The Southern Press

We lay before our readers this morning, to the exclusion of much other matter, the powerful and eloquent appeal of Judge Cheves to the South. It is characterized by a closeness of reasoning, a lucid order of arrangement, glow and fervor of patriotic devotion to the honor and liberties of the Southern people—which prove that age has but matured, instead of impairing the vigor of his intellect and the energy of his will.

Never in the palmiest day of his high public career, did he produce a more masterly exposition of the real nature and functions of this Government, never did he more clearly demonstrate its duties, or more strongly denounce its assumption of undelegated powers.

With the scornful strength of a giant, he tears to shreds and tramples under his feet the flimsy fallacies of the compromisers—and exposes the real features of their miscalled "compromise," in all their unrelieved deformity. Equally eminent as a jurist and a statesman, he analyses the constitutionality of the lawless proceedings in California, and towards Texas and the entire South, by the lights of both, and his argument on these topics may be abused and perverted, but cannot be rebutted.

The sole remedy he suggests is secession—hopeless of a returning sense of justice on the part of the North—or a proper appreciation of their own interests.

The correctness of his conclusions on this point, a few weeks now will test decisively—and if he be not deceived in this, then his conclusion must be adopted also by all determined to maintain the equality of the South in the Union, or out of it.

Our own position has been too distinctly and too often defined, to need any additional exposition now. In reply to a direct interrogatory we have stated, "what we want," and what (in our judgment) would prove satisfactory to the majority of the Southern people.

The opinions of Judge Cheves are too fully, frankly and openly avowed to need any commentary of ours, and the force and sufficiency of the reasons he gives for the faith that is in him, every intellect and heart must decide for itself. Both friend and foe, however, must admit, that like his mighty compeer now numbered with the dead, the veteran statesman has proved himself equal to "this great argument," and that while he is spared the South has still left her a champion able to bend the bow of Ulysses—and strike terror and dismay into the souls of those who had hoped to entomb the great cause for which he lived, in the grave of Calhoun.

Against the honored head of Cheves malice will expend its shafts in vain: his purity of purpose and integrity cannot be questioned. his whole life and career form his buckler against all such poisoned shafts. Ambitious aspirations he has long since discarded, rejecting the highest honors repeatedly and urgently tendered him. The crisis alone has called him from his retirement, and his voice falls on the ears of this generation like a warning from the sages of the older and better days of the Republic, admonishing them not to yield either to force or fraud the precious heritage of equality, transmitted as a sacred trust to their hands.

But a few days since we gave the admonitions of a Northern sage, concurrent in many respects with this appeal of Judge Cheves. If the two combined fail to convince the doubting, and confirm the wavering—if timidity and treachery are destined still to sap Southern strength, and destroy the hope of Southern union—then indeed are we about to launch on a sea of troubles such as never before threatened shipwreck to the hopes of those, desirous of still preserving these States United.