persons recently resident in other States. and to modify or repeal all such as shall contravene the provisions of the Constitution of the United States or of any of the laws made in pursuance thereof.
Mr. Douglas proposed to amend the second by adding to it the words, "in the State from which the fugitive escaped." The amendment was adopted, and the resolution was then voted down by the Democrats.
The third was lost by the following vote:
‘ Yeas--Messrs. Grimes, Seward, Wade, Doolittle, Collamer, and Crittenden--6.
’ Nays--Messrs Powell, Hunter, Toombs, Douglas, Davis, Bigler, and Rice--7
This vote speaks well for the Republicans, as it indicates a willingness to repeal all the unconstitutional Personal Liberty bills. The Democratic Senators voted against the proposition because, as phrased, the laws of some of the Southern States imprisoning colored seamen would come within its scope.
Painting a White Girl to make her a slave.
[From the Natchez (Miss.) Free Trader, Dec. 12]One day last week a gentleman of this city hailed an up-country boat, the Cora Anderson, as she was passing Greensville, Miss., whither he had gone on business, to return home.--Shortly after being under way our Natchez
friend observed a pensive looking little girl, aged about 9 or 10 years, whose black hair and yellowish brown skin would indicate that she was a mulattress. There was something about her that interested him, and he inquired of the captain concerning her. He was informed that she was a slave belonging to a man on board, whom the captain pointed out, who said he was taking her to New Orleans to sell her, he having bought her for $160 in Northwestern Missouri, on the borders. Our Natchez friend eyed the little girl and the border man so closely as to attract the attention of the latter, with whom he was soon engaged in conversation concerning the child, interrogating him in such manner as to elicit answers not always agreeing with previous statements, and evidently alarming him. This was suspicious.
The little girl was taken aside and examined. She said she was an orphan, and had been taken from an asylum in New York by this man; that her hair was light and her complexion brunette; that this man told her he was going to the South with her, where, as his adopted child, she would have a good home; that black hair was preferred in the South, and prettier than hers, and that he had taken her to a barber and had her hair dyed black. He also told her that if she would allow him to put some yellow dye on her skin that her complexion would become much whiter in a few days, and that he had put the stain on. On hearing these statements the girl was taken charge of by the captain, and potash, soap and water being applied, the dyes were taken off and the light hair and light complexion brought to light. The pretended master was seized by the excited passengers, who were about to deal with him summarily, but it was finally arranged to lock him up in a stateroom until the boat should land. In the meantime the boat had passed St. Joseph, and when a few miles below that town rounded to take on wood.--At this point, how, or in what manner is not known, the border ruffian escaped from the boat, leaving his baggage behind. The girl was taken by the captain of the boat to New Orleans and placed in one of the orphan asylums in that city.
