Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1838-01-11

and actual intermeddiing with the rihts and claims OF
others may be put down by the laws but who shall put
down the right Of moral discussion nd INQUIRY: ine
right Of forming and expressing IN ONION! ihese re,
solutions are dcclaratory of a war against opinions @hu
by what title can any party call upo Congress 70 pass
laws sgainst opinions? Who shall iare to limit tne
right Of free opinion: If the resolutions aimed AZ pu.-
ting down unlawful acts, he {Mr. Nj would most ehte.
fully give them bis assent; but they re directed usas y
the thoughts, opinions and sentimens OF Nor.ne,n Pr ,s
pie, and they aim at destroying the moral r'sn.s' ~
freedom Of opinion Of the People of.h.s Union oy ea'.,
ing the expression of mere opinions - az - leu dnse,
If the South possess the right of calling las Il mao o""tl
upon some of the free States to put own "oP'n'ons ~
those States, with what consistency could they aeny 70
them the right Of calling upon the 'oun 10 pu! uo~"
slavery: If the possession OF slavesss OF suCn S"a. 49,.
por,ance to the South, the possessionot freedom u OPP.
MON and thought is equally of vital Importance 20 u
other States. One right is Us good as the oihef; u
shall one of the first and best and dearest rights OIL man
be sacrificed aud abandoned to preerge a lesser ''gh'
Of. lesser portion oflhe community? 1t i an impious al,
tempt 10 think Of wrestling from ma, the right d mc.a.
discussion, the right of speaking, Writing ana prinu y
on any subject; il is q hopeless waito war aSa" Ls
freedom of opinion. These resolutions were, :" w.
view, an introduction Of that war: tse moral oplhrGn Mons
mere opinions-ol men were called .in'erheaonhS'
and then, under the name Of intermtddilng, u ~ ouu
men TO their opinions was attempted 10 oe Put :"
The Alien and Sedltion laws were as white Paper-"ete
innocence and purity itself compared TO this attempt.
He spoke not for himself, he (Mr. NJ was no eooI!ou'
list, he had never uttered a word in favor OF theit P''hc'-
piles or opinions, he spoke now on behalf OF tne coui','"
rights of man-of rights which were the gin OF God
rights above The power Of Government to take away;
and if one class of men have a right to any kind OF pro.
perty, surely any other class of men have an equal Iig,ht
10 any kind Of opinion. He hoped to hear from te
friends of these resolutions (fthey could have any inenn,
some reasons, at least, why he shnnld give his support
10 them. 40 ye, lie had heard none; the mover OF uhem
had Given no reasons for them, aud he (Ar. M hoPea
thew would not be adopted by the Senate. -.
Before taking the question thereon, the hEst resolution
,pss read by REQUEST, us follows:
Resolusd, That in the adoption OF the Feueia' ION
stitu.ion, the States adopting the same acted seVsFa,Iy,
az free, indie pendent, and sovereign States; ana that
each, for itself, by its own voluntary assent entered 'he
Union with the view to its increased security against all
dangers, domestic as we'll as foreign, and the more per
feet and secure enjoyment of its advantages NATURAL
political, and social. .,
The Yeas and Nays having been ordered, this resoiu'
ton was adopted by the following vote:
Yeas-Alessrs. Allen, Black, Brown, Buchanan, Sai-
houn, Clay Of Ala, Clay Of Kentucky, Cu!hbert, Full
ton, Hubbard, King of Alabama, Linn, Lumpkin, Lyon,
Mexican, Nicholas Niles, Norvell, Pierce, Preston, Rives,
Roane, Robinson, Ruggles, Sewer, Smith OF Connect.
cut, Strange, Walker, White, Williams, Wright, Young
-32.
Naus-Messrs. Bayard, Clayton, Davis, Knight, Nor
ris, Prentiss, Robbins, Smith Of Ind, Southland, Swift
Upton, Wall, Webs,er-lS. .
(Dsbutc 10 be continued in our ne1t)