Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1851-07-01
majority Of slaves OF er The white people Now to ted

sieaUst power that be used for the misrue and on
Peeso OF The citizel We want the power to lay aEt
o',1 t'Aes, 70 Improve country cut down or tun
mel our mountains and make roads and althouoh v,
shall pay ouetkrd Of the taxes and vou shall
thirGS We make to the proposition that YOU sh,l
give 10 US the power Of the government and control a
yourselves Of that ority of persons that you h.yt
,nons you, and that INA ority Of interests which yo1
have IN all respects with tue power levy such tar q
as re please, and appropriate the money as VS. choose
and especially to our Improvements. 1t IS true vol
Will pay twohrs OF the contributors. and therefore
should have two-thiris the proat aud interest. W.
are about to make voyage, and you must bear two
tards OF the hazard OF this voyage upon which W.
are about to enter, as shall put in onethrd But
you must give us tio helm and the command of the
snip We claim the right to direct the course Of the
snip and be responsible for her safety and manage you
and all Your people while you Oh board upon the
ground that we humber white persons than you.
True. voup:t to hazard lives including your own
and those bound take care of and protect and
put IN krger amount OF freight into the ship which
is ubs to enter upon this voyage but this s ques-
tioncf natural right this thing OF freighting vessel
ana we claim this command by natural right But ~
have natural to take possession aud control OF ah6
to- navigate this vessel aud tell you all kindness
and good humor that if YOU do not aocede to that right
We will put YOU overheard by natural right"
| Laughter.
And suppose iceiy. as doubtless should If We
had either s.s Courage enoug to take of
the s!ore now. The vessel is not freghted-her sahs
have not been filled By the breeze and by she shall
not be ireighted Take your own time" gentlemen;
put in yolr own cargo and set OFT to whom you
please. All we say is We cannot consent to embark
our lives and property. You shallno compel to
bark upon this voyage with YOU upon these forms.
Could we, with any propriety be denounced as moo
srous oppressors as vrants and arstocats Is it not
ludcrous absolutely ridiculous to denounce talk Of
denouncng people for the exercise Of such common plain
everyday sense i'll the management Of their affaTa To
abuse for such oppression Of others such astoaey for
an outrage on the natural rights of man because viii
not surrender property we'll persons to others
Sir. wonder that in the language of CHERRY hare
not been charged with flat burglary" Such q voyage
undertaken Mr. Chairman, by those who first com
menced tho navigation Of this coast-the whose au
thority aud example have been worthy of the admra
ton Of all mankind. verify believe, whatever may be
thought OF the capacities OF the men of the present day.
they were class of men whose like we shall never
again, unless like circumstances shall conspire to pro-
ducc again such Washington Mason. Madison.
and Hcury-ayc. come TO later tines-AlarshalL There
be occasion like that which they encountered
and conquered, make such men. But how did thoss
men act. answer, lis We now propose to 10 They
ireghteI the ship but they took the helm and the
maud. They said is the largest stake of human
life of human souls, Of property Of all kinds We shall
he the heaviest losers If this vessel founders and
is the right to command and direct, and securely they
put the vessel her way, and safely they navigatsd
her through every storm, and around every breaker
The men Of that revolutionary time wore in part
what they were, because they the children Of
it. Seven times tried By the fires Of that conflict,
they were purified by it aud made fit for their
great work Of founding a FREQ republic They
were the directors Of that revolutionary storm
that made them and trained them for that end Of
which they proved themselves So worthy. They rods
upon the whrlwind and aTcrted its destroying blast
fr,a their own loved land. What said these men3 1
repeat they said that this principle for which we DOW
conteud il the principle Our northern brethren
said no. il is SO. Your slaves not equals;
shall be degraded to their rank nor they ecra-
ted to ours On the other hand, some of the OK
the South and of the distinguished Of the
South said that they human beings that they Taxa
the place Of corresponding proportion OF white men IN
your community, where slaves do not exist. and they
thurefe, what these white persons would DO To
YOU and they should be treated in this compact between
us accordingly. They the Of wealth, and
they ARE the OF wealth, they aru also tho
source Of power They the source Of that upn which
the gov cnet depends and must rest for its safety, its
success and for it's capacity to sudue mn internal
my rcpel foreign foe This government must not be
based upon numbers ncre made aud designed it il
for the protection Of property much us persona and
So nj eust there must he such representation that
property will be protected equally with PERSONS Thus
there eventually adopted that which WAS IN truth
compromise BIZ which taking portion of the slaves
of tn. south aud assuming them to ba persons for tho
purpose of ascertaing the wealth and representa-
tives of the wealth Of the Southhrst laying down tho
maxim thu taxation and representation should 50 to-
gethcr-thcy established the principle for which We
contend But they not the first IN tho establish
neut of this principle tme-honored aud cOnsecsated
with
beg leave 60 back step further in the history
Of this subject and to refer to those celebrated resols
tons If tho Congress which in tho first instance deter
mined to cmaucpate this country from tho thraldom Of
British power and who proclaimed the principles i'm
mutablc then rs thiuk they now which the
right of that great contest rested It will DO found in
the appendix the second volume Of Narshalrs life OF
Washington. They declared:
s. THAT is inseperably essential 10 the freedom Of
people and the undoubtel right Of Engshmen, TINT
taxes be imposed them. but with their own consent
given personally or BIZ their representatives
f. That the people Of the colonies are not, and from
their local circumstances cannot be represented in tho
house Of commons Of Great Britain.
s. THAT the only representatives of these colonies
are persons chosen therein by themselves and that
taxes ever have BEEN or be constitutionay mpoe
ed upon them but By their respective legislatures
g. THAT all supplies to the crown being free gifts
from the pcopc il is unreasonable and inconsistent with
tho principles and spirit Of the British for tho
people Of (rert Britain grant to his majesty The prop
erty of the colnniss.' j 80 ....'
call the attention of the committee to those resoiu-
ti0ns ut this time because have said on former
sion what still believe in my humble but deliberate
Judgment what find consecrated and canonized by tie
sentiments of the great who achieved this great
work for U.S. that the principle for which We now con
tend aud hlch the contest OF lo3 was naue ID tho
great revolutionary principle-lat property shall BE-
protected in the only way which be successfully
protected bv representation and that the power toIevy
taxes belongs to but those who represent the
payer In the language Of Locke "of what valuoi my
liberty to me- what real interest have in my property
acre be any other who may take that property and
appropriate his or bis purposes regardless
OF nv will |" What did the men of the revolution care
for the money raised BY the Ten fay Nothing nothing
they fought they bled they died and conquet for tho
principle that the men who pay shall lay Re taxes
When you bid me STAND in the highway and deliver my
property, all ju.t mon, perceive and acknowledge the
wrong aud would punish the wrong doer. Whyf Not
because he is asserting natural right merely no. but
because ho has done that which in state of nature he
never had right to do, and by the Conventional NUM-
cipa la he forbidden to- When you assail me else
where and plumber by stealth or force all men
knowledge the wrong and all free resist it.
When an ungodly government grnds down and
Expresses the people, that they can no longer
bear it, they resort to that great right of pres
ervatiou the revolutionary right and re.ist it, they
able When the property is appropriated by the M
position taxes by the and not by the represen
atives of the peop who pay the taxes, all men repu
date the act condemn the wrong and then recog-
Mise aud say amen to the truth of the revolutionary
Give the legitimate end of government