SOUTH CAROLINA. 



647 





Mr. Keitt said he would sustain the bill for 

 electing delegates to a Southern Congress, be- 

 cause he thought " it would bring about a more 

 speedy dissolution of the Union." 



Such were the sentiments existing in the 

 State in 1850. But the passage by Congress 

 during that year of the so-called " compromise 

 measures " appeared to be satisfactory to the 

 South, and disunion views ceased to be advo- 

 cated. 



The last election for President was held on 

 the 6th of November, 1860. On that day the 

 vote of the State was given by the Legislature 

 to John 0. Breckinridge for President. On the 

 next day the Legislature, being in session, the 

 subject of withdrawal from the United States 

 was taken up, and au act passed calling a State 

 Convention to meet at Columbia on the 17th 

 of December. Other measures were then in- 

 troduced and adopted, the object of which was 

 to place the State in a suitable position to meet 

 the crisis about to be inaugurated. The Gov- 

 ernor, Gist, in his Message at the commence- 

 ment of the session, had called attention to the 

 subject of a direct trade with Europe, the pos- 

 tal service of South Carolina as an independent 

 State, slaves from Border States, an armory, 

 the expected aid from other States, arming the 

 State, &c. On the right of secession he express- 

 ed these views : 



" It is true, no provision is made in the Con- 

 stitution for dissolving the Union, and it is very 

 probable that the patriots who framed the in- 

 strument had no idea that a loathsome fanat- 

 icism, pandered to by Northern politicians, 

 would ever make it necessary for the safety of 

 the South that they should dissolve the compact 

 on account of its violation by the other section 

 of the Confederacy ; but it must be remembered 

 as a rule of universal application, that a viola- 

 tion of a compact or agreement by one party, 

 releases the other party from its binding obli- 

 ation, and the only question is, who is to judge 

 if the infraction ? 



" The simple statement of the case is this : 

 Each State entered the Union under the Con- 

 stitution ; the Federal Government is the agent 

 of the States, created for special purposes, and 

 circumscribed in its action by the articles of 

 agreement, or, in other words, the Constitu- 

 tion. "Whenever the States, having power to 

 control this agent, permit or command him to 

 violate the compact, each State, not having sur- 

 rendered its sovereignty, has a right to remon- 

 strate or withdraw, as she may think proper, 

 and no earthly power has a right to prevent 

 her." 



The military bill was the most important 

 measure adopted at this time. It provided for 

 maintaining an army of ten thousand men. 

 There were in the State three hundred and 

 eighty-two companies of infantry, fifty of cav- 

 alry, eighteen of artillery, and sixty-two rifle 

 companies, being fifty-six regiments. 



On the 10th of December Francis W. Pick- 

 ens was chosen Governor of the State by the 



Legislature. Gov. Gist, previous to his retire- 

 ment, sent a farewell Message to the Legisla- 

 ture, in which he thus spoke of the progress of 

 events : 



" We have progressed thus far with firm 

 and even tread, with calmness and delibera- 

 tion, but with a constancy of purpose not to be 

 shaken by any danger or suffering. A single 

 pause, or the least vacillation, and all will be 

 lost. However anxious we may be for coope- 

 ration, however certain we may be of obtain- 

 ing it, let us first move ourselves as the best 

 means of effecting that object, and, having for- 

 ever closed the door from which we have passed 

 out of the Union, so that no insidious device 

 of the enemy, or false promises, or pretended 

 friends can avail to open it. Then, and not 

 till then, may we with safety seek cooperation 

 and unity with other States who have assumed 

 their sovereignty, and are prepared to form a 

 more perfect union, and share with us a com- 

 mon destiny. Every sentinel should remain at 

 his post, and not relax a fibre until the great 

 work is completed, the great battle fought, and 

 the glorious victory achieved 



" The delay of the convention for a single 

 week to pass the ordinance of secession will 

 have a blighting and chilling influence upon the 

 action of the other Southern States. The op- 

 ponents of the movement everywhere will be 

 encouraged to make another effort to rally 

 their now disorganized and scattered forces to 

 defeat our action and stay our onward march. 

 Fabius conquered by delay, and there are those 

 of his school, though with a more unworthy 

 purpose, who, shrinking from open and manly 

 attack, use this veil to hide their deformity, 

 and from a masked battery to discharge their 

 missiles. But I trust they will strike the armor 

 of truth, and fall harmless at our feet, and that 

 by the 28th of December no flag but the Pal- 

 metto will float over any part of South Caro- 

 lina." 



Governor Pickens was inaugurated immedi- 

 ately after his election. He improved the oc- 

 casion to declare the cause of the movement 

 on the part of South Carolina to separate from 

 the Union. In his view it was as follows : 



" For seventy-three years this State has been 

 connected by a Federal compact with co- States, 

 under a bond of union for great national objecti 

 common to all. In recent years there has been 

 a powerful party, organized upon principles of 

 ambition and fanaticism, whose undisguised 

 purpose is to divert the Federal Government 

 from external and turn its power upon the in- 

 ternal interests and domestic institutions of 

 these States. They have thus combined a par- 

 ty exclusively in the Northern States, whose 

 avowed objects not only endanger the peace, 

 but the very existence of nearly one-half of the 

 States of this Confederacy. And in the recent 

 election for President and Vice-President of 

 these States, they have carried the election 

 upon principles that make it no longer safe for 

 us to rely upon the powers of the Federal Gov- 



