Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-03-10

Der OF expressions which he quotes which expressions
am assured that gentleman used, and which arc
probably only TO DC found in the speech OF a gentleman
rom Brunswc who spoke upon the opposite Side of the
question Some OF the expressions which il is suggested
from Dinwiddic, these: That excitement, and an.
the motive which mpelIed ms 10 acton
s%oee, wnen ought never to be publicly discussed.
cned TO efficient aetion'and the time the mode and
The manner Of such action generally understood and
sdnchoned Above all, ought never TO exci,e in
the minds OF sgnoran class Of population des;vc
hopes ana expectations, making them unhappy and
ourselves less secure" confess can scarcely con.;.
how il was possible for Appomaox TO commit so snsu
mistake as that Of atbuting the expressions Of one
gentleman to another who spoke the other side of the
question: thereby placing the member TO whom the ex
pressions were thus improperly attributed i'm the ric
ous attitude oil expressing opposite opinions the same
There is perhaps, as to the person
mcantby Appomattox. in his aluson to the principal adj
soca'e Oh 'e Cconzal'on Society or his meaning may
fair that he should have opportunity Of explaining what
he has said or OF correcting the which others
may have fallen as TO what he intended II shall turn
out (Which can scarcely expcct that he has committed
so remarkable mistake that suggested i'm addition 10
some others which exposed my first letter. his claim
10 great accuracy VIII stand upon rather slender ioun
dalton.
am pleased to learn from the second letter of Appo.
at'oN, That he did not design, in his first charge Mr.
Summers with pagarism when he asserted tina, part of
his speech which he had quoted, not "originai" 1
cannot, however, consider myself chargeabIc with
having done Appomatox any injustice for which l am
answerabe, inimputng that intention TO him. For upou
looking over That part oil his first letter. find that gave
TO bis language the most obvious construction which can
be put upon it, which by the word orr
gndi being printed in italics, and which ninety nine peo-
pie out oil an hundred would and actually did nut upon H.
before the publication Of his second letter That The oh
lection was pueric, as Appomatox admits il would have
been, conclusive evidence that was mn, ;nens
10 be urged Tor puere as il certainly would have been
and as was generally considered could not have been
more So than those contained in the closing sentence of
The same paragraph, and which is in these words "Tho
speech from which this extract takcn bears internal evil
uenee oil having been laborousy preparcd--a speech
made rather than sp0keand then carefully written out
Tor the press II any objection puerIc than that
contained in tins sentence be conceived Of confess
my utter inability ,oimagine what it can ~
Appomattox seems TO think have done him jnnst;cc
IN speaking oil the assertion made by him i'm his first letter
That mo plan for the abolition Of slavery and The de-
portdfion Of the sldres, is possibc-as simple annnn
ciahon oil his opinion unsupported by reasoning I Ger.
tainy did not design to do him the injustice and
would surely, had been able TO discover nny Thing ILL.,
even an attempt TO support that by reasoning not
have treated it bare, unsupported expression Of his
opinion. have again referred TO that part his letter.
In which that assertion is made, and cannot for nv life
discover any thing like reasoning support it, The only
attempt TO sustain that assertion is by the assurance that
ne mad gwen ms mind, over and again. to the SUBJ
ec and he had not been able discover anv
plan for the abolition of slavery and the deportation of
the slaves If this be what he calls reasoning and il be
enued TO the name, then, indeed, may have done him
Jusnce but not Otherwise shall be graicd TO have
the reasoning by which the assertion supported pointed
out, as has wholly escaped my observation
Near the close of Appomattox's second letter. he inn
putcs to the Western members OF the Legislature dispo-
siton 10 set the holders and the shareholders in
Eastern Virginia, at open variance This impuation il
wholly gratuous he may be assured if indeed he ensr
tans doubt upon the subject that those gentlemen feel
no disposition to array portion of the community ans
another here elsewhere. They are in favor OF the To-.
tai abolition of slavery They koto be JUST and right
perfectly practicable, and they with confidence nm
on their Eastern BRETHREN and all high and low rich
ana poor 10 unite with them in so noble undertaking.
ana they viii be graed at finding their views concur
red H. by any portion of the Eastern peoples but thew
never have designed to SOW dissension among them.
In my first letter. asserted that the of aboli
| exyIo
ton from the Commonw they desired 10
tain the will of majority of the people mon ,h,
iion: and if il should he tba Inaioritv or
IN favor OF abolition, that il would then have ~ bo
r., ine majority or the minority have the right
'oruielh his country Andupon this Appomattox rem,ris
WIN more ingenuity than Justice that che UeGeroI,
does' then really think, that if majority OF the peo
p oSe 10 abrogate the property fhe n,inoritu thew
may nghuliy do and That this would be tak;nS ava.
me property OF the minority, tciM their o,rn cens.ny
" ,h; ,' NC no diIlerence between slave property in
' respect, ana any other kind and if the consent of
majority is all that is wanting TO Justify the abroga,; 81
. r., properly me consent of majority would suffice
20 luSy an Agrarian Law, and to abrocate the right,
landed property All our institutions are founded nm
,ne principle that every mans private property is abso
" luteiy his own, and that he holds it 81 ~
power OF the Legislature and of the viii or ,ha 49,;
"V: ind lie then refers with considerable eynl,a;;;
g hat ,h G.er IN which he had expressed the belief
. 'lc u'y IS not Tar distant, when direct attack Will
be m"de on the very principle of property ,I;nr
however that he will find upon further examination. thai
% new PROOF oil his sagaciy, is fallacious as some
others the unsoundncss of which have already eYnose%
.a the dny he aliudes 10 is not likely ever 10 come and
l can no more assent TO the sounlness nj IN. ,;,,
mu down by Appomattox in the sentence. above nuo,,d
nah can admit the business of his differences Gc,, nv
In the first place. cannot assent to fbc
ana uhqmalhed proposition, that every man holds hi.
properly wholly independent of the will of The In,or;
w. YIN inc contrary affirm, that the right of proncr,,
mas no o'er foundation tbanthc will or consent ofbe mar
ues 10 ihc original compact by which Government ia
aed mat property could notexist anterior TO state NJ co
cey 'hai Government itself has other foundation tbo
The expressed will of those who csab;sbd -,
anu mat every social right of which the right of nroncr
one consequent upon the creation of such ovcrn,nen;
deducblc from, and dependent upon that consent II
uoes MOI loow, however, that the majority whose nm
vince 49, according TO the acknow lodged prncnlns NJ
our government (cithcr Individually by their
'auVesO 10 express the will Of the whole commn;t arc
al ocriy arbitrarily to withdraw the consent upon which
me night oil property rests pleasure There are aIay
reciprocal Obligations subsng betwixt each citizen and
the Government under which lie lives which canno b
dsegardcd by either, without a culpae breach of fa;tb
ana IT is as criminal in Government TO fail IN nerto,.
"ha has undertaken in behalf of its citizens "a II 10
~ .he cizen to refuse 10 fulfil his duty TO society Tho
government mas rgho require the services Of all her
ou1hS whenever the emergencies of the country NAV
men, and The citizens have right TO demand sc
uy ior 'her persons and property from the Government
o"e government, Tor what is the same thing the ma
Jo'uy 10 pass an Agra1an Law seize arbitrarily nm
on any species OF property belonging the minority with
e necessities oil the State requiring and i'm violation
me original compact, by which the Government was
esosneu would be an act Of gross injustice and ncouai
~, which would justify The minority in resis,anrc =
u u Us 10 be rccollected that every individual holds hi,
property upon certain conditions and subject 10 The con
nd mas, Lo IL.