Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-09-20
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pOLITICAL.
LETTER FROM JUDGE CHEVES.
I'm, thc Ciaristnn lLcrcurrl

Mr. Editor: | have been informed, 10 lnv sur
prise. that, in consequence OF shor! note adtIess
cd TO ms fellow citizens of the nc@hhorhood in
which live, Oh the llh OF July last, ain sup
posed To be in favor of resistance 10y The actor oil
South Carolina alone. Such an impression is en-
tireIy erroneous. expressed dozen ,c;.rS since
The same sentiments a.mos. III the >''ne words
and was, al the same time, as is w6li known, dc-
ciedly opposed to resistance by single Stat" bu'
! shall now, with your permission, lciTc % doubt
al the position in which wish 10 stand and, III 40
ing 81 shall mnee my opinions and coUnSc's
with those OF my iclow-citizers. 10 he weighed Tor
what they are worth, in this graf argumcat"
The Tariff consider an act o! insuliciabc ana
insulting oppression, which ough; 10 be borne on
Il until il can be udicouSly resisted. i'c! this
resistance. in my opinion, 10 he effective, m'rl
unite The efforts o. nj least large portion Of the
sufferers. do not think one state ought To ie-
sst alone There VIII be neither con!tence nor
certainty in such course IT" people oil one
State, Standing alone, would no: he den mn nn-
ted among themselves. 1t might he different ii
the State were alone in the suffering. But stand'
ins in the midst OF common sufferers, much moe
numerous than themselves, whose arms were lold-
ed the presence OF these would operate like mo-
raj condemnation OF their act, and chill the warm
blood, though animated in So good 4 cause, and
cnecblc the strong arm. uSt raised 10 sriHc
Bu. il is asked ii our icllow-sul;crCfs will not
unite with us in resistance, shall we basely sub
mi,l We have no right 10 anticipate that event
In nv opinion If thev do not, they viii be inscn
sible 10 honor and 10 shame, and equally so, 10
their interests and their danger. But We dare not
cas-; this rcproach upon them merely becaGscti the;
do not think hit 70 ADOPT measures and oar ;line
If We think they are tardr We mast cntreat them
with brotherly zeal In quicken their step IL oar
measures he not acceptab bic To them, let us mciiv
them or adopt theirs il they lead to the same end
Resistance vii! be- a very solemn act IL II uc
rashl, attempted and fail il will rivct our chains
and bring on us new burdens and insults. Success
in such great enterprises is not usually the result
OF sudden thought VI the fruit oi single day,
but OF wise and sober deliberations and profacied
action We are speaking OF the movement DINA
tions-a successful resistance will probably cost
some wears The circumstances IN winch we are
placed. cannotta;l to remind US Of our frs, great
act of resistance To oppression. Let uS then boast
less often and less idly OF the deeds OF our ances-
tors. and more faithfully initiate them. Theydid
not lump in single breath 10 their conclusion and
talk of single handed resistance. They delibera-
led long, and they wisely united all who were I'M
der common suticrin. and in common danger. Let
us do as they did Let associations be formed IN
every Southern, and, If possible, IL every South
western State and LEI them confer together and in
,erchanoc views and information; Jet leading men
through Committees and private correspondence
collect compare and concentrate the views OF like
men in the respective States, and when ripe Tor 1t,
and not before, let representatives from these
States meet in Convention and il circumstances
promise success, let them then deliberate on the
mode OF resistance and the measure Of redress
Ii not still perseverc-let neither delay nor first
failures, should they happen, create despair or
fainthearednesS Inncxiblc perseverance rarely
fails in a good cause and ours is one that mus.
never be abandoned. Continue to cnlighten the
public mind-rouse the public fee!iag-cxcite the
public shame Tor the degradation 10 which we
have been bronght-lct your eSerions I've not oc-
casiona and dcsnltorv, hut organized and nccs
sant-ayoid especially all clustering, and PIT in
the place OF il sound sense and torclblc reasoning.
Your appeals to your icow-ci'izcns may, never
thelcss. be az impassioned as your sense ofinjury
and shame and danger may inspire, hut they ought
to bc ciasiercl hy regard TO the moral sense oi
an enlightened community hdd tnc proper iunc-
lions OF the newspaper press. me circulation OF
able and we'll chosen tracts, and lei them he found
in every hamlet and house IN The SCUM ana oouth
West. Garry yonr eyerlons into The camp The
enemy. Thus did the colonies in their preparation
for resistance TO the mother country. During that
struggle we had among our friends the Rnrkes
end the Cnalhams and others of the greatest
names that ever adorned humanity. There arc IN
every country virtuous men who hate injustice
end detcst oppression, though they be the acts OF
their own country and government; and their IN
nuencc, though they may not DC able 10 carry a
vote has often great moral and political weight
Their appreciation will have great effect in sus-
tanning your own resolution. But in this case
YOU may appeal to your interest as well as their
Justice, for the mass of the people, no where &C.
rive any advantage from the oppression you SUI
fer and have great and honest interests put al ma
card by the resistance You may be uph9en 10
make Manufactures should be the last resort OF
industry in every country for when forced, rs hey
are with U.S. they serve no Interests nht thoSe Oh
the CAPITALISTS who set them in motion, ana liicr
immediate localities. Commerce IS the proper
handmade of agriculture, and agriculture lhe
blessed employment of man. Already both are
lansnishng under the intriguing power OF ma
nulacuring CAPITALISTS. Without The aSricnltnre
OF The Souh and Southwest the grass would
grow in The streets of your great Northern citieS.
What, comparativelv would Boston, n" otk,
Philadelphia and Baltimore be, were the SCUM
and Southwest, or even the South alone ooiiSs''
to retire from the Union? What, il our inter-
course with these cities were transferred 10 Liver
pool and Havre? A moments reflection VIII ~
sufficient 10 show how little difficult this transfer
would be, especially when we consider me Pre-
sent and growing CELEBRITY of steam power. These
and like ports the ultimate points OF our pre-
sent commerce, though we are contenied COCOA
easy people as we are when not trarlpled 20 me
earth BY oppression) 10 bear the charges of dou-
bic transit and 10 employ these Northern cities q
our factors. What, il the unhappy event OF Sc
paration shall be provoked, is to prevent us from
doing orr own business, as VIC have done before,
and reaping the profits which We now bestow on
others, and which have made the Commerclai
men of the North and East "Merchant Princest
Charleston and Savannah would then be great
and nourishins Cit $. New Orleans would
speedily swell into The present magnitude oil New
York, and every town and interest connected WIN
them would increase and flourish in propoItlon'-