Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1833-01-21

! Il, IN any shape alca i may aesanc. The nun
e, Bot oi pc1soas present Al the me.ting. wien the
Iq,caiion was talscp is estimated at uboa. 800 OF
whom only II voted Tor lie substitute.
SECESSION
: Tie fynehburg Vngnan, Wnchcstcr Repub-
Lean, ami oi,ei Journals, in discussing the great
prnejplc o! sesps5ion seem Disposed aile, 10 con
! aut the map ot the United Statcs than the Const
tb,ion, or the Rights ol Man. they point to Lou
Siam, originally qnrfhascdt and commanding the
mpiih OF the Mississippi, AMI enquire, with
ttumlb, II Territory bought with money, and
polscsscd of he power tofocs up the commerce
! VI the western country, shall he pcrntl.d the
rght aud .lis exercise Of sovereignty Strange
Mode u, getting piaculs involving State sovor-
egnty 70 aH.rlln ,.lc geographical position a1!uIo
! cul advantages OF the State ior YlpW the demand
Is made These gentlemen say l, Virginia has
The rlgh, Of pcaceabln secession, 50 must Lon'sia
ma We cheeriully grant The l"stulate. We INA
gnc they wilIgraht the converse OF the proposition
that if Louisiana has 1t not, neither has Virginia
| Their argument Of erpedfenoy then brings as to
this absurdty that Virginia shall be deprived oil
the nesmable right Of seeding III pcacc, frnm IN
tolerablc oppression, because, ifslc claims ~ SO
will louisiana md because II Louisiana exercise
it, the Western States Will be deprived OF the ven
for their commerce The tights OF Virginia & the
principles Of popular government, me therefore
made to Depend tine acss,icnttI position of Lou
lsiane the face of tho slJ.c T.e gentlemen
certainly deserve u .ud,her medal ior G,si. disco
wy
Il i4posaible That III Richmond Wing from
ahehpapa VIZ ad,'e liz tttegoins cx'raet--iuily
gppree,dros The Va ,e of lie discovery which =
pleased 10 gave us credit tor and ailiNes TO II It's
proper reward We %ill give It's Editors, howcv-
or, .oo medals, of genuine calfskin, if they viii
tell US how act which was treason in 1929, is
mol only perfectly innocent, bat absplu,ey right aud
essential to the preservation of state Sovereignty
and popular liberty IN 1892
We consulted the map of the United States, in
arguing the right OF secession, Nut, "a tho Wing
seems to suppose, for the purpose OF settling u
principle" but to point out the ruuous consequent
ces OF what VIC had before debated TO be an mad.
Missile principle. We referred To Louisiana, as
a purchased tetritoty, TO show the folncy OF the
ldoa (upon which the right Of secession in polt
rests What the Sta'esare inherently sovereign & We
referred TO the evils which woild follow the eyer
else OF this wight, by New York in stated cmel-
genty, aud by Louisiana and by other States en-
braced IN certain geographical lines at any
| time, IN order to show that the francis of the
constitution, as men of sense anxious "to con-
solidatc the Union, "a Union in which it twas Oh
viously impracticobfc to secure the rights Of indie
pendent sovereignty to each" of the States
never could have believed that tina, instrument
tanned within itself such self Destructive princi
pie This position is farther sustained by The fact
which we Scgard as. trinnphantly conclusive, that
the RICH, of Secession was never dreamed of by
the parties TO the compact, At the time was form
cd. In all the Debates its various provisions
| in the General and State Conventions, although lis
Opponents frequently depicted, in the most gloomy
colots The arprehendcd encloa n.nents upon the
rights of the States by !he federal head, no a''uso'
is made to this right as corrective comedy IS II
possible, that the friends Of the Constitution WIN
were anxious for It's adoption, could have over
looked this remedy, in enumerati"g the guarantees
which it threw around the rights of the States-we
ask is it possible that they could have overlooked
tiiS remedy, more energetic aud efcctual than all
the others which tl'ey relied upon to silence the
fears Of those who chung TO the old Confederation
System, from belief tina: The new constitution
would, IN its practical operations, swallow up the
reserved rights Of the States 1t is not possible.
Had such remedy been dreamed ofat that tune.
| it would have been at leas, referred tpWilh such
a constitutional remedy In the hands Of the several
States, indeed all fear Of federal encroachnen,
would have been worse than idle. The true
source ofdangcr TO our system, with such pro.
vision in its charter, would necessarily grow out Of
the mprudent and factious exercise Of this right.
I We are not 10 be deferred from the position we
have assumed by the result which will follow its
admisson--to arit, that if louisiana has not the
right OF secession, neither has Virginia 1t did not
require extraordinary sagacity to see this result
when we laid down our posu!ate. Virginia does
rot possess this right Ii is one OF the attributes
Of sovereignty which, with the power to make
peace and3war, 10 raise armies, support a navy
coin money, emit bills of nredit, and other hi gh
powers, she surrendered when she entered info the
compact known as the federal Constitution
But, then, we told Of the inestimable nature Of
this right, in ease ofin,olerate oppression. Wien
ever oppfcsson Becomes ntorerablc, the right TO
sssi it, & 10 destroy the opftessor,is above all
sttuicns j. is right derived from nature, &we shal
be as ready toexercse il, should the period arrive