Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-08-22
RICHM OND, VA.
saturday Morning. August 10. 1e4s.
Logic-Ow Neighbor not fresh from his Horn
book-Ihs Times and 4H,liurd Fillmore on

Of more than three columns TO our reply " =
seven notable questions
Thus begins an article in the Times oil mon
day. We did not expect to be taun'eo WIZ
writing three columns on subject upon wh'c'
thu Times had published abou, three ao|e''' a"'
if the monstrosities perpetra!ed in ms as WEI
&c in o,hsr NJ The Tines articles, are 10 DC oe
.iyna,ed by the very disnlfled appeiia'iou '
.S...,. ,ests - j, will rot be difficult to de'ec
sny number in the columns OF that paper
o,r neghbor likes to repose in so de'ec'aoie
,Iacs as "Mare's nest, we will provide SUI
another for him. Weplejge ourselves 10 sno"
from hi. own reasoning, that he not only adnl'''
the power of Cnngress to pass The "ilmo' rfO
yso, but also to prohibi, the Slave trade oe'"o'"
tbeI Slater, With what carelessness OF WIN
What recklessness these articles on Generai LASS
,o,,;on on the Slavery question have been
written, we are unable to decide; cer'a'i' "o
are, that he exposes himself in almost every
sentence. What precious morsel, Tor instance
is the following
! ITO show that the question (whether "regu
| late commerce, in the Constitution means "pro
| bibi, commerce'D had no Pertinence to General
| Cass' sense of the word regulate in reference
| 10 slavery in the territories we remarked that
Mr. Jefferson (whose authority was loo sacred
with ine ENQUIRER to be doubted) thought the
power to regulate commerce did include the
power to prohibit it. because he induced Con
gress to adopt the embargo, which was an abso
Lutte prohibition
fha MI
Tenn face, to tell its readers that Mr.. Jet,
ferson entertained the opinion that Congress
possesses the power under the Constitution
at any AMI at all times, and for any length
of time, and at its sovereign will and pleasure,
entirely TO prohibit all commerce with foreign
nations? Ii so, we are well assured that their
gravity will be not little sturbed. Observe,
too, the covert sheer in this and its last article
on the same subject, at the immortal name OF
JereERsos! "Mr. J.fsrson thought SOL" Or.
Jeff rson inculcated such nonsense; and yet Wing
orators will not fail TO gull tho Ignorant rabble,
by proclaiming themselves Jefsrsonian Repub
licans; sthe earlier Presidents" means not
Adam, but jefferson tho principles of J.fsrson
are to be General IaylOr's guide in his admins
tration of the Government.
"rhe Enquirer's question assumed tina! Gen.
Cass gave the people OF territory The same right
to prohibit slavery which the Constitution gives
10 Congress to prohibit commerce. Here is
something peculiarly bright. The Enqurer''
question assumed then that Gen. Cass garc 10 the
people OF territory the RICH, 10 prohib, slavery
and 10 Congress The right TO prohibit commerce
We imputed 10 the General no such extravasanl
generosity. We might have Quoed from an
Atheist OF an infdel phase in which the word
REGULATE" occurs, 10 show that il does not mean
''annihila.c" without any immediate reference
whatsoever TO Gen Cass
ave kindly warn our neighbor CONTINUES the
Times, after quoting our 'demolishing common
lary,' including cur two syogisms 'fresh from
the horn.book,) thai he is drawing ian untovtu.
nate analogy one which, BY lis own terms, mu,i
force him 10 the very conclusion he is sriv.
ing against, viz: that Gen. CasS thinks The people
Of territory may eSclnde 81 ives, as one article
OF property, just as rishl!nlly as Congress may
prohibit The importation OF Cotton or coffee" Yes:
jl,! as rish'fnlly. We can conceive o; no more
aasran violation OF the Constitution, no more
tyranbical usurpalion Of power than the pc ma
nent prohibition BY Congress OF The importation
Of cotton 20 ds or coffee, or Of any OF the
saries or luxures OF life, which the people OF this
glorious Union are in the habit Of enjoying
This, BY the way, is The great filacy OF the pro-
t:eii,nisis; "aud, (adls he Tines) ,!raightwaY he
assumes his own premise TO be ours, and endea-
vors 10 fix the necessary conclusion on u.s. instead
OF himself Was ever such an attempt 10 get
oul OF difficulty witnessed STAGE the world be-
GAM We assume eih.r OF The Times premises
when 6,ti premises in our frs, syIloasm were The
Identical language used by The Times, hteratins
o. usrbahm, and in the second Commerce" being
substituted for properly, about consti utcd all The
difference; and surely he Times does moi mean
10 make wrc,chsd distinction between "a,ticles
OF commerce" and "artcles Of properly" all arti-
Gle, o! PERSONAL property being articles OF com
msrcc, and negro slaves being VIGOROUSLY So
Richmond is III. great mart, and The Times has
seen lhousan., brought here Tor The Southern
market. No, no, spare Us, roy dear sir, for
,nercy's sake spare W, and do not attempt 10 sad
lie either upon Mr. Jefferson or upon our hn
oIsr selves, your Congress may entirely prohibit
particular articles OF commerce." (your major, J
or your Slaves constitute only one article Of pro.
oeuy" your minor) You shall not be allow
ii II digown you. own progeny, or to palm them
If upon others. You say farther on, i've admit
the major premise Gas. quoted,) and lha, tie
minor premise (also jus quoled) is true for the
enquirer, and untrue Tor Us" We Confess we dc
here. The minor, we hough, was true Tor eve
ry body He is harmless boy, whom we arc
perfectly willing 10 father; but his elder brother
we hold in utter de;esai,n.
Our neishbor, in iam, attempt to reor, upon
us in a syllogism, sh,w> himself hrst-fale hand
| al concocinga iallary. We should hardly con
slider him very deer,; imbued with Hedge OF
Whately, who teach ~, regular logical syo
aism ought TO contain only three distinct propo-
sitons, the third howiug irresislibly from The I've
first. The Times svlIogism contains abons a
dozen different propositions, svery one Of i0tsea we
dispute. EIsmpl. gratiai
"Maior premise. According 10 the Enquirer
| Gen. Gas. thinks the people OF territory ray
regulate slavery 10 he same exten, tina, Congress
may regulate commerce.
"Minor prem,>e.-Bul according TO Mr.. JET
ierson, (wto,e opinions the Enquirer will moi
dispute.) Tdoss the Times7I Congress may alto
eether prohibit commerce.
| Conclusion Therefore, according 10 The En-
qairer, as ezpMndcd BY Mr.. F1son, Gen. Cas-
thinks the people OF territory may prohibits STA
very."
Now, be it Observed
| |. That we have never, even 10 the remotes
manner, hin,ed thai General Cas- thinks that The
people OF territory possess just the same power
over slavery thai Congress does over commerce
Q. We utterly deny that Mr. Jefferson eve
1 IL