Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1854-02-17
RICHM0ND ENQUIRER.
-, .,1c,,IrS s. PRYOR.
BY RITCH1ES q rh ol
WEDNESDAY MORNING, FEBR UARl 10.

-; ;,Ion IF Mr. Jefferson in the enactment OF the
ordinance Of l7s7 has given 1lse ~ '"e op'"O VI
color 10 the assertion, that he was ah au'o'a'' VI VIZ
srctive nolcy in regard 10 slavery; ana l"c aunoy "a m
GREAT name is confidently and camofousy hSoeu W '
,f ,bc principle of non-nervensp in resistance
n tho ,eoeo of the Missouri prohibition 10 mus abusing
;, s; - Isfetson the Abolitionisls impose an DOLL
, ~. 1885,. nonocrat at least, 10 vndcae his memory
- 49,. ;,s, .anersion. In discharge OF this duly, Inc
u,, pos, collects from the writings OF Mr. !tHeiSo'
hnd,, eidcnce of his hostility TO any seostaphca' IT,
,t,ic,ion m slayery and any intervention oy INC
in The social relations Of the States lhe p'h'
;n,o ~ tho Missouri Compromise which the hends cl 'e
co,ar,;on are now seeking TO aofogate, encoun'e'e w
him an early and vehement opposition tie was 'hc" u" "
rntarv exile from the contention ana COMMUNION VI Wv
-, orefply nursing the wasted energies OF long
and eyentfui life by whatsoever Of !reposc apo
ro mich, he found IN The society of friends and Inc coes
Wv - III; i,us,,ious associates OF the revolution
IT, ;i question came upon him in his retreat al Mon
I'LL, un.o FIRE hell in the ught" rousng and ming MN
;h , r., his friends he freely and fully communicated
h onn,ehension of tho ultimate issue oil the controversy
and his opnions of the mpocy and nJus'ice o 1escng
,be ranpe of slavery by statutory
-, u;,,,s AGAINST the usurraons Of the Federal CO.
ernmen, be nterposed his cherished doctrine OF o'a'e
piha and oretod evils which would be oousH' uPoh
tho country BY the first attempt OF Congress 10 oac e
stons If slavery In the present crisis the authority u
eGerson will 90 10 determine the question OIL Inc cohs
nationality justice and expcdency ofehe an'soSey 'eSe
tons of lS2O. T.,
tho d,,e of December TO- 1872 in letter addressed 10
| John Adams. He says:
"The banks bankrupt law manufactures Spanish ea|
are ro,hnq The occurrences WHICH, IKE waves 10
will mass under the ship. But the Missouri question
breaker on which we lose the Missouri country ny re-
volt and what more God only knows FROM inc oalc Vi
Bunkes Hill to the treaty OF Paris wo never aH 81 JUN
question 1t even damps the JOY with which hea! Of
birh health and welcomes the consequences oil
my want of Ii, thank God that shall nol I'VE 70 "''oeS
lis issue. Sed hcsc hsctenus'
On the 18Th of April, 1920, he wrote TO VIM, Short.
Tbe old scbism of federal and republican threatened
bn because existed every State and united them to-
peher by The fraernm of party But the coincidence OF
marked prime ple moral and political, with geographical
line once conceived fear would be obiterated
and grItaons until would kindle such mutual and
moral hatred render separation preferable 10 ctena
discord have been the most sanguIuc in bcileTn
that our Union would be of long duration. now doubt II
much and see The great distance and the direct
Of this question: not by the line which has been
80 confidently counted on; the laws oil nature conlroi ms
but by the Potomac the Ohio and Missouri or more prons
bly the Mississippi upwards TO our Northern boundary my
only comfort and confidence that shall not live 10 see me-
aud envy The present generation the glory oil throwing
away the fruits Of their fathers sacrifices oil e ana
and of rendering desperate the experiment which was 10 uc
eide ultimately whether is capable oil segoVethnen
This against human hope will sgnaze he epoc
In future history, as Tue Counlcpait vi '"o -N' ~ ~
predecessors
MIR, Holmes, of Maine member of Congress, addressed
Jefferson letter. which drew from him The following re-
~ MoSrcELLo APRIL %, 1890.
THINK you dear sir for the have been 80 Kind
as 10 send m of the letter your constituents on The is
souri, ouesl& l, is perfect Justification 10 them mad
for long time ceased read newspapers pay any nten
tion to public atae confident they were In good hands,
and content be passenger in our bark 10 ihe sole rom
which not distant But TINS moment e ques.iGn
I;i. IN MIC
terror. considered ut once as the Rne OF Tue onlon
is hushed indeed for the moment But this rePfeSe
only not final sentence geographical ine coincidne
with marked principle moral and political once conceived
and held up the angry passions OF men, WI" never DC Or
liberated and every irritation VIII marx u deeper ana
am certain that as the passage of slaves from one State
10 another would make slave oil single hunan BE-
inc who would no, be so without it, their diffusion over
Greater surface would make them individually happier
and propor,ionaIy facilitate The accomplishment OF their
emancipation by dividing the 5arhen on greater number
of conductors An abstinence, too from This act OF power
Congress regulate tho condition of the different descrip
lions of men composing State This certainly is the OK
elusive right of every State which nothing in the constitu
ton has taken from Them and given 10 the general govern
meu Could Congress- for example, say that Inc noniIeo
men of Connecticut shall be reemen or that they sha not
emigrate into any other Statei ar ,.,
Isoret that am now die in the belief mat the useless
once o themselves by the generation of 776 TO acquire
self government and happiness 10 their county - ~ w
throw away by unwse and unworthy passions OF e
sons and that my only consolation is 70 De- shut 'c T
m weeo over H. If they would but dispassonateP "csh
the blessings they will throw away, against an aosd i
principle likely TO be effected by union a ~ S
sion they woald pause before they would pePeae ' dc
of spicide on themselves and of treason against inc up
of the world To yourself, the faithful advocate OF INC
Union tender the offering Of my high esteem ano
He wrote December 20, 1920
"No,hng presented threatening an aspect as
what is called the Missouri question. The eoerls uoa
pletey put down. dcspuiring Of ever rising "nue
nhg and tory deviaed new one savehoding and nom
ayeholdng States, which, while it had seoance OF De-
ing moral at the time geographical ana
to give them ascendancy debauching their old opponents
coalition with them Moral the queslion cclniy "
not, because the removal OF slaves from one etas -
ther no moro than their removal from country 10 ano
thcr would make slave Of one human being WHO
would not be 90 without it, Indeed il there be any Toray
10 the question: it the other side because by spread
ing them large surface their happiness would be IN
creased and the burden of their future liberation s4enea
bv BRINGING greater number of shoulders ndcr It. How
ever it seemed TO throw dust into the Of the people,
and dnaticiSe Men while 10 the knowing ones gave
geographical and prepondeating line OF the Potomac and
Ohio throwing fourteen States 10 the north and east anu ten
to the south With these therefore, il is merely
question of power But aOh Typographical minority IL is
question of existence; for it Congress once goes out OF me
Constitution 10 arrogate the right Of regulating the condition
of the inhabitants OF The States its majority may ana pro-
badly will declare that the condition OF all within the Uni
ted States shall be that of freemcn in which case oil Tie
whites south of the Potomac and the Ohio cvacuato
their States, and most fortunate, VINO can DO II s
He wrote Dec 20, 1920. 10 Lafayette:
"With US things are going well. The boserous sea OF
liberty indeed is never without waves and that from Mis-
souri, is now rolling towards But shall ride over 1t
as we have done all Others 1t is moral question:
bu one merely of power It's object is 10 raise geograph
cal principle for the choice Of President and the noise WA
be kept up until that is Effected"
On the 22d Of January, 1921, he wrote John Adams
"Our anxeties in this quarter all concentrated in the
question: what does the holy alliance in ant OF Con
gress mean to do with the Missouri question: And
his by bye is but the of the it is only the
John Doe Richard Roc of The eectmen The real ques
on as seen in the States afflicted with this unfortunate
population slaves to be presented with freedom
and d,gger2 For if Congress has tho power 10 regulate
the conditions OF the Inhabitants of The States within the
States it will be but another exercise Of that power, to de-
clare that oil shall be free Are then TO again Ahc
MAN and Lace6amonan coniederacies2 To another
PeIoponnesian 10 settle the ascendancy between "m
Or is ocsn Of merely seTvlr waI2 That remains
10 be seem but not hope by Surely they will
purley awhile, and give us time 10 get out Of the way
On the 3ls of January, abiding the education Of the
sons OF Virginia at the North, he writes
Glow meny OF youths she aarvard now has, Learning
the lessons OF Notwithstanding know not, but gen.
eman lately from Princeton told me he there the list
Of the students a, that place. and that than half
Vginans These will return home, doubt deeply
impressed with the sacred principles Of holy alliance of
restrclionisis"