Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-04-22

amidst The blessings Of peace-we have passed through
p.oos oi acute suffering and of profound embar.ss.
na st' VIII any gentleman be so good as to name
~ ne one single fact in all of our history which exhb.
Its the slightest diversity of INTEREST or Sentiment IN all
hat constitute the characteristics of one pcope It ia
true, you will find variety of onn;nn a. "a The
trae policy Of the government in the matters of t,,,
on AID expenditure, traccable to the proximity to or
distance of the different sections Of the State from m.
means OF communication with market. But these VI.
rcti"s OF opinion peculiar any one section of
he State, bit alike 20 be seen in all 1hov exist in
every shade OF opinion III Virgins: from tie
Gentleman from Fauaucr. DIR. Sco-r who with pro-
tSe and ay. Sand would dispense the treasures of the
commonwealth. 50 rs TO fcrtize every acre in ito
inc gentlemen from Essex Or. GARSErT) who regards
very collar expended in internal improvement as yio
!'cil OF '''e social compact, and furnishing Just
:'oaiid 'r secession and revolution But will any gen.
exhibit to me one iact,-since the d., that
fathers ToHred out their blood in one common struggle
"r * Liberties and independence OF this State to the
Pt1"ht hour Which shows divided sentiment or d.
';ocl heart upon any one single question that would
est their want Of unity, as one great and patriotic peo-
! plc'
Sir, cannot enter into an examination of the social
condition Of all the tribes and nations now living mon
the face %; the globe, dwelling in those numerous
planets which form part Of great solar system,
but if IL b. true as The gentleman from tho city Of Rich
ond asserts that there does not exist under the aun
pcop" so ma!kcd b. antas ons Of interest, "a those
Of Virginia, can cnly say, there exists more happy
uniformity ia TIE condition oi mankind than have
heretofore been led IL suppose.
This noble State of stretches from The Atlantic
IN the cast IN the great Mississippi valley on th west
embracing some sixty :nr thousand square miles of ter
f!tcT and occupying that groa; central range from Penn
Syra@n "n he north. IL tennessee the south through
"hcll Inc vast r+"s!rcs ot that tecmng and prolific
valley Es :nI is actrc>. and cheapest outlet 10 the
markets cf tho world On east lies the Chesspeake
bay, q. the nnj'",t inland upon th, continent
Astounding IN caPacio9s harbors not cxcellcd in safety
and convenience by those Of Naples New York or Ia
wanna With soil, III" whole of which is capable hy
frugal industry of y>ling ell the products Of agricul
tu"c USUALLY found in the cmpsrate regions Of the earth
it possesses III the district ii country extending ror,
Tie head OF tide 10 the north mountain region unsur.
passed in It's agricultural capabl;,i, bv any on the A.
lanic slope West Of this fine district to the Ohio ry
Is country Astounding in coal iron and all the other
materials Of manufacturing wealth, to an extent of
which there Is parallel this continent The prin
clpa rivers vi the State take their lis far west
crn mountains, and passing wholly or in part through
our own territory pour their accommodating volume H.
10 this great Commercial reservoir in the east Here
chen We have the three great clements of national
wealth all most happily combined within the limits of
oar State. iarborr, rivers and for commerce on
our e;t>;-:e material for manufacturing wealth in
orr west-with the interests Of agriculture pervadng
and penetrating every quarter of Tie State and mpart
G an identity OF pursuit and occupation to every
tion of it
there any thing in this general arrangement of tho
great material interests Of Virginia from which nh an
agoulsm OF such interests is beinferred Could tina
God Of Nature Lave skilfully distributed all
these elements OF national power bind this great State
into harmonious whole And shall man in the
vain purauit Of an evaie5cent and temporary power
seek 10 tear asundcr those whom God has Joined to-
-ct"r aye, joined for tho purpose of fulfilling one of
The most elevated and glorious dcsnies which ever has
iacn TO tic lot OF commonwealth on earth
If there BE- Eo;h!ns in the general arrangement by
nature Of the srsa; interests Of this State Leading to
co:c Of interests is there ans thing in our ropu atom
10 Justify the assumption
believe there is not, in the thirty-one States of this
conlcderacr, more homogeneous white population
population more free from all foreign adnix,ure than
20 be found III the State o. Virginia So euphaticaly
is this that 10 be recognised tirgnan in any
portion cf this Union, is not thought to indicate any
very striking discernment Judgment If hun,sn char
That the shades Vf difference exist here
which are 10 he met with every where else between
Tie inhabitants ol the plains and those who tread the
mountain tops between those who have 10 toll for their
support and those who reared in the lap # luxury
ami is to be doubted But those are diversties
which do touch the essentials either OF human char
actcr, or Of Our State character Certain it is, we
every where speak the language; worship the
God; draw lessons of morality and religion
from the same Bible; descendants from the same
parent stock have fought shoulder 10 shoulder in de-
fence oil that liberty and independence which we
enjoy and glory in the deeds and memories of the
patriotic ancestry.
distributed in the two great divisions OF this State and
thence. Of this great diversity OF interest
h slave property exists il very unequal proportions
IN these two sections Of the commonwealth / admit
that i, is the foundation OF any substantial diversity of
in;crast, deny. West Of the Blue Ridge We have
very considerable slave interest which may be fair.
~ estimated at twenty-five millions OF dollars in value
somewhat unequally distributed also with us; but
believe there is not county without portion of
it, 1t is besides gradually and rapidly on the increase
IN v,s.,. Epr viii, tha iprr. of, III
population for the last ten years has been in the east
but II tie ratio Of cr per cent has increased in the
ratio vi seventeen Per cent. in the west an increase
that would doubtless have been even greater with Ia.
but for the great demand for slave labor II the south
growing out Of the high profits Of production in tho
planting States, and bit for the absence of those safe
guards which the recent fugitive slave law now throws
around the security Of that kind Of property amongst
it is great mistake to suppose that to the
sympathies and support Of community in behalf of
any particular interest such interest exist to any
very overwhelming extent in that ~ In q
government like every feels that he holds bis
property whatever it may be, by the tenure
which secures the rights Of his neighbor All resent
therefore, with promrtituc the slightest infrinl EN- cnt
# any right recognised by the law. In the east, it
true, slavery s interest OF great magnitude and
set il must be remembered that in white population
# u3l residing ~ that section Of State there arc
Iot more than 10000 who arc the owners Of slaves
In the west, the proportion of slave propretors ia far
rs but vet the slave neres: there lees in con-
lc with the labor of the white man than il does here
in the west they do not exist in sufficient numbers to
press niurioIsy upon am Of the occupations of life
They lave there their appropriate sphere Of employ
nent: and no! found to trench upon the Of
subsistence Of the laborer the mechanic. believe
her" spa" t:4e globe where the rights of the
master 10 his slave rest upon solid foundation
Than they do in western Vrgnia and where the slight
nlracioa Of those rights would excite more gener-
its and lively sentiment Of indignation. And most
sincerely hope that this body may rot adopt Of
action, in any respect calculated to impair the sound
ness Of that feeling prevailing amongst those peo-
pic hv leading them to understand that their Just politi-
cal hs are be sacrificed upon the altar Of an idle
and most ,oned apprehension of theirloyalty to this
great interest OF tir.,i
Sir | have always regarded this idea Of dissiniar-
t., Of interests between the different portions of Virginia
as imaginary, and traccable in some degree to the
unfortunate introduction into sting constitution of
those geographical divisions which have been incorpo-
rated in it; and also TO our system Of government,
whose manifest tendency has been keep the people
OF this commonwealth separated FROM and ignorant of
the sentiments and feelings OF each other So far,
has been strictly system Of county governments
Every thing has revovcd within the circle Of these
petty and exclusive provincial OF power. The
voter Of Mccklcnburg Of Berkeley knew the delegate