Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1848-12-22
LEGISLATURES OF VIRGINIA.
FRlpAy, DECEMBER 18TH, le4o.
nnII,C on OEI EATES.

On motion of Mr. FAULhNEh, the tiouse
took up The following Iesoludon, offered oy MN
some DAYS since: &, co,,,s a,
Justice inquire how lar 'he eA'sVhs es'sidt'uh
oScon,rrss under The 81 SECTION and 4h article
n the Constitution. tufts the intent and Object
of ,hat inslrnmen, in afardins an adequate re-
rneov for the recap'ure o! slaves abscondinc
rom this State into The nnn-slaveholding States
OF Iris coniederacy; and, il found Inadequate IN
lis provisions that hey suggest sEch feilei as
The urgency Of the case requires, ana also me
mode IN which the rights q The ciIzens OF tnis
aud he other saveholding STATES OF The
Union Shall be broush, 10 The attention OF the
CONGRESS Of the United States.
Mr. FAULKNER said, as he desired TO IN
woke The earnest aud early attention o! The House
10 The subject oil The resolution Just read, ne would
al once make a bret explanation oil It's ohJect
aud purpose.
The comfy which he represented was one OF
the exposed and border counties OF the common
wealth: separatei from be Stale OF Pennsylva-
mia by a narrow strip OF Maryland territory, a.
that point not more than twenty miles wide
His constituents were, therefore, by lheir posi-
lion, exposed 10 all the evils tha, c"u'o iesun
from any detective legislation on ihis imPoftah,
subject And whilst i. had not been their sood
fortune 10 hay. been al any time distinguished
by marks OF The favor Of this commonweaih,
they could, he presumed, WIN some cohHiehce'
claim its protection in mailer IN Which lhey, ~
common with The whole State-and ne might
say the whole Souih-had deep and wal In
tcrest.
Tneir slave population, compared win some
other portions OF the commonwealth, was moi
large one-still it was Of sufficient magnitude TO
excite their serious anxiety in Inc present condi-
ton OF The legislation Of the county. That po-
pula,ion Was every year thlnning-as properly,
ii was more aud more precafous IN consequence
Of line unlirin2 and insp,ious arts ot TIC aociI'n
lists; the facilities Ut escape 10 me contiguous zee
States; and more than all, from The difhcuities
when the absence Of any adequate legislation by
Congress. and the recent hostile Stale legislation
OF Pennsyvsnia had nterposed 10 the recap;uIe
OF our fugitive slaves within her limits. In
short perod OF icf .ncn...s, he county OF BeTkc-
lev alone had lost in This mode fory-Iwo valuable
slaves similar loss, bu, not perhaps 10 the
same extent had been sustained by lhe counties
OF Jefferson, Clarke and Frederick. He had been
informed by those whose avocations ought 10
make them familiar with such statistics, that the
annual loss 10 The people ct VIRGINIA, from This
source, could not be less than 100000 OF The
slaves who made their escape beyond Mason q
Dixon's line, not one in fifty had of late years
been recaptured. Pennsylvania had become The
proclaimed asylum OF the runaway slave; and
her legislation, in broad and bold language on
her statute books, announced 10 every slave 10
the South that she STOOD io.ward his defender
and protector within her limits.
|, mus, strike every gentleman upon that floor
that this was a siae III things, 10 which Virginia
and the South could Dol aud would not submit, ii
there were any modes or means OF redress. IL
was unqueslipnablv our duty, in the frat instance
10 appeal 10 ,nal tribunal in which The Consli,u-
lion had reposed The power OF correcting The EVIL;
il We coaia not obtain j.siice there, il nigh
then we'll be"o.ae US 10 consider how far another
and higher appeal nigh: be necessary: he
meant an appeal from the cancelled obligations
oil me Constitution 10 our own inherent rights OF
seif-p.eserva,ion. Amongst independent nations,
the conduct oil Pennsylvania for the last few
years. Ipo. he snhjec. oi our slaves, would fur
n;sh Just cause OF war: under the coDtederaeG
government under which we lived, II was an open,
palpable aud undisguised violation OF our terms
OF union. The evil was on The increase-the
spin; o aggression had become holder and bold
err by our tame submission 10 The wrongs
which our citizens had endured and unless some
thing was done, and done promptly and done in
the proper spirii-by Virginia and the South, The
institution o. Slavery would, from This source, re-
ceive lis mos, certain and fatal stab. II would |
sink uau.cr he weigh. OF It's own insecurity. Men
would not own slaves, ii they could only hold |
Thea. by such precafous tenure-tney would |
not own them, K they sad 10 hold them at the ca
price and pleasure ofa Pennsylvania mob.
Much hai been said of late years Of the Will |
mot Proviso-of the blow which the North was
aiming at our institutions, and at the just equali-
ty Of the States. by the proposed compulsory
exclusion Of slavery from New Mexico and Ca
liforDia. Upon that question, he (M- Faux
ner) stood with the South, as he did upon every
other question in which her local and peculiar
interests AID institutions were concerned. AMI
lark and siadowy as the prospect Of the future
was, he was prepared 10 stand by her for veal
Or woe. Yet he would ask how insignificant
was that great question = for great he admitted
/ to be compared To the constant invasion Of
our rights, and the direct and immediate injury
md Outrage which we were daily sustaining in
BUR most vital interests, from the hostile legisla
lion Of the Free States, and from the omission
Of the National Government 10 do her whole
duty under he Constitution of the United
States. The proposed inhibition of Slavery,
South Of the Missouri Compromise line, was re-
sarded BY many gentlemen in the South, and
among Others BY the President Of the United
States, in his recent message, as question OF
no further practical importance, than as it might
impair in theory the just equality OF the South
ero States as members of this Coniederacy; al
most, il was but question Of future and pros
viting the attention of the House, was one Of |
urgent, pressing aud immediate Injury one, the
Ell ct Of which We felt by night and By da,;
perty, aud rendered insecure and valueless tina, |
which they had not yet despollel US Of The |
Aboition,s,s OF Pennsy lvania sent their emssa
ries 10 our State 10 al possible DISCUSSES the.
seduced from US our slavcs-and they denied us |
all protection IRON their laws IN their recovery
Aud 10 4 recent case, not Tar from 'ls residence,
when the souu and lamenied Kennedy 0; Mary
land went 10 that state W pun ut OF his proper
ty and had recspiured them, his slaves were
violently rescued from him, he was himself
cruelty and brutaiy murdered and his blood Is
vet unatoned for by the punishment oil one
single one Of tie ruhians, black or white, lay
or clerical, who were engage IN the Perpctra
ton OF that horrd deed Of infamy. This aci oil
inhuman atrocity had not ybrated upon the
cords Of Southern senslbIllies as it should have
done. hhad not produced that impression and
corresponding Indignation which 1t ought
Pne slavenolisr ft,"D the South, VINO goes IN
u one OF Inc Nuflaern Siates-say, tor example,
Pennsyvania-in The pursuit oil his fugitive
slave, ha. now practically no remedy whaso
ever 10 enforce his rights. He moves, II Is true,
under the broad E sis OF the Constitution, but
when he comes 10 LOOK around him, and 10 en-
quire how the guaranty OF that sacred insru-
nent is 10 be enforced, he finds no provision
mace Tor The emergency. lie has hls rIeh'> IN
der tina, instrument, but he is wiIhou, the legal
remedies to make those rights available. The
Sale officers are forbidden, under the heaviest
penalties from ahording him any aid or assist
ance. He is forbidden the use of the public eaols
for the sale keeping of his property against The
violence OF blacks or wines. Their laws are 50
adluily conlrivei, that he can scarcely move one
inch 10 he pursuit OF his object, without subject
ing himself 10 The burdens OF private actions and
public prosecutions. And the instances are not
uncommpn-he (Mr. F.) personally knew OF
sone- where the slave q wncr was happy TO pur-
chase his own freedom from The gacls OF Penn
sylvanla, by he tender OF bill Of emancipation
to his own runaway slave. So Tar, therefore, as
il depends on State legislation, there is nothing
10 all Us, but, on the contrary, every Thing 10
hinder and delay TO annoy aud emoarrass us.