Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1832-04-17

hopes and wishes. But, Sir. the question has been
asked, and he begged leave again repeat il, be-
cause it an important enquiry, when will these
difficulties be less? When will you he better able
10 grapple with these difficulties? Will il be some
ten twenty, or fifty years hence? Will il be when
your slave population shall have surpassed aud dou-
bled that of the whites? Will bc when your land
is more iinpoyerished-your resources more limited
and your citizens poorer? Sir, it will be when all
hope of relief is gone, and when despair has come
upon you. There is danger in delay--nothiDg be
gained 10y it, but all may be lost. Year by year, these
difficulties Increase, and what is practicable now,
may soon become impiuctcabc, ant, day 10y day the
dangers and the evils sought to be removed,
are growing and spreading around you. View it as
YOU may, If it is contemplated to act at all-if it
is ever designed to make an effort to remove this
danger ana this evil from country, must be
cssed that this is the time for action, and this the
golden opportunity.
Like the gentleman from Spo,tsylvania and the
gentleman from Hanover he stood here uninstruct-
ed by his constituents this great question: and
II might be his misfortune to pursue a course not
approved of by them. But, i'm the absence of all
Instructions by which he would willingly consent
to be governed, and without knowledge of their
wishes, TO which he would cheeriully sacrifice his
own, he was thrown upon his own judgments; and
governed by its Dictates and the results of his best
reflections, aided by the lights of the day and age
in which we live, Inc took upon himself the high re-
sponsibilty of declaring that he now prepared
to act. He had announced that he was uninstr,lct-
ed by his constituents: it was true. But he took
this occasion to mention that he had had the plea
sure of receiving by the last evenings mail letter
from much valued friend and who is one of the
largest shareholders in the county of Amherst, in
which Inc says, that he, too, is prepared to act. He
could not but feel checred by such a declaration
from such sourcc-it served TO sustain him i'm the
adventurous path along which he trod, and embold-
encd him To persevere in that course which the So
lemn convictions of his mind had pointed out as
best gentleman, the other day. in the ardor of de-
bate had declared, with much emphasis that we dare
not act. In reply, he would beg leave to say land
i'll doing So he spoke only for hmsclf) that he dare
do any and every thing which the vital interest of
this State, shall require; and he would not stop
to count the cost when all that she holds most dear
shall he put in jeopardy.
He said he should have voted for the substitute
offered by the gentleman from Albemarle Ii was
not, however, free from objections; but he should
have voted for 1t as matter of referenc and en-
qury-knowng, at the time, that it would
be open to amendment, both in the Committee and
III Inc liouse-and especially, as it only proposed
submission of the great question involved i'm il to
the Judgment and vote of the peope. That subsii-
tutc has been withdrawn from before the House nv
'ne new aspect which has been given to the subject
since the report OF the Select Committee. He
should now vote for the amendment 10 that rcport
proposed by the gentleman from Montgomery But
Sir, the plan indicated i'm The substitute was still n
tavortc plan with him. He firmly believed il WINS
inc best, most eflectua, and indeed only plan that
could be devised for the complete attainment of tho
object he had so much at heart. lie wished it to be
understood that he did not intend 10 apply this de-
ciaraiion to the specific and detailed plan present
cd by the substitute-all he meant to say was that
the principle of the substitute must form an essen
uul and living part of any efficient scheme which
may now, or hereafter, hc adopted. He was aware
that that principle had been denounced on this floor
rs monstrous and revolutionary in its character-as
sweeping away The very foundations of civil socie-
~, and tearing asundcr all those bonds by which
that society was held together. lie had heard these
declarations with regret and asonishmont If he
could, tor one moment believe there was any thing
so monstrous in the principle under consideration;
or 1t he could believe, that it violated any one of
those great principles i'm regard to the RIGHTS IF rro
perty which is held sacred by all well organized So
cictics and without which, no society could long
exist, he would, ut once abandon, repudiate and
denounce 1t: for great as he believed the evils of
slavery TO be, and much as he desired to sec those
evils removed, he would not consent to purchase so
great good mt so high price. He had, however
examined, it with all the care and attention of which
lIc was capable-he had bestowed upon it his best
reflections and yet he.had not been able to discover
that cnormy OF character, and those destructive
features which had been so avishIy ascribed TO it,
lie was not to be driven from principle which he
believed was correct, by harsh expressions nor
was he to he deferred from advocating that princi-
pie by the severity of denunciation. lie might re-
greet, as he certainly did, that such weapons had
been rcsorted to but certainly they were not such
as were best calculated TO convince tic judgment
and enliglten the understanding of this House.
According TO strict parliamentary rule, he pre-
sumcd it not in order discuss the substitute
but the principle Of the substitute had never been
lost sight of by the Housc-as every gentleman who
had taken part in this debate, both before and since
the presentation of the report of the Select Com
mlttec, had alluded 10 IT, and it had been the OBJ
ject of unceasng anmadversion and unqualified de-
nunciation, he hoped he should find pardon i'm the
House for attempting to yindcate that principle
from the odium which has been cast upon it, and for
cndeavoring in very brief manner TO shield it from
the charge OF wanton and reckless invasion of
private rights. He was more DESTROYS of doing So
as he found himself differing with several gentle
men with whom he should act on the main question
IN several important positions which they had as
sumed. lie was, therefore, anxious to have this on
portnlty OF presenting The isolated ground OH which
ne was willing to stand in regard to the constitu-
honai question. Sir, you told that the principle
is unconstitutional i'll this that it appropriates pr-
vatc property to public without Just compensa-
ton, and You have been referred to the Consttu-
tons OF the United States and of Virginia as au-
thorltIes on this point In answer to that objection
the position has been taken by several gentlemen,
that there is violation of private properly i'm dis
posing OF the post matt, inasmuch, as they contend
there can he no property in that which is not an
eSse, or has no existence. You will, at once
perceive that this brings up the enquiry, are
slaves property in the proper sense of that term?
Tor upon this question materially depends the cor
rectness of the other position Upon the abstract
question, whether one man has the right TO hold his
lellow-inan in bondage, he bad not a word TO say
No man has been found suflicicntlv hoId IN come