Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1839-03-07
General Assembly Of Virginia.

General Assembly Of Virginia.
SPEECH OF MR. YLY-[CoseLupEp.l
MIR Speaker the next subject TO which | ask your al
,snton is Mr. Rves course upon the reception OF Abo
n,ion petitions lie not only voted in favor OF such r.
ception, and thereby in my opinion surrendered ID
whole ground, BY admitting the jurisdiction OF
in the matter but in the debate he declared that ne re
u,-ded slavery as "a moral, social and political evil liz
the accounts which given at the tme oy persons
who were present when he made the remark Is slated
that he further SAID, that if he had the power he would
abolish it immediately in Virginia. But this last re
mark is no, reported his corrected speech, and Will
not insist tina, he made IT, though bystanaers were clear
that ne did But considering the me the place and me
person by whom it made ! cannot bot regard the
remark as highly reprehensihle When was II made ::
A, time when wild and mad fanac!sm was rife IN the
land; and when it catching at every pre'ext 10 war
upon dearest ights Where was 1t mace: In Con
press the very chosen arena Of those detestable dis
turbers of oar institutions Ivy whom was 1t made
Bya Virgina Senator Senator representing slave hold
inc constituents! Who sent him TO the Senate 10 pro
nounce philppics upon social and play int"
the hands of mad fanatics: take with him upon every
proposition deny that slavery is moral evil II has
been the reverse Through It's lns,rumentaty, in 1t
tie more than century, thre millions OF heahens have
been ChrsiiaHlz.d BY means OF II, three millions o!
human beings have been rescued from the grossesI Ig
porance and superstition and raised 10 the condon oi
rational creatures. have lately seen letter from
minister of the Gospel of Christ attached TO the Metio
dist Church. in which he describes the condition Of th
native Afrcan-and, if half what he says OF their Pitln
bic ignorance, their grovelng superstition and lheI
CALLING slavery be true, then agree with him IN saying
TIA, every slave ship which approached The shores "
Africa. was them instrument Of mercy This !:
the effect on the negro. How has 1t morally affected
the condition Of the white man? Where DO high mora
virtues flourish uxuriauly than in the slave hold
ing States: w
/ DENY that slavery is social evil. Where
allied social virtues found purer than in the South =:
Where is man Drawer or woman more lovely: Nor Is II
a political evil That most philosophical OF Staesnitn
bv
reasoning came TO the conclusion, that 50 high regard
for liberty could no where exist in country where
domestic slavery was tolerated The experience Of The
u S. has confirmed the truth of his reasoning.
But admit tia, Mr.. Riyes right, and that | am
wrong; yet it time, place, an occasion for
him TO make the remark Did he not know, that Ia
making it, he was playing into the hand OF those lana
tics who warning upon every hlng we hold dear
hat tie consequence? Shortly thereafter We hear
Mr. Webster making speech in New York, and excus-
ing himself for deRouncng social institutions, by
saying, that lie was only repeating The language ot
Virginia Senator uttered upon the floor OF Congress
Mr. Speaker | will hasten on. In 1886 Mr. Benton
moved in the Senate con6ne the recep, for the public
lands to gold and silver The Senate almost unanimous
" rejected the proposition Immediately after Congress
adjourned the President did, by Treasury order, what
Congress had rensed to do Al the succeeding session
Mr. Ewing of Ohio introduced direct proposition /"
repeul the order Mr. RVes attempted 10 modify it,
10 make indirect and 10 make it paalable 10 the
Executive Sir Mr.. Rves did not know Gen. Jackson
he
BY having thing done by indrecton when he was "p
posed to having it done directly. Mr.. Rves cours~
proved at and the same time his unsIatesman like
ignorance of n man with whom he had been so long ac
ing and his disposition to cunciliae power. But MIR.
Rives resolution passed, and Gen Jackson contempn
ously put it his pocket and SAID he could not under
sand it, Mr.. Speaker, here commenced Mr. Rives dis
affection the Administration ST. human nature IS
curious phenomenon. We sometimes resent with more
sternness peccadilo than do the grosses
attack upon principles. 1t is the same feeling which
makes a shrink from ridcule though not from
law"
IL mus, have been some feeling of this sort which
caused Mr. Rves here for the first lime TO breathe
dissatisfaction with Gen Jacksuns administration lie
saw Gen jackson attack and overthrow State Rights
and Virginia prncp pies without murnur, but he could
not stand having the persficul'y oil MS English ques
toned.
Perhaps am doing Mr. Rivcs injustice, and that his
dissatisfaction had different origin 1t will be reco!-
leced that Mr. R'vesand MIR Benton have been regard.
ed for some time rivals tor the Presidency. 1t will
also be recolected, that the specie circular Mr.
Bentons He introduced 1t in the Senale-li
was there almost unanimously rejeced-be carried II
with the President. Mr.. Rves introduces proposition
10 repeal this Of his rva-CoDgress sustains
him by large majority. But the will Of Congress is
disregarded-Mr Rlves wishes are disregarded aud Mr.
Bentons counsels prevail. am sure cannot pretend
10 saw what influence these thugs had Mr.. Rives
but one thing certain, that the first time Bentons
premacy with the Administration wos demonstrated,
Mr. Rives GOODNESS began to manifest itself defy any
man in this House to show act Of Gen. Jackson
Administration no matter how bad it may have been,
which Mr. opposed the slightest objection, before
the which have just been discussing; and even IN
this he vented his dsPeasure IN the dest possible
terms Nay, he did not in the mildest manner even
complain Of Ibis act till months afterwards, and after
Gen Jackson had gone into retirement.
In May 1857 the suspenson,of specie pay nients took
place, and MIR Van Buren, called special session Of Con
gress in September a, this session, MIR Rives again
introduced his proposition TO repeal the Specie Circular,
and IN introducing II, remarked that he had not altered
word Of the act OF the last session, which some per-
cons pretended not to understand assert the fact and
ask Tor correction, II an wrong, that this is the first
word Of dspleasure which Mr.. RIvcs ever publicly ut
tered against Gen Jackson administration
But, MIR. Rves is opposed TO the Sub Treasury The
Wings estopped from supporting him solely on This
ground for they have again and again said tina, it was
Subordinate qucson-and they have denounced all those
sues. But, admit that the Currency question is import
Wing party this subject deny that he is with The
tina, the whole Wing party throughout the country, and
Treasury as agains, the Pet Bank system What are
the facts In 1884 Gen Gordon introduced his propo.
son ia Congress- which was the germ of the Sub Urea
sury In favor of it 81 Wings voted John Robertson,
the Re of this district finding lha, many
had voted against Gordons BILL not because they disap
proved of lis principles but because they though, it
crudely drawn introduced resolution, that the Pc,
Bank system which was then before the House, should
be referred to the Committee of Ways and Means which
had brought it in, with instructions 10 provide for di.