Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-03-23
THE PROPOSED SOUTHERN CONVENTION

upon the HEsoLUIloaS " pee ' HS"''" ~eS~o@
f,lre on the subject of Southern Convention. No
these remarks the Richmond Tf1aig and the Rich
mond Times and G0a1piier take friendly exceP-
ton, on such grounds az to confirm our impression
that the Virginia Legislature, aseyel as the wing
journals at Richmond, have, in gulelessness
and absence of suspicion, allowed themselves to be
made Instrumental in projects OF much greater
DEPTH than, Judging from the following remarks OF
the .Whig,'' they seem ta be yetauare OF, but to
which il is high time that they and the People of
Virginia open wide their eyes
FROM The RIcHMosp WIG OF TUESDAY.
Now the whole Of this commentary [o the National In
teigencer the Virginia Resolutions embracing the MIS-
ssspp scheme proceeds upon total ascoaesphon oil the
object designed by the Virginia resolutions We know what
we sss The third resolution, by defining the mode In which
q Southern Convention should be constituted, nntended to
show tia. the Nashse Convention s suchG body.
draws contrast Convention empowered to act for
tho State and held that Nashville merely for con-
sutation, and without authority commf any To the
third resolution there was dissenting In ate Legs
iaure For all agreed taat Convention to bind should
nave The authority Of the People in Convention assembled
Now the NASHVILLE Convention, Swallowed forth by the
hh resolution possesses no such attribute to De got
ten up by any body and body without the tamaHy OF
an election its delegates restricted ngdy for
preserving the Union they pay their expenses; and
their acts any event have any binding force upon
the State II safety-yssve to let of the redundant
steam Of the fac,ou if be rendered subserent to
some useful purpose. ~.
We copy the third and fifth resolutions, that the reades
may mark the contrast. @.
The third resolution defines what real Southern Conren-
ton should be, as follows 't.'
III nft his a
bly,, Southern Convention, in which the States States,
are represented should consist Of delegates selected by the
people of the several States in Convention assembled who
should carry with them all the authority derived from such an
appointment and be prepared act for haSe whom they re-
present s....'
The Nashville Convention totally different thing from
this II is the of primary assemblies without the
Intervention of the ballot boxand carries no authority with
it, The third resolution designed to expose the insight
fcance of the Convention spoken of in the fifth resolution
This was the object of its author-it understood by
those who voted for both ....
Really. a most ingenious continuance! The re-
solution No. 3 is intended only to draw COM
trast'' Ifitmea,,s more than that, what business
has it there! Not that it is much matter of sur
prise to find in series of Resolutions Of Virginia
LEGISLATURE, one that is mere abstraction; but, as
has been said of the fly in amber, the wonder is,
The " Whig'' states, if with knowledge, the
object Of the author of that Resolution; and GER
tainly we have not the presumption to call in ques-
ton any statement which the /" Wing" knowing
ly makes But the ;. Wing" itself must admit
that there is an extraordinary coincidenceat least
as wonderful as that of the accident of Sam Wei
lers fathers overturning into canal coach-load
of voters on the rery day and at the very spot at
which he had the day before been offered twenty
pound bank note to do it-between the suggestions
of the Mississippi Address and the action of the
Virginia Legislature, in its Resolution No. 3, in
connexon with those which precede and follow it.
Let US again compare them
The Mississippi .7ddress says:
1.-THE Convention Of Mississippi suggests, as the
possible ultimate resort, the call, by the Legisla-
lures of the assailed States, of still more solemn
Conuentions-such as should be regularly elect
ed by the People of those States-to deliberate,
speak, AND ACT Nth all the sovereign po,cer of
sthe People. Should, in the result, such Con-
.venons be called and meet, they may lead to
like regularly constituted Convention Of all the
assaed States, to provide, in the last resort, FOR
THEIR SEPARATE WELFARE, by the formation OF A
COMPACT AND UNION &c.
The second Resolution of the Virginia Legisla-
ture states circumstances in the event OF which that
State WILL BE PREPARED TO UNITE with her sister
saveholding States to wit, the "assailed States
in Convention that is, "a Convention of all the
assaled States aforesaid or otherwise, IN ANY
measures that may be necessary to "proride FOR
THEIR MUTUAL DEFENCE OR TO SECURE THEIR CON-
MON SAFETY" This resolution is most obviously
the mere echo Of the recommendation of the Mis-
sssippi Convention.
The third Resolution is merely the iteration OF
the declaration in the Mississippi Address, that the
Southern Convention which it proposes should
consist of delegates selected BY the People Of the
several States in Convention assembled with all the
authority derived from such an appointment, and
be prepared TO ACT for those Utom they repre-
sent :; that is say, for the respective States which
are TO =" form Union and Compact" &c.
The fourth Resolution of the Virginia Legsla-
ture-which the Wing in taking the position that
the third Resolve was only designed TO " draw
contrast seems wholly to have overlooked
provides the modus operaadi, the manner in which
the State Convention (which the third describes)
shall be called and elected and provides for the
pay and mileage Of the delegates thereto, so as to
make the whole scheme embraced in Resolutions
2, 8, and consistent and defni,ive, and TO place
the matter beyond the future reach or control Of
the Legislature.
Ii the object of the third resolution be only to
draw contrast" what on earth is the use Of all
this machinery! What the necessity Of providing
for the election of Delegates TO "a Southern Con-