Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1847-11-05
VOLUME XLIV.-NUMBER 81.

and after enumeralins several particulars in
which ne alleges they had thus violated t2eiI duly,
" al The nod Of power" he adds Last, But wo:st
o all, came the base bowling Of The knee 10 the
dark spirit of slavery" For what cause tild The
Democratic representatives from this Staie-or
what cause did my respected colleague General
M'kean) and myself, merit This Remuneration
from the governor, il il were not for having Ie-
sisted the efforts of the AholItioDisls and hayirg
opposed the abolition OF slavery in lie District Il
Columbia Al The time, il was thus understood
everywhere, beth in and out Of the ) ate In
stead Of sustaining the character OF Pennsyya-
MIA Tor devotion IL The Union, and cheering Oh her
representatives a, w Washington in the good cause
which they had been advocating he bfards their
support Of il as ''hase howing al the knee 10 he
dark spirit ii slavery" The Aboiiioniss through.
out the Union hailed this sentiment with delight
and Joseph Riner has ever since been ex'oll,i in
all their publications as one of their most disliH-
guished advocates. II was bur the other cav that
Iobserved il stated in Pennsylvania paper, lEa,
an Abolition print in Pitlsbure Indignantly le-
PEELED the idea advanced by Wing pIess Of dat
city, that Joseph Ritner was mol an Aboluionist
Show me an Aboi!icnist Throughout, the Stale,
and will show you supporter .. Governor Ri,-
neT.
And here would ask you, ellow.ciizcnS, il il
be possible to assign any other motive Tor into.
ducins The subject, in December, 1896, into The
governors message, but 10 sustain and cheer on
the an!i-savery societies and a boiionisis, ami
encourage them not 10 relax their efforts, nolwlh.
Standing their then recent te.ea, in Congress =
Why was il mentioned a. all, il no. ior this pur-
pose}
The Governor proceeds further in his mes.
sage. Arkansas was about 10 become STATE
Arkansas was South OF The line fixed by The &C.
II n ph; ch AM,
Union, within which slavery might exist The
people OF Arkansas held slaves. The aboili
petitions had prayed that no new State should H.
admitted iniu the Union where slavery existed.
Joseph Rilner gave The AboliIionisls his aid by
coming on, boldly and strongly in his message
against the admission OF any new STATE into the
Union where slavery was recognised.
He is equally explicit in urging the abolition
OF slavery in the District ot Columbia. In his
own language, Opposition TO the admission into
the Union OF new Slavcholding States. and op-
position to slavery in The District OF Columbia,
the very hearth and abode OF the national honor,
have ever been and are the cherished doctrines II
our Stale. Lei us, fellow citizens, stand ~ and
maintain them unshrinkirgly and fearlessly."
Il is very True, he admits that The Free States
have no power over The question OF slavery in The
Slavcholdins States; bnl had there been any ia
IL ~
to assert such a poweIl Mi to my know lcicc
On ,hs contrary, this hid always been admitted.
How, then, was slavery 10 be abolished in the
South BY the existence Of anti slavery soclc-
ties in the Norh--by The efforts Of the Abolition
lists 10 arouse he indignant feelings of our cii.zrS
against onr brethren in the South, because they
were unfortunately born slayehoiders-h making
use of The post office ITO scatter arrows irchlanis
and death" among the lavesthemselves calculated
if not intended 10 incite them TO Instruction; and,
thus surrounding their masters with So many lam
gers, as 10 force them 10 emancipate their slaves
Those who opposed This conduct, The direct len
,rncy Of which was 10 divide hr Union, and t.
involve our brethren 81 the South in seTviie
war. were denounced as ne enemies OF free dis
cussion, and as subservient souls who woud how
their knees lulhe dark spirit OF slavery. Accord
ingly we find Governor Ritner, in his message,
repeating upon this snhlcc, what had been SAIL
hundred times before in the Abolition papers -
"Above all" SAYS he, "!e; us never yield Up he
rich, of the fee discussion OF al evil which NAV
arise in the land, in any part oi II, convinced
that the moment we do 81, The bond Of union i
broken" The right Of free discussion certainly
ought never 10 be surrendered. But righl IS
one Thing, and lis abuse is another. IL is certain
we all have he right 10 discuss The question .ot
slavery; but is il proper tor US 10 organize our.
This right systematically, no, for the purpose Of
doing any good al home-i0r thank God here
slavery does not exst-bul for that Of spreading
Terror and alarm throughout The southern States,
OF distributing among the slaves lhemsc,vc>
through The mails ard BY private gents vie pub
locations and pictorial representations calculated
10 produce selve instruction, and thus 10 force
their masters 10 emancipale them or abandon The
Union2 Suppose we should thus act toward a
foreign government; would il not be jusl cause Of
war; And have We any greater night 10 ln'cr-
ierlere with the domestic institutions al Mary
land and Virginia, than with those If Cuta2
When Ibis messasr Of Governor Ritner was
received in Washington in 1896, il was consider.
ed by all as an abolition message and, a. such,
il producrd an impression which shall never
forget. With The utmost anxiety depicted in he
counienances oi the inqurers, was asked, over
and over again whether, in my opinion, i, poke
the voice of Pennsylvania The Keystone
Stale, which had been The tfmss, bnIwark al The
Union, and had always respected the coGSi,n-
lional rights Of her sister States, had emarard,
so lar as her governor could commit her, the
CT, ell, and had plac d herself in the iron; rank
II abolition. II remains for the people Of this
grea, Commonwealth, al the next election, "a ra-
tiiy or 10 reject the doctrines Of his message.
consider the question 10 be one Of lranscendant
importance, involving in itself The fac O! he
Union, and all that is near and dear 10 tie
friends oil constitutional liberty, not only here,
but throughout the world.
Should Joseph Rilncr be elected, the people oi
Pennsylvania will have declared, in voice OF
thunder that Florida shall no, be admitted into
The Union. because il will be a slavehnlding
Stale; that The question Of abolishns slavery
in The District OF Columbia shall again and
again be agilated to disturb The repose oil The
Union and that The doctrines ol abolition, from
which these are bui emanations shall be nam
Iainei, no mater what may be The fatal consc-
quences. Whilst his election will be hailed as
victory b. the aboiiiunists everywhere, il will
he tel, To the ex,remiIies of the Union as a most
porlentous omen OF It's dissolution.
have siudiously avoided producing any proofs
that Joseph Riner is an abo'itonst, EXCEPT
from his own solemn message, the doctrines Of
which have been recently reiterated in his letter
10 the antislavcry society OF Pittshurg. II is
true, might have cited The efforts made by his
political friends to obtain the hall Of The Lcglsla-
lure as place Of meeting for The abolition con-
Yention; the cordially with which nc received its
members, and the spiri, thus Infused into them
by his counlenaBce and conversations his prefer
ence Tor leading abolitons,s in making some Of
his most important appointments; and numerous
other circumstances lending 10 establish The same
fact. ! have thought il hesl, however, TO confinc
myself 10 MS own official declarations. That he
is sincerely an aboiiionist, do not coub' ard
ne deserves The merit OF firmly adherlng 10 his
opinion, which would have been great virtue
in good cause.
nigh. here also proceed 10 illustrate the ei-
feels OF the triumph OF This doctrine. What
would be your situation, i,iow-cilizens, il ne
croes were admiued TO an equal y OF political
and social rights with white men and white wo-
men z You have already had toretasie o! il
10 the scenes which we're exhibited al Pennsyl-
vania Hall. The subject is too disgusting and
recoiI from il.
Go, then, to the polls, and by your votes in be.
half OF The Democratic candidate, David r. Por.
ter declare 10 your sister States and 10 the world
that Pennsylvania will be again, as she had
ever been before Governor Riiner's election, the
s,ronges, and frmest pillar of the Union.
The noble triumph in New Jersey makes som'
alonemen. for the disgracclul defeat in New York
Our prediction made not long since is verified
and The s,rong-minded and sterling Governor 0
New Jersey may say, "My name is Haines"
\ rra,rer,orjonco If he Qafimofp American. |