Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-12-12
FOR THE ENQUIRER.
To the People Of Tirginia more especially Ind 10 he
Peon!c If Tic United Statss generaN4.

JOHN NICHOLAS mo. III.
TO the People Of Tiryina especially and 10 Mt
Peop!c Of The United Statts generally
Fel,x citizens: But The Republicans Of that day
having taken these positions IN the abstract, deemed ii
duty to put them int practice. Aad in order to
rest The operation Of the Ssd,lion Law within the L.
mits of Virgin that State not by Sttt- Convention
called s,ely for that purpose, but by ordinary
Legislature, PASSED law the 29ti December, 1893
declaring that 'i any person shall arrest prosecute
or be AIDING or abettng in arresting prosecuting
member members Of the Virginia Legislature, for OF
on account any words spoken written any propo
ston made or proceedings had in the Senate House
OF Delegates every such person so offending, shall be
deemed guilty of msdemeanor, and shall be nppre-
hended committed and tried, before the General Court
or Superior Cout of :w aud being convicted thereof
by the verdict of jury shall suffer Imprisonment moi
exceeding one year, ard pay fine not exceeding two
thousand dollars. That such member of the Legs!a-
ure, arrested imprisoned may apply the General
Court or Superior Court, or II any Judge thereof, IN
VACATION, for writ Of haheas corpus and upon return
thereof such person shall be lberat and discharged
ltmay not be amiss to remark, that, just about this
tme the Legislature of Virginia caused armory and
foundry T. be erected for the manufacture OF arms and
cannon 1t was fortunate that the Legislature did not
find necessary to proceed further int the practice oil
nnli6catnn aud resistance but il is undenIable that
the principle o resistance 10 law not made in pursu
of the Constitution, is fully asserted and carried
into practice.
THIS mas followed up by LITTER Of Instructions, on
the l'h January, 1900 from the General Assembly
of Virginia. TO her Senator's in Congress. See Nladi-
sons Report, page Ia THIS letter. among other things,
instructed the Senator's to oppose the passage Of any law
founded on, or recognizing the COMMON Law OF Eng
land in force, under the Government Of the United
Sits.
Meanwhile. the resolutions of The oist December,
l793, having received replies from Il number oi ihe
Stat, s. the General Assembly Of Virginia deemed ii
proper to review the positions taken by the State ii h'T
resolutions OF l19S, aud TO examine more fuzzy the
verl objections and arguments which bad been urged
against them 6y The d frren, State Legislatures.
This was done by NJ. M,disou. in his mos. truly
celebrated Stale Paper, known M,dson's Report
And the 2Dth of January, lS00, the General As
sembly of Virginia ordered FIVE TnousAsn Germs OF
this great manifesto u be distributed among the good
people Of the Commonwealth of Virginia.
This reply 10 the oil o. the Federal States he
ing unauswerabls none was attempted. a comp lete
and thorough ch1nge in public opinion effected
Je fferson elected President of the United Safes,
and the OF Federalism was believed to have set
forever This Report for is splendor and beauty, the
correctness Of constitutional doctrines, the severity
Of lis logic and the accuracy OF lis metlod bat more
particularly fer The signal triumph which It wrought
on the public miod became the textbook of polt'-
clans, and has been justly esteemed the Magma tharta
Of the United St1:es Its inf iencc throughout the
whole Union was extensive and abiding; but no where
much in Virginia, where the valuable p'ecau-
ton instantly taken to Distribute, wthou, any de-
Law this Palladium of Constitutional Liberty among the
nO0Q
and accredited copies, ungarbed and entire.
1 The term Fedsr becomes odious; all dsert il
who can, esp Gully Of the rising generation. During
this period of complete triumph, celebrated gaza.te,
called the Examiner, tha organ of the Republican par
ty transferred /, the hs::ds Of lis presenl editor
and proprietor who gave ii the of The Enquirer,
and an earnest OF his devotion to Truth, raised the
flag OF "vERITE SASS PEuRi
Under this beautiful emblem, floating from the walls
of the cap of the ancient Dominion, j, will readl-
In ha cd hat
and that this has been among The very few Gazet;s,
in which The editor has had The moral courage, being
truly intent on -uh TO admit into his columns, DISGUST!
tons and essays in opposition TO his own lavore
doctrines of the strict school Of State Rights and Vir.
ginia.
Never was there society so fully imbued with the
genuine pncif les Of American Liberty, and of the true
defences oc this Constitution FOR the United States,
as were the good people Of Virginia at this epoch.
! The State pride fully gratited. One OF The
most favored sons of this ancient Dominion placed
in the Presidential Chair, II carry out into practice,
the distractions With which he, and Madison, and 0
hos. Of others, Ind combatsd The hercsies and mis-
4 deeds Of Federalism He had been mainly aided IN
this arduous struggle, BY tRo others Of Vrginias a.
yorite sons, upon whom public opinion rapidly
setting, successors 10 Jefferson, 10 carry out and
coatnue and settle the great principles of Amer
can Liberty, and 10 show to the world, that the
fondes cntic pa.ions in theory to be carried
into a consistent and manly practice. There were
oilers, who ench filled his proper sphere in TINS event,
full struggle. Jeif-rson, Madison and Monroe had a
their associates and compeers Pendleton, Wythc Rar-
dolph, Nicholas Rounc, Tucker, Brent, Giles, Mason
Jones, Tazaseli, and host of such choice spirits
| It VS. during this eyentfu epoch, when m1n moi
trainfd IL hes= prncpe when not thrice dyed
IN he grain Of hladson's Report, dust offer
card date for the sutirages, ard confidence nj thin
eiligsnt commun y; hen The doctrines of 1871, l7aS
and 1900, of this celebrated school Of strict constDc
,onis,s, commanded universal attention and edmira
ton, MT only th1oughout The Stat Of Virginia, III 8
mo.her OF Presd .rts and Statesmen, but throughput
every State in the Union-it was al this evsnlfu
epoch that he Pat'io, Pendetnn, with eye prophetic
exclaimed. "The danger is net yet over
No, verify, with The lamp of truth t, guide u.s. We
shall show, that the danger upon US, in count
less degrees more extensive and profound, than whcn
Tho prediction was made BY the
Let us, then, in perfect sincerity and truth and fear
essness probe the gangrene to the quick, and apply
the knife and The cau.ery lei Us be true II ourselves
once more, and under this at.ered standard of State
Rights we shall aga'c wage good battle, and finally
triumph.
'ny position is tak'n others may 81 of;.r asc GODS
and fdH do'cn ard 'rorshiP tiem-tni far mystG ]
eM 'rorship the Gcd Of my fathers, mil Gse and die
IN Msir faih."
Your fellow citizen,
JOHN NICHOLAS.
VIRGINIA LEGIsLATURE.