February 12, 1861; The Charleston Mercury
Our readers will perceive that the United States Constitution, with a few emendations, has been adopted, and also, by a sweeping enactment, the United States laws, for the temporary government of the seceding States confederated at Montgomery.
We regret that any Provisional Government was formed at all, and in one or two important particulars confess to disappointment and surprise at the Government and laws enacted. It seems that the United States Protective Tariff of ‘has been adopted, and that a positive condemnation of the institution of slavery, through the slave trade, has been inserted into the Constitution itself. Neither of these did we expect. We did not suppose that any Southern Government, whether for a month or a year, would sanction the policy of Protective Tariffs. The tariff is odious and oppressive in its discriminations. It was made to favor Northern enterprise at the expense of the people of the South–a huge free list for them – the burden of taxation for us to bear, and we maintain is adverse to revenue, unjust in principle and oppressive in practice. Whether this is brought about by a partial remission of duties or a partial imposition, it is still the same in effect. We enter our protest against the scheme and policy both as regards ourselves and in the results so far as foreign nations are concerned and their friendship, at this time, valuable to us. In each respect Free Trade is the true policy of the Confederate States.
We deem it also unfortunate and mal apropos that the stigma of illegitimacy and illegality should be placed upon the institution of slavery by a fundamental law against the slave trade. In our opinion it is a matter of policy, and not of principle, to be decided now and hereafter, from sound views of the necessities and safety of our peoples. We think it a proper subject of legislation. We are willing to prohibit it by legal enactment, like any other topic of legislation. But while England imports her thousands of Coolie slaves, and France hers, under the farcical appellation of–while they are striving by these means to compete with us and supersede us, in producing the tropical productions of slave labor–while we have within our reach a large scope of fertile territory uncultivated in Texas, and may have ere long the silver mines of Arizona, and the teeming States of Mexico, to populate and reduce to agricultural productiveness–it seems to us shortsighted, weak and sentimental to preclude forever, by fundamental enactment, the adoption of a policy that may become essential to our appropriate growth and expansion, and to our successful completion with the hypocritical notions of Europe.
But the Constitution as adopted, is only provisional and temporary, and may, therefore, be excusable on that account. We hope the Permanent Government will be made and established speedily, and without reference to anything going on outside of the Confederate States. These have complete success within their grasp, if they will only act fearlessly and with the confidence of men who are competent to control their destinies. Too great a deference and delay for the Border States still in the Union, will only encourage their dilatoriness and prolong their stay. Let the Confederate States but perform their duty, and their whole duty to themselves irrespective of the others, and we will answer for the result in a final Confederacy of all the Slave States.