r tradition, from future employment, the wisest
and best who have filled that office have retired to private life, to
remember rather the failure of their hopes than the success of their
efforts. He must, indeed, be a self-confident man who could hope to
fill the chair of Washington with satisfaction to himself, with
assurance of receiving on his retirement the meed awarded by the
people to that great man, that he had "done enough for life and for
glory," or even feeling that the sacrifice of self had been
compensated by the service rendered to his country.

FAREWELL TO THE SENATE, 1861, ON THE OCCASION OF THE SECESSION OF
MISSISSIPPI FROM THE UNION.

I rise, Mr. President, for the purpose of announcing to the Senate
that I have satisfactory evidence that the state of Mississippi, by a
solemn ordinance of her people, in convention assembled, has declared
her separation from the United States. Under these circumstances, of
course, my functions are terminated here. It has seemed to me proper,
however, that I should appear in the Senate to announce that fact to
my associates, and I will say but very little more. The occasion does
not invite me to go into argument, and my physical condition would not
permit me to do so, if it were otherwise; and yet it seems to become
me to say something on the part of the State I here represent on an
occasion so solemn as this.

It is known to Senators who have served with me here that I have for
many years advocated, as an essential attribute of State sovereignty,
the right of a State to secede from the Union. Therefore, if I had not
believed there was justifiable cause, if I had thought that
Mississippi was acting without sufficient provocation, or without an
existing necessity, I should still, under my theory of the
government, because of my allegiance to the State of which I am a
citizen, have been bound by her action. I, however, may be permitted
to say that I do think she has justifiable cause, and I approve of her
act. I conferred with her people before that act was taken, counselled
them then that, if the state of things which they apprehended should
exist when their convention met, they should take the action which
they have now adopted.

I hope none who hear me will confound this expression of mine with the
advocacy of the right of a State to remain in the Union, and to
disregard its constitutional obligations by the nullification of the
law. Such is not my theory. Nullifi