Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1850-04-30
Meeting at Richmond -Botts's Letter

among the number.
Meeting at Richmond ottS's Letter.
An adjourned meeting Of the citizens
! Of Richmond was held on Saturday night,
the goth instant, for the discussion of the
question whether the city should be rep
resented in the Nashville Convention.
lCoI. Meredith and Mr.. Lyons spoke in
favor of the Convention, Messrs. Crane
and Mcfarland against IT.
In the course of the proceedings letter
was read from Mr.. Bolts, which is a wor-
thy companion to the excellent letter he
sent to New York, and gloriously sustains
the cause Of the Union. We cannot for
bid ourselves the pleasure of introducing
some portions Of it to our Union-lovng
readers.
"They cannot fail TO perceive that the
! Nashville Convention is to be held for one
Of three purposes, and those ar reSiS'-
ence or submission to the action Oflhe
| General Government, if by that time ac-
ton shall have taken place or an attempt
At Intimidation and coercion if they have
not actcd-if they mean resistance, ii II
! disunion III submission, The Convention
! is unnecessary, as they can submit with
better credit, and better grace by staying
at home; and if they mean the coercion
or intimidation Of the legi lltiye depart
ment, il is mob, or, what is still worse,
it is a '.conspiracy 10 lery ,car." Judge
Marshall, in an opinion delivered during
the trial of Aaron Burr quotes and adopts
the following language: ANY comblna-
ton TO subvert, by force, the government
of the United States, violently 10 dismem-
Der the Union, to compel change in the
administration, GORGE the repeal or ATOP
| lion ofa general ia1c, is 4 conspiracy 10
leuv lcar," and conspiracy to levy war,
will not be far removed from legal, as
well as moral treason. Let those who al
tend, as delegates, look to it in time.
Nor will The meeting be likely to forget
that the same gentlemen who now mani
fest this extreme scnsbIlity for the honor
ofMe South, in reference to the passage
! of the WllmOt PrOviSO, or ordinance OF
! 81 for it is the same ~ purpose IN re-
gard to California or New Mexico, are
the same who so patiently submit TO a
similar wrong, and who SO quietly peck
eted the same insult, but three years ago,
when this proviso was passed in reference
to the territory of Oregon, and signed by
Mr.. Polk, and that too when the people Of
Oregon had not, as they have in Calllor-
MIA, themselves, excluded slavery from
the territory; and that the most active Of
those now engaged in defending the "hOa-
or of the SOmh," under The passage of
the proviso, are the same who could hard.
Ily find terms sufficiently eXtrayagani, IN
! the whole vocabulary Of eulogv, TO bes-
tow on the "wisc ant constitutional adj
ministration" of the man who procured
its passage, and signed The law, bnt are
now ready to resist sat all hazards and 10
the last extremity" if tie same thing
should be repeated, now that he Is no
longer in office. 1t is idle to talk about
Oregon being North Of sc deg. 30 min.--
If the power exists North, iteXists South
Of that line, and fit was no offence TO The
South in 1916, il is none ~ 1850; and if
it could be eulogized then, ii might be at
least tolerated now.
/ do Dot believe in the policy, or sue
cess OF threats, or in efforts 10 iniimidate
whole region of country, land that the
larger portion Of il too, into acts OF legls-
htion. believe more in argument, and
reason, and persuasion, shan III ha j
words they are weapons that can be used
more successfully, in Obtaining our rights,
than BY denounring more than half the A.
meriean people as robbers and thieves and
connecting the whole North with the Sc
wards and G1rrisons.
Nor do look upon sectional org MIA
lions are the constitutional remedy at any
time for oblectiOnal proceedings in Con-
oress bat ii they were, the occasion, in
nv Indictment. doeS,.not demand it--this
!. mo ,imc for 1t. The whole subject OF