Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-03-20
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
TIE DERATE M LII

be justified asserting any time and finally right
which withheld from him under sounder plea than
mere force and gross injusicc This doctrine sounds so
strangely IN Virgnian particularly coming
Nirginan Legislature that my statement may be received
IL may be proper, therefore, that should give two or
three extracts from Of the leading speeches in
to sustain my construction Of them Mr. Moore OF Rock
bridge; " That all men by Nature free and equal
truth held sacred by every American and by every
Republican throughout the world. And presume il
cannot be denied in this Hail. general principle that
ut Is an act OF injustice, tyranny and oppression hold
aoy part OF the human in bondage against their
sent That circumstances may exist, TO pat it of
the power of the for time, grant their slaves
liberty, admit to be possible; and il they do exist in
any ease il may but justify the owner in hold
Sing them. The right TO the enjoyment of liberty is
OF those perfect, Inherent and inacnable rights which
pertain to the whole human race and OF which they
can never be divested except by act of gross nus
MIR. Preston "Thc slave has natural RICH, to regain
" his liberty"
Mr. Summers: " 1t will not be denied that the slave a.
living man. has right TO assert and regain his liberty
ell he can Here, then, two conflicting rights the
same thing. The master absolute unqualified
Eight to the slave, authority TO direct and coniroul his
every motion The slave, ut the time, has q right
" 10 direct and controul his own acons right never sur
rendered, never alternately right paramount to all con-
" ventiona guarantees and civil compacts."
1t is unDecessary-perlaps il would be mischievous,o
multiply extracts. The above will be received suli-
cicnt proof that have misreprcented aboonists
upon this point indeed my language scarcely strong
theirs IL is worthy of especial note that the right OF
the master TO the slave, is spoken OF as one which he
asserts, while the right of the slave TO his freedom is
pronounced TO be one which he has right "paranount
to all conventional guarantees orciv compacts." OF the
tendency OF these remarks and others of like character
shall speake by and bye The Debate is full of proofs
much vigorous thinking, and have seldom failed
fee prudence the love of oratorical ouishes 1t will
perhaps appear in the sequel that their principles
have been somewhat hastily assumed aud much too broad
ly propounded
If the passages above quoted, for any thing
more than mere rhetorical display, it evident that the
either TO some original law of nature, binding upon us
in every condition OF our being some fundamental
principle oil our own government absolutely opposed to
the existence OF slavery They assert first that
1t is natural right, and being 'naenabe" is guaran-
tied by the law OF Nature against all the world;
condly that is right recognized i'm Bill of Rights
that being ga living man. can be depriv ed of il
within the limits of Virginia An examination of the first
assumption is as much as consent nict upon the
readers notice, at one time; particularly, upon nang
BILE subject
My plain understanding has ever been at loss TO at
ach any definite meaning TO these terms, "naural right
II they mean simply strong claim, founded in natural
justice they easily understood But the manner
in which the proposition has been announced,
PEELED tosuppose that higher, extended
ing designed The rights presented to us as something
perfect 'inalenable ''paramount and of course as
eexistent and towering above all the institutions of So
cety Ii in this view Of it that puzzles my compre
hension In order TO understand what the "rghts of
Nature it is absolutely necessary suppose state of
NdfTe This cannot be done without closing our ewes
and TO the world is, drawing around us bv
the mere force oil imagination, totally opposite order of
Things we are 10 Imagine number OF men, women and
cniidren, thrown together in given space yet
ed together by conventional ties. And when this is
done, where to look for the code laws which ap
plies to their condition! Ii is not written il cannot bo fra
duonal II exists only in the presumed order of Prov-
dehce ana oil COURSE can only be felt there not
some danger that will not be felt in the same way by
all the dssocated individuals of the broad world? And
So who IL TO decide between them? 1t would be icnlt
imagine to find i'll state Of Nature any tribunal quail
fed or authorized TO settle between the children of Ma
ture these controversies about natural rights however
periect, 'naenable, ''paramount those rights NAV
DC. Ana even II such tribunal existed, how could its
decisions be enforced! There Shcriifa, posse
cOndtus in State of Nature; every man is his own nro
teeior and his own ayenger The law then, is wholly
be asserted except by individual prowess If it be moi
mere image of the mind what is it, other than the rich,
inc strongest And as the right in state of Nature
mus imperfect 1t is difficult TO perceive how il is render
cd "periect by the translation of the individual TO
state oil society. Sill difficult is it TO perceive how
t process can render 1t so paramount 10 overreach
all the laws oil that very social state which alone il
owes all that's perfect in its character TO Wits sane
ton cannot but think that there some want of prc
cson and due analysis in the ideas of gentlemen pon
this subject The truth is The law of Nature so FAR
the rights OF individuals concerned is nothing else
Than system OF rules devised by social man. and founded
upon what ne presumes to be right and just. There ne
yer was, and there never be, of human exis-
ence governed by this imaginary code alone All rights
IN such state must OF necessity be imperfect; uncertain
because reerrable TO no acknowledged Standard and to
be rendered available by individual strength alone Such
rights can scarcely afford safe rule of action for practical
government, IN social state. The abolionsts have
iaien into great upon this subject They
iirst imagine condition of man which never had
eNs'ehce they then apply to that state a system OF
ru'es winch that state cannot have power TO enforce
ana 'hcy end by requiring that the same rules shall
be adopted and enforced by the precisely opposite state
civil society and that for other reason than
the rules are t and proper for their imaginary state oil
naure ms Is the precise position of the argument 50
lar as the natural right is concerned 1t is asserted thai
od gave us rights which have right to surrender
rights "naenablerighs "paramount 10 all conv
al guarantees civil compac And vet we cannot find
those rights in any available form, except those very
guarantees which "civi compacs have established Ii
strikes me anove idea, that civil society i'm its SOFIA
character and in its social action must of necessv be
subordinate TO system OF laws, which civil society ma,
have neither enacted adopted, and which, neyertbc
less, civil society alone enforce IL must at least he
admitted, that there is power which can c0mDeE them
TO enforce IT, or acknowledge its obligation The riobt
therefore, Is OF too little value TO count much In the cacu
laons OF practical policy.
The SUBJECTS susceptible of much fuller illustration
VIII not however, hazard the imputaon of TESTING thf
great right OF human liberty by too nice standard II
might, perhaps be found upon little farther search
that the right contended for, ii ii exist ALL folds within
It's protecting embraces, more of the Of God than
the abolitoDiss themselves will admit il TO possess
have not, however. designed to offer them an on
The law OF Nature but simply suggest TO them thai
their boosted right is somewhat difficult be found and
sun more difficult to be enforced would not exceni
Tor reason which shall non by and bye have pa,s
ed one moment to enquire whether il exists not Every
mans common will tell him that society possesses
all power over its own actions, and that il Is absurd 10
say that 1t is compelled and bound by the obligations OF
any abstract rule The law of Nature so far as il il ound
cd on the principles of eternal right and Justice society
oughto respect But these obligations high as tbey
are must yield they in conflict with other obiga-
TONS growing out of the social state and still higher and
more imperative. Ofhis society alone must be the Judge
GccoTdng TO those rules chc has Uolttndri ddopted
yer us 0ICn government and dcfi0n. BY these ONLY s