Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-10-01

The Judge relied 1urthef upon the genera iah- !
guage of tine resolutions Of '9S, which he devout-
ly prayed God to bless. But their language, as
we mean to take early occasion to show, is, in it
self, far from ustifying any inference of the right
of secession; and We have the direct authority of
Mr.. Madison, in his letter to Mr. Everett, that these
celebrated resolutions, in asserting the right of a
State "to interpose for arresting the progress of
the evil" viz of ga deliberate, palpabe. and dan
gerous exercise of powers not granted by the
compact" intended nothing more than the process
of remonstrance, appeal to the judicial tribunals,
and finally, the ultima ratio of revolution To
this important letter of Mr.. Madison, Judge Caskie
made no reference. We cannot believe that he
will echo the fppant commentary of the Southern
Press upon it, that "Mr Madisoa's ATTEMPT is
'too absurd to be respected even on account of his
great NAME" The people of Virginia and of the
Richmond district hold that name in TOO much re-
verence to bear with patience such an imputaton
upon it.
But we have not space to extend these re-
marks. Both reason and authority are in our
Judgment, clearly against the doctrine of seces-
sion. We shall hereafter take some pains to
rebut the differences drawn without warrant
from the Virginia "Resoutions of '98,'' which
we hold to be worthy of all republican respect,
however much the frequent citation of them in
behalf OF principles and practices foreign to their
intention may have excited ridicule At present,
we close with the remark that the Kentucky
resolutions of the same year, said to have been
penned by Mr.. Jefferson, and now commonly
quoted by the Secessionists contain language
which positively precludes any inference from them
of the right of secession. They do assert what,
in its just sense, no man can deny, that 'each
party Ito the Union) has an equal right to
Judge for itself, as well of infractions as of
the mode and measure of redress but they
also show what Mr.. Jefferson and the Kentucky
Legislature intended by this assertion, by declar-
ing, of the Alien and Sediton laws, ''that these
and successive acts of the same character, un-
less arrested on the threshold. may tend TO driue
these States into revolution and dloodshed and will
furnish new caumnies against republican govern
ment." Whence it appears, too plainly to admit
of doubt, that the Kentucky resolutions
templated no such mode o. arresting unconstitu-
tonal legislation, as either notification or seces-
sion, but did contemplate revolution and blood
sh ed as the final "mode and measure of redress"
if such Legislation should be PERSISTED in.
The Enquirer recently endeavoured to relieve
its party from the effects of the publication of the
Greer and Donaldson correspondence in the New
York Herald, by arguing that Greer and Donald
son are fictitious characters. Suppose they
are, the fact does not impeach the authenticity of
the letters addressed to them by leading Demo-
Gratis The editor ofthe Enquirer confesses the
genuineness of the two purporting to have been
written by him, and we have not seen single
disclaimer from any one of the many correspon-
dents of the Donaldson committee. 1t was the
substance of the letters themselves, that so much
amused the public to whom the existence of Mr.
Greer or Mr.. Donaldsonis matter of no concern
whatever.
The New York Express takes the following
view of this edifying correspondence:
s'THE DONALDSON AND GREER CoRREsPoN-
DENcK,-th is correspondence in which one
soidisam "Nath. Greer, of Iowa." and another
soi-d;sam "Charles I'll. Donaldson, of Texas"
| figure as addressing letters to, and receiving re-
| plies from, the leading Democrats of the United
States,-makes so much noise, now, that what
are said to be the facts of the case becomes mat
| of some interest
| "Mr Wescott, once U. s. Senator from Fori-
da, who has been known in Washington for years
as practical joker, and not at all particular
about his jokes or his way of working them
out, has become. it is known, recently connected
with a morning paper in this city, not more
particular than he is in the mode and manner of
practical joking. Rumor says, and it is generally
believed that this Mr.. Wescott is ''Mr Greer, of
Iowa. and "Mr Donaldson, of Texas" and that
he (Mr. W. is the real man who has been putting
questions to and receiving replies from Gov.
Marcy, Mr.. Van Buren,, Mr.. Richie, and Mr..
every Democratic body of importance in almost
every State of the Union These replies, thus
written in good faith, which now so much attract
the attention ofthe Public, found market in the
morning paper with which Mr.. w. is connected,
and they were ushered into life genuine
throughout. The joke, too, is kept up. Mr..
Greer keeps on writing now, and Mr.. Donald
son now and then replies; and only yesterday,
what we have but little doubt will turn out to be
call for mock National Convention, turns up
as something fresh and new.
These sort of tricks do no credit to the charac-
ter of journalism or Journalists, and are of ma"
ture to bring all real news into disrepute; but
there is no doubt that the Democratic Leaders,
HlOTe OF ieSS, Ill all te toldteS, nave UteH iHoSt
beautifully duped for the purpose of entrappng
them into the writing of letters to be published.
The principal object of the letter writer seems to
have been to kill off Sam Houston's chances for
the Presidency, for which purpose Giddings Of
Ohio is made to give HIM sort of SANCTION
and that the correspondence was started IN this
city to give an indirect lift to Mr.. Douglass, OF
Illinois, there is no doubt"
Against the superstition that Mr.. Westcott is
Mr.. Donaldson, we find the following paragraph
n the Republic:
Hon. C. Fl. DoNALDsoN.-This worthy, who was
lately supposed by some not have any local habita
ton or name" in a letter 10 the Bonham (TeXas)
Aduertiser, announces that he has retired altogether
from the field of political STRIFE The Advertiser de-
cnes to commit itself to the support OF Houston on