Martinsburg gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1833-1855, 1835-12-24

GOVERNORS MESSAG n.
FeAow Ciazens of tie Senate
and House of DeIepntes.

GtICC XIV 1887 duJOutI1IHeilL Oh the
General Assembly, matters of so much
interest TO this Commonwealth, have
occurred, that when they first attract
ed my attention, doubted whether nv
duty did not require of me to K the
authority given by the constitution, and
to convene you at a much earlier Pc
Rod than that to which you had been
adjourned. But after u most careful
examination of all our laws applicable
to the then existing state Of things, |
found the powers with whichthe ordina-
ry fu%nctionaries of the Commonwealth
were thereby endowed, amply sufficient
TO prevent or punish any threatened
disturbance ofthe peacc,t that might oc
cur within our limits and that even
your powers would not suffice 10 re-
press such designs when conceived or
executed beyond your confines. To
effect an object SO desirable, the CO.
operation of other governments was
requisite. Such cooperation could nei-
Their be asked nor expected, however,
until the legislatures of these govern
men.s should assemblies; and as this
would not happen until after the time
of your own regular meeting, | thought
it better to take no notice oil what was
then going on, than to add 10 the pre-.
vaillng excitement by any official act of
mine; or expose you to the great in
convenience which would probably be
occasioned by a sudden and unexpect-
cd call ofthe General Assembly, espe.
clally at such a season.
That any Of the citizens Of the nor
thern and eastern States, aided by a
few foreigners sojourning within their
limits, have devised a system, in which
they still %persevere, TO produce a direct
interference with the slave property of
the Southern and South Western States
is now a matter OF such notoriety as to
need nc reference to any particular ev-
idence to establish its truth. To effect
this purpose, they have organized nu-
merous societies, have subscribed large
sums of money, and have established
presses TO print and disseminate the
disorganizing, seditious, and incentliary
doctrines Of the members Of these as
sociations. All this has been done and
is still doing, for the undisguised pur-
pose ofeffecting the immediate eman-
cipation Of our slaves. The authors
of such schemes abide without our H.
mits, and are 50, beyond the reach of
our municipal laws. They are thus
enabled with impunity, to scatter a.
mongst us, materials, obviously design
ed, and we'll calculated to lead to insur-
r%ection, rapine and murdcr. The post
Offices under the direction and control
of the Federal Government, furnish a
ready mode of transmitting and sprea-
ding their mischieveus productions.
These fanatics do not stop here
They assert a right in the Congress of
the United States, to interfere with our
property in various other modes. They
contend hat Congress is endowed by
the Federal Constitution, with %plenary
authority TO emancipate every slave in
the District of Columbia-that it may
inhibit the transportation Of slaves, as
such, from one state to another-that
it may emancipatc oil slaves within the
Territories Of the United States, and
interdict the future introduction of any
into the same, as a precedent condition
to the admission ofsuch Territories in
to the Union, as competent members Of
the United States-and they boldly an
nounce their purpose of exhibiting
these several propositions before the
Congress now about to convene, and
to claim their decision of the same.
Under this aspect of our affairs, two
questions demand your consideration,
the prompt decision of which is requi-
red, not less by the rights of the States
than by the security and interest of
those you represent. The first ofthese
questions refers to the condition of
things now existing, and expects ofyou
to determine whether such a state shall
longer be borne. The second regards
the proposed change in our present re-
l~ations, which relations have so long
brought happiness and tranquility to
all. This demands Of you 10 decide
upon the course most proper to be pur-
sued in the emergency of the threat
ened change.
1t is in vain to turn away u eyes
from the state of things that now ex-
lists. We haveto meet it, in some form
or other and it belongs to you prop.
perly to decide as TO the in
which this shall be done. 1t is no time
to temporize. Shouldan thing arrest
the progress ofthe scheme devised, for
the present, experience teaches that it
will be revived hereafter, whenever a.
ny circumstances may arise promising
TO its authors a more favorable result /;