Winchester Virginia Republican

From the New-York Spectator.

Treason at the south.—Many of the leading opposition papers at the south have at length thrown off the mask, and are now boldly inculcating treasonable doctrines, and recommending a dissolution of the union. A late Georgia paper, speaking of the northern states, says, with emphasis:—"Let there be A WALL raised between them and us, and let us say unto them as Abraham said unto Lot." And then the editor proceeds profanely to quote the following passage of scripture:—

"Let there be no strife, I pray thee, between thee and me, and between thy herdsmen and my herdsmen: for we be brethren. Is not the whole world before thee! Separate thyself, I pray thee, from me: If thou wilt take the left hand, then I will go to the right; or if thou depart to the right hand, then I will go to the left."

Speaking of the produce and manufactures of the middle and northern states, the same paper proceeds:

Let us lay upon ourselves the injunction which God through Moses laid on the Israelites:

"And thou shalt gather all the spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof, and shall burn with fire the city and the spoil thereof—And there shall cleave nought of the cursed thing to thine hand."

Let us govern ourselves by the advice of the Apostle:

"Touch not, taste not, handle not the unclean thing, which is theirs."

We have already noticed, but with summary brevity, the proceedings of the students of the South Carolina university, led on by a factious president. But we have now something more serious still.—The Charleston Mercury, a leading Jackson paper, contains "An address of sundry citizens of Colleton district, to the people of the state of South Carolina," on the course which, in the opinion of those by whom the address was adopted, "ought to be pursued at the present time, by the people of that state," which demands attention. In his introduction to the address, the editor uses the following language:—

The address to the people is fervid, eloquent and impressive, and embodies at once the political creed, the popular feeling, and probably the determined policy of S. Carolina. The ground it occupies is high and unequivocal: the language it utters, firm, fearless and independent. The people of Colleton disdain any thing like a mere evasion of the law. They would not form associations to counteract it, nor agreements not to use northern manufactures, nor would they resort to any mode whatever, which, whilst it would go to circumvent the law, would be tantamount to an acknowledgment of the right of congress to enact it, and thus tend to fix the oppression irrevocably upon the country. They disdain all this, as debasing to their feelings, and as virtual relinquishment of their rights; but denying its constitutionality, and being determined not to submit to its exactions, they recommend distinctly such "open resistance," as becomes "a sovereign and independent state."

The following are extracts from the treasonable address itself:

"What course is left for us to pursue? If we have the common pride of men, or the determination of freemen, we must resist the imposition of this tariff. We stand committed. To be stationary is impossible. We must either retrograde in dishonour and in shame, and receive the contempt and scorn of our brethren, superadded to our wrongs, and their system of oppression, strengthened by our toleration: or, we must, "by opposing, end them."

"In advising an attitude of open resistance to the laws of the union, we deem it due to the occasion, and that we may not be misunderstood, distinctly but briefly to state without argument, our constitutional faith. For it is not enough that imposts laid for the protection of domestic manufactures are oppressive, and transfer in their operation, millions of our property to northern capitalists. If we have given our bond, let them take our blood. Those who resist these imposts must deem them unconstitutional, and principle is abandoned by the payment of one cent, as much as ten millions."

"Not, then, from a desire of disunion, or to destroy the constitution, but it is that we may preserve the union, and bring back the constitution to its original uncorrupted principles, that we now advise you to resist its violation. From the rapid step of usurpation, whether we now act or not, the day of open opposition to the pretended powers of the constitution, cannot be far off; and it is that it may not go down in blood that we now call upon you to resist. We feel ourselves standing underneath its mighty protection, and declaring forth its free and recorded spirit, when we say we must resist. By all the great principles of liberty—by the glorious achievements of our fathers in defending them—by their noble blood poured forth like water in maintaining them—by their lives in suffering, and their deaths in honor and in glory,—our countrymen! we must resist. Not secretly, as timid thieves or skulking smugglers—not in companies and associations, like money-chafferers or stock-jobbers—not separately and individually, as if this was ours and not our country's cause,—but openly, fairly, fearlessly and unitedly, as becomes a free, sovereign, and independent people. Does timidity ask "when?" We answer now! even now, while yet oppression is not old to use, and the free spirit looks abroad in pride over his land of glorious freedom, and of beautiful, though depressed and broken fertility. Let not time eat away your rights, and prescription plead your sanction to your ruin.

"As in those dark times that "tried men's souls," let us assemble in solemn convention or in legislature; and in firmness but humility of spirit, rely upon that Providence who has hitherto protected us, to guide and direct our anxious councils.

"But if you are doubtful of yourselves—if you are not prepared to follow up your principles wherever they may lead, to their very last consequence—if you love life better than honor—prefer ease to perilous liberty and glory; awake not! stir not! Impotent resistance will add vengeance to your ruin. Live in smiling peace with your insatiable oppressors, and die with the noble consolation, that your submissive patience will survive triumphant your beggary and despair."