Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1850-12-06
INTERESTING LETTER

Ter OF i.yGover"r James Hamilton Of South Calnln:
Whatever various opinions may be entertained his yew
and comments passing scenes all will read with inr,
his witty, eloquent and racy reflections. We know II, ina
J. who writes with elegance, spirit stirring eloquenc
and briIluncy. His advice South Carolina we in II,
MAN, approve LIT her be her time FOR if injustice con
TIME 10 tc done iIe Ssuti Virginia aud The who,. Sou,
vii '' viii: her. II Otherwise she will stand cheerIcss an
alone Georgia has shown iha she is mol get ready for dis
uhon dreadful c,.h "f this great confrdcracy Mis-
ssrpi has fixed her State Convention for November next
ricd "a distant that events and the Of her pie ina
onim or utterly rcfue The policy G her present tasty
e ion.
Gen. Hant"n will b. remembered was thu GoycrIo
# the State and very active in his military operations il
hc trying times Of la3 He was nlsn ln. winter nvesi
10y the present Governor oabrook with half The soyercient
of South Carolina in The u. States Senate
3Ihere s remarkable coincidence in thouLt and Ian
r'gc between the letter of Can Hamilton ana Governo
J. Rloyds message. The former says:
The great battle for tho security Of slavery n, the ;ot
Under the Constitution of the United States 10 BE- jou
u Glst al the North"
!, G"v Floyd speaks al tine "conatrvlve patriots at t,
North, struggling for the Constitution and the supre
" macy OF the laws. who are, in TRUTH III him the battle ih
= Union, in the bosom OF non -slavchoding States"
II These two Passages written fifteen hundred mile,
apalI but the dea is Identical and the language almost til,
same.
From the siasle1t.n Mercury
i LETTER FROM GEAERAI. JAMES HAMILTON.
Il 10 The People Of South Ca,oiina
FELow CIrI2ESs Il desire the privilege OF an
Iold public servant, Of addressing yon II criss deep in
teles II not ot great pesil made indeed pcous y
fensc excitement which pnryades every portion and ulnos
Eevery man in our Stale.
Ii twenty years ol service in tie Legislative Executive
fnnd Congressional representation vi South Carolina give
fine claim Ia BE- heard because may iicr in opinion
with large minority OF yon know what claim man
can have speak, without indeed he is blessed with divine
sanction. am M prophet but, like Most sooihsayers
scarcely expect 10 b" honored in my country.
know however the generosity and elevation vi your spirit
| i make my appeal Ia yor mhgnanmity
From I solitudes Of This distant aud country usl
bursting into le under the impulse ni her natural
tsourc"s viii cherish The hope that my friendly voice will
reach Slate, 10 myself dear, ana be forgotten
wherever may roan and whatever may br her fate her for
tune and her dangers desire o give you sore inorn,-
tion you nay have home. have travelled through
several Of the Southern States reach this point.
been unwcand in efforts guage and estimate public
sentiment ! knew that South Carolina ready for lont,
or even for separate hcon under M honest belief in the
wrongs which have been hoapcd the South 10y the
legislation OF Congress have ascetaime beyond qucg-
lion that not one al the Southern Sale beyond herself
prepared even Tor joint notion will take
neighhors North Carona and Georgia. The first with
signs oi unnation has fallen into her accustomed and
iresing sumber and 20 and make her
usual amount Of tar aud turpentnc Georgia. in passing
her entire width, appeared 10 10 c sinking rapidly
into patient and rhosophc calm, Wills, ti.teen
pound Tor cotton were powerful contributors 10 make civil
and revolution exceedingly dstascfu TO her people,.
deemed by of her best citizens doubtful whether
she would hazard that remarkably pacific card echn
cay called defining her position Of The strong
es friends of South Carolina, in Georgia, told they
thought that they might bless their stars if her convention
r from resisting these late vi Congress- did not
lend an authoritative sanction to these measures In her
you may expect she will luke the back track and
clear at leap at least nine rails and q rider
The feeling Of Alabama is likewise nelalized by the high
price OF cotton Beyond the strong language held by
her presses she exhibits all the essential signs OF unds
urbcd tranquility. Indeed was quite doubtful when
fhp had
been manifested 10 induce the Governor call the Legislature
together, whilst pretended 10 doubt il convo
ked, that il would do than "march up the Capitol Hill
at Montgomery and march down again.
The great popularity of Governor Qnitnan OF MISSISSIPPI
pi and Mr. Davis of the Senate, and the delegation from
State in the House Of Representatives. will induce the
Legislature probably susain the CALL without, however,
Immediately approaching within cannot-shot of sccess:n
Indeed one the lagcs, and intelligent planters in
Mississippi, whom met in New Orleans, informed me- that
although the Legislature might be opposed General Foole
yet majority of the people would certanly sustain him.
Among the tokens Of the change of public sentiment in that
State be cited the fact that the late President Of the
Nashville Convention is the travelling companion o
General Foolc, the missionary apostle OF peace and
qurscencc with probably the whole vi tile wing party vi
| that State at his heels.
OF Louisiana, what shall say! Except that she has
made nm aycagc sugnr crop is as good huoredy aruues
in those which you think call FOR action
old Sir Robert Filmer would DESIRE ii he alive
and is likewise quite prepared when the occasion offers Of
sacrificing OF the brilliant and talented representa-
yes she sent 10 the national Senate BECAUSE he stood
up the dauntless chvarous and uncompromising chain
pion of the South Such mans genius, cn,husasm and
courage should REDEEM if nothing else.
With the state of public sentiment in Virginia you
qne well acquainted am. deem it unnecessary 10
gay one word in relation this ancient Commonwealth
cept in reference contingency which shall hereafter
briefly discuss.
H. therefore, the admission of California, the passage Of
The Boundary bill and the restricting the sale of slaves
in the District Of Columbia, one, rail- of them, decned
by South Carolina The fris casGs be Jusiliyin.
dissolution OF the Cnon think il may be assumed as
fact beyond al dispute thar majority of the people %: not
a
ion.
Indeed might have .arcd mysrlf some good humored
sarcasm in relation these States by simply affirming
that hClieyc apart fro all fear of the consequences, they
entertain the opinion that neither all The measures
to which have alluded afford Justification for disruption
of this Confedcracy II is the fear of making myself
unpopular home that will induce me to declare my own
concurrence in this opinion however deeply rerrehend the
admission of California MS outrage every principle of
Justice To the other States. will proceed 10 state my
reasons for that opinion very briefly but with candor
which know cannot snrpass your own ana
rbcaiance in giving kind and considerac hearing
to an old public servant VINO hopes ne may venture "'o"'
treason TO diiier in opinion with you.
will begin first with the admission Of California This
undoubtedly aci Of injustice 10 The slave States ana
should have voted against her admission Ind been IN
Congress. But il violation Of llr Constitution oi
The United Sates The power of Congress 10 admit States
into this Union il limited only BY the condition that the
pie who shall apply for such admission shall adopt repub-
Ican form of Government The predatory transit, through
territorial form OF civil poy Is no where prescribed as an
Indispensable prerequisite, however generally sustained by
precedent. Texas passed through no such condition. See
| her
| Her admission might hnve been contested with far more
pausbilty yet the South rnmphed and secured sip-
aon engrae in the compact providing for the admission
of four slave States be hereafter carved OUT o n.f
territory The Free soIcrs and Aboliiinnists OF the Nor
called then npon the -savchodlng States to seced
under what they were pleased To call This outrage These
States were wise enough be deaf 10 this invoraon All
that contend s that the admission ot Texas furnished
far greater provocnion the North to secede than the ad-
mission o California does The South, with The auxiliary
stipulations incident 10 the former
but said that the adoption OF the inhibition oil slavery
in the constitution OF California, was Tho result o an III,
grc late President ay and his Cabinet To avoid
the responsibility Of the Wmot proviso. The recent ies
mony furnished by Gen. Riley and Com Jones would seem
TO place strong denial of this fact BY The late President
and Mr. King beyond dispute cannot believe mat men o
honor should lie a nl but especially, without M.
tive But admitting the interference of Gen. Taylor 'h
might have furnished justification for his Impeachment
tul il could innged the constitutional powc
of Congress admit n State into the Union II II sa"
fit The truth H. fellow Citizens, we lost California by
want of action and enterprise on The part OF 'h
Southern States. early suggested TO several diangushe
men in three of the Southern States that me lessn
lures of lhe savehoding States ought each I'D approal
bounty fund of 100000 aid enigrunls 10 20 10 Caior
MIA knew without this extraordinary stimulus we wcr
no match for tha enterprise Of the Northern people J"
cannot win empires BY lying our backs and calis :"
The Constitution and Jupiter To help 1t some measure
ure not adopted by tho joint uction ol the Souhe