Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1844-09-13


Of speech and OF the press. aud o. the people
pc3ccahlv 10 assemble AMI PETITION Government
Tor he redress of grievances, nucn, S..1ilr in
volving a. they conceive ih;,t 81 icc!' discti>s-
/ in" nm Gn9 cr,yg sal jr1 ri"i,rcf. 0ad nan 4sd
cltiV means OF .'Icjrc>Sing grievances which the
people NAV Deem suitable ana adequate 10 thai
end" in response to the threatened violation Of
these and other constitutional rights, ly the Clay
Clubs Of this City, in their recent proclamation,
among other resolutions 10 The above effect pass
cd the following:
I "R,oirc1, That We cordially tender 10 orr
g brethren from cray .SIG'c ~ Tic Gg;ca, the
hoepilalites Of our civ, ON soil and our fire.
!" sides, whenever they Stall llimh proper 10 hold
50 4 Convention here, on lie .ilhcc; o. the annex
alton OF Texas, or any other ol Tie great intc-
4" rests ofMc Iuiom-and ior their protection here,
we hereby pledge to them our VOID and sacred
! honor"
A less cyccpiiona!lc resolution, or orc less Oh
noxious TO objection from any s,ncerc and huc
! friend uf the Union, AM oil Constitutional Liner
/ IL, can scarcely lie conceived Yet the Clay
/ Clubs, anxious 10 avert the indignant rclnke Of
the People for their frs; extraordinary and incon-
sdera;c step in this mailer, hy!ivcIiine public al;
ien!iun from il, and inyoivi:" the whole subject
in mist o.: Sophi,iry and special pleading. have
made this sole resolution Concerning The mean
ing Of which, any possible douil which the most
suspicious could entertain, would have been dis
PEELED by merely publishing those which accom-
ranicl Il and III! rules 81 fair construction require
should lie taken with it, lhc text for Two lora
elaborate and Ingenious Addresses in which, with
the ulmosl ingenuity and skill, they have taken
| this little resolution from IL associates toiu.cL
and disguised il, 50 Is scarcely 10 lie recognized
! by lis authors, and then cn1cavoFed 10 impose it
upon The community as an ''Inv'iat.un, with a
promise Of c0-opfrtttca 81 10 tn" Di>nnion>l>
of South Carolina and Alabama, and other cisar
iccied petitions Of he Co"ilsici:cy; and they
then proclaim, that between lEo>e DiSuL.on>i>
and this fragment of PolkiSn, there is an identity
absolute, confessed and proclaimed, Of feeling
opinion and o!jccts",.!
They have gone further They have dec Jared
| that this Convention was precisely upon The sane
! platform with a Convention OF Abolilion;s,s a.
,cmbled here, and that they c'n see no difference
between thcn-ihis is rcnari, not argument,
20 which We scarcely Know hos IL reply. To
see 10 diliciencc-to STE any analogy between
| Convention Of Citizens, asseaibed under Il sense
of great suffering and oppression, real or even
linced, To deliberate upon the hes, meals oil re-
dressing them, even DO suppose ,hc worst b. re-
sorting 10 Modification or rt.ccah.c secession,
upon The failure oi all o;licr remedies, and a Con
| spiracv Of Aboliiionists, wEo, nol content with
| die ulrcs,raincd discussion OF the subject: with
publishing iHccadav pamphlets, and cIiicins
| away on: slave, in their states. shonk leave
their homes and assemble here, in or inidsl-EUl
| Ia deliberate upon Tie reGre>s Of any grievances
which they endure, or pretend 10 endure but To
n>iiga;c our slaves To the horrors of a1rIc war
and mdnish, butchcric>-ths requires It degree
of prejudice. and want Of candUr, which we con-
less We think scarcely merit, reply NcveT!a-
less, We rW say 10 such persons that could such
Convention meet here, without danger Of those
dreadful consequences, Notwithstanding The cx-
press recognition Ly The Constitution oil our right
10 Tic ardistlbed enjoyment OF This property, and
The consequent imperiincncc ani DEMONSTRATIONS
aliiY of the action IT such On assembly, We should
use no coercion 10 prevent i. And should cocr-
cion become necessary, must first hc fully sails
bed that our laws ;--d Tribunals afford no su!ii-
Client remedy, before We resort TO measures which
they 90 Rot sanction.
This, then, is the straw at which they have
grasped 10 save them from sinking bcrcalh the
inunjation OF popular rcproDaiion. This The
point, on which they dcpcnd 10 uphold the mighty
fabric of the Dsunion lIum0ug, when every
other prop had been sweep lrom under ii Bul
let us examine little into the soundnc>s and sta
hiliiy of this also and TIE materials Of which it
j. composed
On wha! the charge of promising co-opcra-
ton Ia Convention oi Di>uni,n>l," (adlnilling
thought OIL is based, we confess we cannot con-
ccive. In vain do We sean, not only this resolu-
ton but the Report and Resolutions which ac-
co,uaancd it, for Il single word or syllable, on
Uhich il could, by their ingenuity even be made
10 rest Nor. as 10 ibis have they dcigncd 10 en-
tighten orr ignorance Bul Tie great offence and
HAT which. in their opinion justified the charge
81 hayin. Invited DisunionistS, or, as they call
them, Traitors, here. consists in calling 'Brcth-
rem" our fellow citizens FROM EVERY STATE ~
TnE UNioN,' and in promising Ia Protect them
IN The enjoyment Of their constitutional! rights,
even ,ho;l.h i; he The discussion Of The hesi
means 10 promote the annexation of Texas 20 the
Union. or any other Of the great interests ol the
Union" And This is the foundation for their de
claration that between rs and the Disuniol.i>lS,
or TRAITORS. there is an Identity OF iccl!n" OPP
;ion and objects; or, in other words, that Inc
Democrats Of Richmond are also Disunionis>
and Traitors, And 10 support them in this
most extraordinary and ineXcGsahlc declaration,
they even venture II assert, THAT The propose
movement was set on foot by mon, and %oNE
OTHERS. q ,yho openly declare their preference
To M out oil the Union without Texas. rather
than in i; without her tsc. How utterly ua-
true is his last assertion, the history oi the origin
Of the proposition for Convention, which We
nave uSt given. abundantiy shows.
We know OF no mode 80 efficient OF convlnc-
me- tie authors ol this calumny against the char
aclcr oi millions throughout the naiinn (lounded
~ suspicions OF the designs c 4 cw iii one small
section ol the counuv) Of the incoIrccncss OF
thc:r conclusions, aud the injustice of Their aeon
,aton>, than by showing how conclnsivctv, hy
he same rule o evidence they ana their whole par
IL would he convicted OF being both Di>unioni>!s
and Abo!itionisis. Ii the rule he correct In IL
application 10 ole ease, il is equally so when ap-
piled Ia another. Ii the fact tina; Disunonists IN
one section ri The country rolrutccr their support
To Mr.. Polk establishes an identity OF feeling,
opinion and objects between them ana Inc "foiN
Party still more clearly * such identity proven
10 exist between the Clay party and The Dis
unonist> and Abolitioniss Of another portion o!
The Confcdcracy, hy The orcr'arcs, concessions an"
strenuous c,cytiogS Of the former, throughout me
free States. 10 obtain The ''co-orcraton ana a!li-
ancc Of The latter If the "polk Party" are 10 be
held resron>il. for sentiments tending 10 DIS
rnoa. expressed ipv comparatively sInal num-
hcr of lis members with but one exception I'M
kGown 10 the country al larg", sill more deeply
would The Wing party h" involved IN Inc gaIil,
| of what they must term The 'Ircasonab!c sent
incntS avowcd bv many Of their most dis ln"uIs'l-
"a leaders throughout The Northern States, as well
is hv Wing State Conventions ana ny multilud'S
Of Wings assembled in mass meetings Let ~
see, then, how the character o. The wing parry
stands the test Of this Wing ruIc Of er;'!tnce.
We have already alluded 10 the Address OF
John Quincy Adams and l. (Mr Adams says
22) o.ta I'He @emLeySef C0hg1cSS. go tn, pee
p, of the Free States Of the Union We pro-
ceci 10 quote more !Iy on this snaeci:
| In Il letter 10 Miss ThaXier, dated :,l:h Juy'
| ISL Mr. Adams the great Northern ea9er OF 'he
Wing pariv. TO whom even Webster and Seward
Weld precedence, and whoa they culogisc as The
grca, cxcmpar Of Wing principle writes thus
in au>ion 10 the emancipation (il ii deserve 'ir
namc,) Is Great Britain, OF her slaves III
the West Indies:
"But that i, net the orly nor the most
radiant glory of tl.at day: 1t was The plcisc
Of Power and OF VIII OF the mlsh'!eSt ma
ton upon the glosc. thai the bondage oil
man shall cease: thai the manacle and teitcr
,haIl DROP from every li,at; ha' the cs of nature
shall no longer lie outraged by mans inhumanl-
IS 10 mar; that lie scli-tvdcnl truths Of orr i1e-
clara,on OF independence hall no longer be liie