Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-02-09
VIRGINIA EEGHsE!ATe Il e..
DEFERRED DEB.3TE-rCoSTiNUED.l
HOUSE OF DELEG ATEs.- Tedncsday, Jan. 10.

HOUSE OF DELEGATES.-H'edu Jan 10.
ABOLITION RESOLUTIONS.
The House having resumed the consideration OF the
renor, of the Committee upon Abolition, and the second
resolution of the majority, with the substitute oeed ny
Mr. Watkins yesterday, being under CONSIDERATION.
MIR. WATKINS sud hr merely rose now 10" ihe purpose
of asccraiuinC the attitude in which lie stood lie pre-
erred the resolutions of tn: minority. nevertheless lie
did not think them perfect and he had offered them yes
terday under full Understandings ,athe should have TIC
right hereafter TO aEeud them. SO as TO retain them ct
Their in detacilrnents whole. lie rose now u ASK
the auestion-whst II those resolutions were adopt
ed, they could be afterwards amended:
The SPEAKER said they could not "
Mr. WATKINS. Then will take course which
hone will give satisfaction every member of the House
It was his desire that the resolutions which they should
adopt should be such that all could agree to them
And it seemed 10 him in looking into the suhject last
night-and he should have made more thorough eXa-
mination of the subject had the House acccdcd 10
his motion yesterday-that proposition might
be presented ike House, which would prove ga
tis!actory to all II was needless ter am TO urge
the propriety o; presenting an undivided 'front.'
All who wish that enemies should see that We
were in earnest, will be sensible OF the advantage we
shall derive from acting together 10 effect tins OBJECT
he moved that the reports OF the majority and minority
be committed select committee. lie believed that
they could be harmonzrd, enc Iat satisfactory con.
clusion would he arrived at
Mr. SrAyARp said that he should not make any bjec-
ton to this motion if he thought the gentlemans object
could be attained by it, But how could they hope for
such result when !he only objection TO the resolution
now before the House had been put down by vote of
105 to 90 What object could there be for Giak ing this
motion, when such overwhelming majority had de-
cided the only contested point, the motion to strike out
the words "or citizens thereof: 1t was said that the
question before the House entangled one bat the
simple question was, would they strike adopt the
second resolution Of the najpriy With The exception
of the point which he had alluded objection had
been made to that resolution And if the subject WAS
referred to committee and brought back to tire House
it not to Ge expected that they should coHeaeaeT
to unannity than they had done far that only Oh
lection concerned. There necessity that this
subject should be entangled at ALL The resolutions
simple in their FORMS and by voting upon them scpa.
rately the opinions of the House ascertaned upon
each and ALL and it the only way in which the OPT
MON of the House could be ascertanad Suppose you
take them in the mass If there is one In fifty to which
gentleman objects, he may feel bound 10 vote
against the whole, and how he make known
by his VOTE his reasons for doing so? The pro-
ceedings OF the House will not shrw his disapproval
of some and his approbalion of Others, but will give
the impression that he was Opposed to the Whole Ii
was impossible for him to make his opinions known
but BY taking them separately And he believed tina,
this would be the opinion Of large majority Of the
House He believed the supposlIon that they could
come nearer ununmity, thun had already been done,
would prove erroneous. The vote 10 which he had
alluded, had shewn that large majority in
favor OF the part objected to in this resolution aud that
had shewn to member the decided opposition Of
the House to his opinion that there necessity for
calling the Northern States for Suppress
the Aboli,ioniss Mr.. S. called upon the House to OBJ
serve, ull now Ceio(e them was On
cond resolution and that must be the question decided,
whatever might be the mode proposed. And he would
ask whether was to be understood by the public, that
in regard 10 the sentiments expressed that resolution
there such division in the House that it wa,
ceSsary to send it TO committee.
Mr. WATKINS rose to state that the question not
upon single resolution. He had offered whole series
of resolutions substitute to that one, and now NOV
ed to send the whole to the committee 10 receive the
best form which could he given to them.
Mr. DASiEL agreed with the gentleman from Gooch-
land to tho pr"pricty Of committing this whole sub
ject. The differences winch had arisen upon this qurs-
ton in the House, evidence 10 Mr. d. that the sub
jcct ought TO be referred. He understood that the
gentleman from Richmond saw no reason now for send.
ing this subject to select committee because there
objection to the second resolution; and he therefore
supposed that the gentleman would allow the necessity
OF reference when Obj ecUns TO that resolution should
arise. Mr.. D. wished to shew that there were in his
mind two distinct objections, which he could not explain
otherwise than by reading the resolution. Mr. D. here
read the following:
RcSolred That each State had originally the sole and
exclusive right 10 interfere with control, legislate
upon the subject of domestic slavery within its ursdc-
tiona imsa ri ht which: far from being impaired:
is recognised and guaranteed by the Constitution Of
the United Staes-and that all interference herewith
by tho General Government, the other States, the
citizens Of other Stacs is invasive Of the of the
States, and violates the obligations of the Constitution
do moi know, said Mr.. D., that distinctly COM
prehend what is understood by the last OF this
resolution but if DO not mistake the rules of rhetoric
and grammar, the words ctzcns thereof apply equal
" The anccedents, GatcS Gcacrai G0rernn.eRt
Now said Mr. D., although al! admit that there are
citizens Of the United States have authority for
speaking Of citizens Of the General Government by
which, It is to be presumed the people OF the United
States are referred to.
Mr.. SrAXARp said tie gentleman had pointed
difficulty which seemed to him not to exist, the words
go citizens thereof referred solely TO the last
dent, Estates But if the gcntlcmans criticism
correct ono, the could easily be amended with
ptre U he pf ttee
Mr. DANIEL. am happy to find that the gentleman
does not intend to argue that there are citizens of the
General Government am Of those who believe
there not. But think it will be found upon exam
nation that the language Of the resolution in its present
form, is liable 10 the Interpretation have mentioned
Mr.. SrANAnD. will accept any amendment, to the
resolution which shall remove this difficulty
Mr. DANIEL. find the gentleman admits tina, there
are some deficiencies in this resolution, and that there is
possibility that it be made more perfect by amend
ment AS the language now stood, it did undoubtedly
permit the suppostion that the citizens alluded 10
citizens of the General Government and the States
The Constitution of the United States adopted by
the States but according to the Interpretation which
might be given to this resolution: te citizens thereof
were parties the compact Go not agree that such
was the case said Mr.. D. I admit that citizen may
violate his constitutional obligations but the in
which this lie done 10y citizen, and the effects Of the
violation, entirely different from those which charac
terize violation on the part OF the States When c
zen guilty Of such crime he is amenable TO the laws
but the compact remains untouched perfect before
But when State violates the Constitution the other
parties to the compact have right interpose and if
they fit, to place 1t on the ground that compact
broken in obligation is broken in all. But it is we'll
established that citizens not parties to the compact
and he would not press that point He thought that the
word citizens need not have been used all If they
are alluded to in their political capacity 1t was unneces
because that understood in the term Statesor
Il IS stated in MIR. Madisons celebrated report, that
the word States, the whole citizens, in their
high legislative capacity Therefore j, seems not to
" from the States. MIR. D. had former occasion !