Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-02-01
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pbatcay the people. :c,x,ad from
Thai auch would be The case, may be inferred rum
~ Fac, that II would afford the means TO some sA "
ven States lying contiguous ana not Tar 'f''"
ire of the Union, control the nnniha""' -. a les
h., the election by concentrating their untea WIS
:. 10 Conyar,ion Give them the power oil uoine %
nd i would NOT long lie dormant What may DC uo"
hy cambnation where the temptation IS So s.eo'' 80
he sure ere long to be done. 10 combine and eo"q
!. not Iess true as MAXIM, where power IS coneefheo'
- 70 uD;v;de and conquer Nothing IS better es-
bl;sbed ,b,n that the desire for power can ofhe 'o
oe,her and unite the most discordant materials.
~, tho tendency 10 centralization will not sop
there The appointment oil delegates az "us''' ~
So Convention would tend at the same time, ana
;,b Greater force centralze this control IN the
ba nds of the lew, who make politics lraoe' "e
,bcr the Convention is removed from tue peoPe' W.
more certainly the control over 1t Will De Paceu III ~"
hands of the interested few, ana when reinoVeo le
- c,rr deorees rs has been shown 1t will be, "here
h commandment is by State Conventions, the power OF
Tho neonIe will cease and the seekers OF Executive ID
vor will become supreme. AT that stage, an acuv',
framed and combined corps will be formed IN inc
o,,v whose whole time and attention will be directed
- nolics II will be their sole business Into tneir
hand, the Appointments Of delegates, in all The stages
w fall and they will take special care that none out
themselves or their humble and obedent dependents,
sbsll he annonted The Central and State Conven-
n;ng and after nominating the President, they will
take good care to divide the patronage and offices, oo
of the General and State Governments, among them
selves and their dependents; But why say 'o'H Is
il not nireadu the case? Have there not been many
;ost,nces of State Conventions being filed by office
holder, and ofce.seekers, who, after making the no.
m;n,ton have divided the Offices in the State among
themselves and their parlzans and joined IN recon
mendinq 10 the candidate, whom they have just nomi
mated TO appoint them 10 the Offices TO which they have
been respectively allotted If such be the case IN Tie
infancy Of the system, i, must end, if such Conven
tons should become the established usage, IN the re
sident nominating his successor. When IL comes 10
that, will not be long before the sword will take the
place of the Constitution
Sucb ARE nv objections 10 the mode in which the pro-
oosed Convention is to be constituted, and my
for entertaining them They are such, that cannot
refuse to obey them without renouncing the principles
which have often avowed in public and private, and
which have guided me through the whole course oil
my public life
without careful examinations the reasons assigned by
ITS advocates for constituting the Convention as they
PROPOSE They have not diminished the force OF my OBJ
ectione | propose 10 notice the most prominent
That which they have urged with the greatest conf
dence u.s. that each State has ght to appoint dels-
gates az she peases meet it, by utterly denying that
there is any such right That each State has The right
to act as it peases in whatever relates TO itsel e1clu-
sively, will deny but Is perfectly mover doc
trine that any State has such right when she comes
to in concert with others in reference TO what con-
Germs the whole. In such cases il Is The plaines die
tate of common sense, that whatever affects The whole
should be regulated by the mutual consent OF all, and
not by the discretion of each. That the appointment
of DELEGATES to the proposed Convention OF
this description, trust have conclusivey shown
have also trust shown more; that The supposed right
is perfectly deceptive, for while il claims for each Slate
the right appoint delegates as II plea;es It IN reality
gives the larger States The right TO dictate how the
others shall appoint IT. for example, the Empire State,
as il is called, adopts the mode of appointing las she
has) which will concentrate her whole Strength what
discretion would she leave to Others It they go into
Convention, but to appoint as she has appointed, or to
be ruled by her. 1t is them neither nor less than
clam dictate, under the garb of right, and such
it's exercise has proved in the present case 1t has left
no opinion but 10 conform to her course be overrued
or refuse TO 20 into the Convention.
regret this, because sincerely desire TO preserve
The harmony of the party had strong hope thnt the
rally after the defeat OF lolO, would be exclusively on
principles This hope greatly strengthened by the
truly Republican and noble stand, taken at the extra
and the earlier port of the succeeding regu-
lar session During that period of rigid adherence 10
principle, perfect harmony peryaded the ranks OF the
party. beheld it with Joy. | believed the moment
highly favorable for the thorough reformation of The
Government and the restoration Of the Constitution
To the Republican party looked for the accomplish
ment Of this great work; and | accordingly felt the
deepest solicude that the stand taken, and the har
mony which existed, should be preserved In order
that il should made up my mind to waive the objec-
tioa which have long entertained to any nermedia tie
body, unknown TO the Constitution, between the Deo
pie and the election Of the President in the hope that
the proposed Convention would be so constituted that
might consistently with my principles, give II my
support Ia this have been disappointed, and being
so, | am compelled TO decide | have done The
same motives which mpeled me TO separate from the
administration of Gen. Jackson in the plenude of lis
power and to come to the of MIR. Van Buren, g
at its greatest depression, compes me now 10 withhold
my name from the proposed Convention
Having assigned reasons tor refusing 10 per-
nit my name to go before the Baltimore Convention,
with you who have placed II before the people,
and assented 10 abide by convention fairly constllu-
ted, 10 determine what course you will pursue.
| Be your decision what II may shall be content -
But regarded it due to the occasion, TO you and
myself, to declare, that under circumstances what
shall support any candidate who opposed 10 free
trade and favor of the protective policy, whose pro-
mnent and influential friends and supporters hold
the policy to be another for system of mono
poly and plumber, and to be thoroughly anti Republi
can and Federal IN its character. also hold, that so
long the duties laid TO be in fact bounties
to portion Of the community, while they operate
oppressive taxes the other, there. can be no hope
that the Government can be reformed, that its
pendures will be reduced TO the proper standard
Were /, with the evidences before me, to say other
wise of my course it would be, practically 10 declare
that regard the protective policy to be open ques-
ton, so far as the party is concerned; which ! would
consider, on my part, virtual abandonment of the
cause of Free Trade. That never be. have done
and suffered too much for it, when its friends few
and feeble to abandon it now-now, when the auspices
everywhere, this and the other side of the Atlantic
proclaim the approaching downfall of protection and
the permanent triumph of Free Trade. ], who upheld
against monopoly and plumber, in the of times,
and braved the of Administration and OPpo-
stion, when backed but bya single State-will not
cannot abandon the glorious cause now, when its ban
ner waves in proud triumph the metropolis OF the
commercial world No; shall maintain immoveably
the ground have SO long occupied, until have wit
messed its grea, and final victory if shall please the
Gisposer Of Event, to spare my life so long 1t will
be- indeed rictory-the harbnger of new and bright.
er and higher civilization
Much less still, can give my support to any cand-
date, who shall give his aid or countenance to the ag-
taton of abolition in Congress elsewhere; whose
promnen mt and influential friends and supporters shall
doubt the sincerity of any man, who declares he is
no aholi,ions whilst at the time, he aids
tenances the agitation of the question, be his petex
what it may. If we have right TO our slaves, we
have the right hold them in peace and quiet If the
Constitution guarantees the one, guarantees the other
and if il forblds the from being attacked 1t equally
fobds the other Indeed, the stands 10 the other,
TO end, and is avowed by the abolition
lists; and the PLANES, principles of morals, if the
end be prohibited, the means OF efectng IT also