Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-07-21
RICHMOND, VA.
wednesday Morning, July ID, 1s4s.
cDnNc,s E. RlvEs. ESQ, AND The
aTaERToN RESOLUTIONS.

co,NcIs E. RlVES. ESQ, AM LIE
aTaERToN RESOLUTIONS.
wv. ue,e fortunate enough 10 procure irom
.;..s lew DAYS since, a copy OF the Petersburg
Consolation, containing the letter Of ou' incur
w., .,;end FRANCIS E. RlvEs formerly mem
ssr Of Congress from the Petersburg o's't' Gu"
.ra S}.us, brs;des its excellence and aoh"y'
,hrows Iieb, upon the Anterior resou''0"''
which were voted against by The fanatics ''o'"
he Nor,h-Adams, Giddinss and fiLt@oAi-
rhs Times in lis vindicalion Of Fillmore rom
no heavy and gave charges which we p'e'e''eu
seaius. him, by evidence from The record asss'
- ,ha, Southern men were also violently asa'hS'
,o,.n,;on =, n. resolutions offered by Mr.
abeuon Of New Hampshirc-and WI WIS.,
non a member of Congress from this Stale, was
sod as instance. This statement, ieh uneA'
,,,,red would induce many 10 suppose mat ne
bs,n members were inimical 10 The resoiu
ms and gave Them ultimately The most unwii-
.,cnorr. The admirable leuer OF Nj.
MS s,,racls from which we shall give, goes
',..oy 10 show thai the great body CT The Sou1h-
m,mbers OF Congress, particularly oftne ne
r.hucap party, hailed the resolutions as Inc oi''e
b,,ccb OF peace held forth by Northern Demo
ner,d most critical in The history OF Inc
t;-c,ss;on Of The slavery question in Congress.
Tbsn as has always been, the Nof'nefn De
a.,.,. moved true to their Southern orsta'e"'
,,1e Bsiss from the non.slavehod,ng S'a'es
.a.,b,r,a r,taort compromise to oppose ere'y acc
~ mt
Ina lsuer 10 The editor OF The CONSTELLATION
December 2s.h, 1888, Mr.. Rives says: II ne '0u'
SIC, resolutions introduced by Mr. Alherton were
ab,,,sc, in ,hei, character, but made 10 Dear III
heir etfec, on the powers OF Congress- SO az 10
e,,ud, III. conclusion tina, Congress could con
siu,ionally interfere with The relation between
master and slave. This zoos as much as Soutaer"
,,,rbcrs could desire, and there tcas nota REtu6-
LlCAN fror, the slape.holding States that d'd net
iai! item, Nth j,y as the ha,binger OF peace ana
s.eu'ity t. The South "
This is an evidence Of the TACT that Inc SCUM
ern members of Congress did no, lock upon Tue
resolution with dis,!rs, as the Times would nave
US believe. Again, Mr.. Rives says;
THE 5;h resolution was PRACTICAL IN lis enec's.
For reasons Sc, forth il required mat ers,v u,ng
relating in the remotest degrec to the a0ohfion o.
sLarsrp should be laid upon The table 1eithou. p''nt
fpp or any acii0r thereon. The vote on ms ieso-
Ia ION was considered a test rcts.
"Taese rio 1ocvc opposed to The a0oa'lon oMa0e'
~, and unrilling 10 crcate me Country 1e'a q
,.ussio4, Of H. 1pheticr from North or Sona, 'oent
q, il, adoption. With he exception OF one men,
her i, received the sanction OF TIE ENTIRE ne
.rs,1cAs PARTY. from The slave holding States
The whole number OF votes Tor u was iZo,
against il 7S. From the slave-holding States IL
2o 10 votes, from the nonslave' noloins STATES
IS yo,es. From The slave holding States, nave
before stated. there was but one Republican VINO
voed against The resolution. his vo'e, duueu ~
those OF Messrs. Bell, ]. S. Williams, "oru auu
Crabb, tail Watgs,) from the slaveho!oine o'd.es
make Ave that went against II. Ihose ,loai W.. .'e
non.>Iavehodng States who voled against Tue
resolution, were in number 70; the whole num-
Or OF votes given was IVA
Mir. Rives proceeds 10 say
"Beiore we progress any farther, let us exam.
Inc INTO The polilics OF those VINO Vo,eu WIN 70
from The Notwithstanding States. They were
5s in number. as before stated and, strange 10 tell,
yo,, ,viA mol find one SINGLE Wig uot,ng oaa rs
Of The South"
Having clearly shown that the great mass OF me
members from the Sou'h approved OF The oolec'
and spirit OF The Anterior resolutions, Mr.. hiVes
proceeds to speak of the character OIL MI
Wise's resolutions. Though they were oy me
author evidently intended 10 place the South
upon strong and constitutional grounds sun
,iey ,scre supported by Messrs. Adams, Bona anu
Slade. the most violent members OF Congress,
agains, the rights of the South. "My position,
saws Mir Rives, las will be seen, was between
eziremes-Nr Wise on one hand, MIR. Adams
on the other. Mr.. Wise had rejected the otter
Of the Republicans of the North, who had
a,ked their f,rtunes, as public men, with us 10
protection Of our property, on the principles
aid down in MIR Athertons resolutions Mr.
Rives very properly thought, with nearly the
whole Southern delegation, that the resolutions
Of Mr. Wise could never have received the
support OF the parties of the House, who voted
against the Atherton resolutions. Undoubtedly,
os Mr. Rives tells US, the friends Of the South
clung 10 the Atherton resolutions, whilst Fill
mere and HI, eOmpatriots, true to their instlnc-
tive opposition to slavery, opposed them; and
Mr.. Rves' letter serves admirably TO throw
light upon subject upon which our Wing
neighbors have placed incorrect conclusions.
The more The subject is examined, the worse Tor
the friends Of Fillmore, who strive to free him
from The charge Of unfriendliness TO Southern in
s,i,u,ions. The deep interest felt by Mr.. Rives
in the Aiherton resolutions, is thus forcibly e1-
pressed:
Al ,houoh, Of the great numerical strength IN
Inc ponse of REPRESENTATIVES from The non.slave-
holding STATES over The slaveholding States; mat
walls, The Sou,h had only SO members, the North
had l43-and if the Federal parry 10 The NORM
should succeed in putting down 30 Republicans
who had ncbly stood by US in line assertion OF our
rights abolition of slavery, or dissolution OF The
Union, would be The result :"
We regre, thai our space will not permit US to
eft.c, more largely from this letter, which vim
dica,es the Democracy OF The North from The
charge of having imperineny inserfered with
the subject oil slavery in The South.
Ii has been most fortunate for Us that il has
been brought 10 light. Considering The long and
hard services OF Mr.. Riyes, his devotion 10 South
ern Interests, and the fact that this letter was
published before it was ever thought that the pc
sion Of Fillmore with regard 10 The Anterior re-
solution would become matter of importance,
tend every thiaglo make it a mos, important item
of evidence against our neigbhor of the Times in
his auemp, 10 vindica,e his political pei, Millard
Fillmore.
A STRONG slGN!-We heard 1t yesterday upon
,hr streets and In form which assured us OF Its truth
,ha, MI stevenson, the President OF the Baltimore
Convention gives up that Van Buren, must TO the nex
dirn "a nf