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Show 74 ROEBUCK . 1 S tll By a combina.tion pm·"'nin~ the forms or press t. 10 on · ' · u 1 tl 0 stilntion a minority of the p eople of the n:on uwe le on. ' 1 l . vcr of the Nm·tl t n n rl SUIZ '}Cl the conccntrate\l the w H~ v 1H)\ . • · . , t , r r a President n poa pnnctples so nnJ n t govcrnmcn , etec 111 !-, ' t Thoc;o who tl t he conld n ot r eceive one Southern vo c. \1\ 1 t1 lves that the dominion thus usnrp 3tl by tho p crsnn.c e lclmscS t\ ~ill ever be r elinqnish ocl, or that it North overt 10 on 1 • 1 ·rr . will be exerct. sel1 Wl't lt J·nstice' for '..r, et lustory anc I::> n. o,t, o 1 human nature. S.m ce a Northern Confeclera.c.y h:l.s u sn I p .. ct the authority of the U niou for our oppresswn, w e mus 3avc our l1'b ei·ty by a Soutlwrn Confc<.lcrn.cy b eyond tile Union. 't C r "If any d ouht h er etofore remained o~ the ncces~l y o this action, it must ha.vc b een dispelled ~moe the _N o. th l_ws rl.,·trned the rirrht tln·ouo·h the F ederal government, wlHch lt '~c ontrols, to or ed' uce the:::> Soutll to obeL1 't ence 1J Y. m. m ' 'a.n tl uas drawn the sword for tha.t purpose. "\Vc nught east1y refute that pretension by Const itutiona.l argument, but the sword can b e answer ed only w·t th t 11 0 swon1 · 'l'he fra< mers or the Constitution di. tinctly r e fused to confer on the Fellern. l government the power to compel the submission o~ a State by military force. 'fllC last PresiLlent of tl10 Umt.ed States officially clisclaimed the power. It could n ot exist witlwut transforming om· Federal system. It cannot be exercised without cst ttblishing a military <1 espotism at \'V uslling ton. But r eason is silenced. The voice. of cannon, and not the voice of the people, must dec1cle these con trn ver.3ies. " \V c mu "t d efend onr sister St:1.tes of the South. \V c cannot be n eutral. \Ve ·will not make war ag ainst them. ITo nor, affection, self- preservation, compel us to take arm.:; in thPir tlefence. If we nrc to figbt we mus t secede. Un- 1 ess tile Sial e r esumes h er separ;ttc existence, ancl r ecla.im9 tile authority whicll she has gt'<-lntetl to the I~' cll e ral govcmmcn t, h er people will incur the p ::malLics of treason b.Y fig hting again st that government. If s he scccclc~, ~he _ c.n.n unite with the other Southern States and make thea· JOlllt r esistance effectual. llcr example will oe followed l>y States yet acllleriug to the U niou. The formiua.ble art'<1Y HOE13UOK . 75 of all the Southern S tates mny even yet d eter the N orth, an tl arrest the war. At all events, it will assure snccess.!' Tho ~d l1ross of :\Ir. \'l i1li:uns -,va hearrl \vith r'ilent attention. At t ho conclusion of it he proposed :t r esolution to decl:ne the sense of the n1ecting that the ordinance of secession should be ratified by the people. 'l"hen there -,vas a pause in the proceedings, to aiforc1 nny "·ho 1night -,yish to Hpenk an oppol'tnuity. No one cn.n1e forw~n1 1.~ntil the chninnan wa::~ nbont to take a vote. Then Doctor F'airfax: rose, and '"·ith ~01ne tr .pi<lation in his voiee, Hig nifi ed a dc::;i re to a ldrcss the n1c ' tino·. The .·olcn1nity of t.he oc ':1.- •'? sion and or the n.nd ience rcpr sse<l his propen:1ity to sareastic levity anrl brncecl his nerves-for he 'va , a 1n:ttt of ncrYe-Lo the nnaccn"tomed ta. k of addressing a public assembly. lie spoke thus in ::)llbstance :- " I am opposcc1 to seccssiou. I concur in the opinioa that. \YC arc n ow obliged tv engage in war for the d e fence of the So nth. \Var supersedes other controversies, :md, th er efore, I shall not cliscnss the right or secession or the causes of secession. C<'rtainly, we shall be justified in sec c din~, if secession is advisable as a measure of wnr. But it is with r cfl'r ence to the war that, in my j u<.lgmeut, secessi< iu is not ad vi sable. "II' w e r emain in the Union we mny r ensonahly hope to terminate this war with an honorable peace; for w e s hall fig ht upon no prete nsion that our enemies may no t ultimat ely concc<le !'or the sake of p eace. If we secc<h', we C':\11 llCYCr r ctnrn to the Union without a StllTC!Hlcr or tho mn in point of contest-that i .;;, without aeknow lcdg ing 011 r~ · cl ves conquered. 'l'he North will n ever concede our separate intl l·p ~· ndence . 'l'he war mu ·t he fong-ht to extre mity, ;tnd, in the extreme event, the 'outh will oe sulJjug a tcu. By stakmg nil upon a Ll e::;perate v enture, wo sllall lose all. By mo.__leratiug our pretensions, we may se- |