Excerpt from Speech of the Hon.: Jefferson Davis, of Mississippi, Delivered in the United States Senate, on the 10th Day of January, 1861, Upon the Message of the President of the United States, on the Condition of Things in South Carolina Mr. Davis. Mr. President, when I took the floor yesterday, I intended to engage somewhat in the argument which has heretofore prevailed in the Senate upon the great questions of constitutional right, which have divided the country from the beginning of the government. I intended to adduce some evidences, which I thought were conclu sive, in favor of the Opinions which I entertain; but events, with a current hurrying on as it progresses, have borne me past the point where it would be useful for me to argue the question of rights by citing authority. To day, therefore, it is my purpose to deal with events. Abstract argument has become among the things that are past. We have to deal now with facts; and in order that we may meet those facts, and apply them to our present condition, it is well to inquire what is the state of the country. The Consti tutien provides that the President shall, from time to time, communicate information on the state of the Union. The message which is now under consideration gives us very little, indeed, beyond that which the world, less, indeed, than reading men generally, knew before it was communicated. What, senators, to-day is the condition of the country? From every quarter of it comes the wailing cry of patriotism, pleading for the preservation of the great inherit ance we derived from our fathers. Is there a senator who does not daily receive letters, appealing to him to use even the small power which one man here possesses to save the rich inheritance our fathers gave us? Tears now trickle down the stern face of man; and those who have bled for the flag of their country, and are willing now to die for it, stand powerless before the plea that the party about to come into power laid down a plat form, aud that come what will, though ruin stare us in the face, consistency must be ad hered to, even if the Government be lost. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.