Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1833-01-31

DO entitled TO treat the inhabitants and the ofthe
separated State as appertainng TO foreign country"
M brodnax also advered 10 celebrated opinion of
Chici Justice Mexican, in the Supreme Court Of Penn
syN"nla some years ago, in Cobbers the esou
hons oi the Legislature OF that State arising of Ohm
steads case-and to portion OF the final judgment of
Chief Justice Iighman in the latter case, to show that
fennsy vania had long commended for the doctrines
WIN virginia though devotion possibly to the from
which, principles opposite had recently emanatcd, had
S'ey induced her to turn summerse But, sir, Mr. b.
continued how after all this IL be concluded that
ms right OF State secession, is pretension, never
heard of before?
Sir, the right Of secession Ia. been conoInded with
the eTPediency OF exercising III aud South Carolina is
improperly looked to the exemplar of both The diie.
ton is not whether South Carolina is laboring under op
presslons from unconstitutional assumptions of power,
which would justify her in seeding from the Union at
this time. Ato us would ayree tia, such movement
would be preciPate and unjustifable. But ex-
aming the conclusion assumed in the Procamatcn-that
no State has the right, at any time, under amy circun-
her suerings, pcaceaby TO withdraw from her
with the other States And say, that cases
may be supposed, in which every main in his House wol
hesitate 10 vote Tue secession Of this State, or 10
TURNER u necessary. Suppose Congress should pass
law ,oro.dung ln' Legislature from meeting or passing
any Jaw; would you, sir, rise from the seat you
occupy in obedience such cdict? II rsef
know would be 10 resist it, Suppose the General Co
vernmen were TO order your wives and children 20 be
ken from you, enact statute providing for the sale Of
oil the slaves in the South, ard tNH deposit pro-
ceeds in the general reasuryWoud you submit Would
you hesitate about Withdrawing from the conteterrcy p
Not man in Virginia would hesitate. These are ex-
reme and, it may be said likely 70 occur
Granted; but is the principle tho same We con-
tend that in of papable v,oson of the compact
by the General Government S,ata has the righ, ~
Judging OF the indcon, and seeding And n she pos
sesses the right in either have supposed che pos
sesses 1t in any case of inracon Whether tina, right
should be exercised then question Of expedency
have no hesitation in saying, that is right which pu-
ence dictates that State should avail itself Of excePti
me very extremity ofoppreson and when every other eff
fort had first been tried and proved unavang cannot but
be sensible, that frequent attempts would To
fatal 10 the stability OF government and the prosperity
OF our country; but deny its existence altogether and
you at once convert the General Government into
brided despo,sm. know there difficulties either
side They result from the known fact that there no
common arber between the States and the General Co
vernment-and that therefore each party tho compact
Is lett TO Judge for itself But when single State inter
prets IT, IL is only to the of her own territory
whereas, allow the General Government decide it
is for the whole of the Union-so that ours even i'm this
respect the harmless doctrine. Every body must
see that the government of majority authorized 10 de-
termne the eaent of s own powers and against whose
assumptions opposition would be treason cali il by what
name you please is the worst of depOsms and that writ
ten constitutions could afford protection oppressed
minority. And this Is the dreadful when coupled
with another alarming principle announced in this Proca
nation that the representatives in Congress not
present their own Districts Satesb the United
generally rs naon SIR observe how this doctrine bor-
rowed from Burke adopted by Walsh and other al
IRA ledefdists In America, and now anspaned into Pro-
camnlon from the great Executive head of the nation
would work in practice. 1t Is the duty of repesea
.ahVe seems TO vote for what will be most beneficial
the majority OF the whole nation. Suppose ono of the
former illustrations Suppose proposition in Congress TO
sell every slave in Frginaor your landsor your wives
and children and put the money in the Treasury. Now
however runou this might be to Virginia il is obvious
that would be to the interest of majority Of all the peo-
pie in The Union, nasmuch tile spoiis would be gene
rally distributed, and taxes other States hghened-
Ana according to this idea Of Cen Jackson every repre-
sentative from Virginia would be bound TO vote for such
law! Sir, am graiifed that member in this debate
has yet been found however disposed to applaud the Pro-
clanaon in general who has expressed his assent
10 lhs mOnsrous proposition.
s oil the arguments against tho sovereignty Of tho
States and the right of secession which yet heard
Tsl1ie 10 the nerpedieney only The gentleman from
kockbdge (Mr Moore) put very strong OF in
convenience which would attend the exercise of hi.
right He refers particularly to the States of Mssouri
ana Louisiana will take the last only, it the strong
est lie reminds that the territory purchased By
the Federal Treasurytst the mouth of the Mississippi
IS within her boundares-that withdraw and
close that noble river, would ruin several tho other
States. Sir, this really presents difficulty. II tho
afterwards TO her citizens a great profit But the rue
answer applicable TO all OF the kind which can be
conceived is, that simple principle of the civil law and
me law oil nations, sic uteTe tho, at Glien pdas
| No State on Withdrawing would have a right to inHict
INJURY or do ijuSce TO the remaining States. For I'm
stance she would have TO contribute her proportion any
national debt which might be dueto account, at fair
rate for portion OF the public domains within ter
tory- and in any particular, regarding her then as
foreign nation she refused TO do what just and
sonabe u would be for negotiation treaty and
hRaIy u she persisted, it would, by the law Of nations.
DC Just cause Tor war and in the very supposed,
who can doubt that Louisiana wore to secedo and oc,
ciude the entrance Of the Missspp and thus cut of
the natural channel for the OF tho Western
states, thdlH would constitute just of war? SINH
Tar questions have often occurred in Europe in relation
the navigation of e Scho dt and other rivers and SIM.
tat no dploaist now controver the position
have assumed The Proclamation and most Of its support
erS mere whenever secession - mentioned speak of the
imposslbty oflts being PeGeenJIe They csn
only be revolutionary andby force Of But why,
would ask, should there be any necessity other
states, constituting the remaining Union, TO make
the seeded State. If that State willing without fight
ing to do every thing that just and reasonable Is il
merely Tor the pleasure Of fighting? Has the passion Tor
war become 30 dominant, that IT IS desired 10 drench our
country ~ the blood Of brothers. whenever State, be-
heVing Tie bargain she made with the other States have
been violated by them, attempts to withdraw from them,
but Offering TO them at the time every Just ndenni-
ty Sir while we are talking OF expediency, let
anime which extreme is most pregnant with danger and
diucdy-tha which yields to State tie right OF peace
able secession, infacon, in her Judgment Of the
compact by the other pdrtiesOf that which gives the
federal head The power Of whipping her into the Union,
which have most 10 apprehsnd liberty and free go-
yernmen the danger Of aggrandgemeni Of federal or Of
State poweri This is The very question which split tho
Republicans and Federsists H 0S, and which still divides
them. State might secede without endaneering lber-
y. The others might, notwithstanding, 20 harmonic
ousiy We have been asked tiumphaDtly II IL was pro.
per to allow small State against the consent OF the
remaining twenty three, to dissolve The Unionf The
question results from misrepresentation No such consc
quence need result The remaining States would not be
affected IN their mode Of government by the Withdrawal
Of For Stale retire. would not Affect the uia-
gritty Of the remaining Union. We al know thai Dut
eleven States ratified the present constitution hrst North
Carolina held ln opposition for time, and Rhode
Island still longer They not then in the old confe.
deracy ,r that Dissolved by The adoption of the new
constitution BY nine States. Nor were they uembere Of
the Union Aud yet what Inconvenience was found 10 ro
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