Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-01-21

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give governments TO the people in the Territories;
and / speak for four Of my colleagues. assured
| that they will feel constrained TO pursue Ike
course. And if General Taylor shall approve
the proyiso, when il will have passed. and IT Is
for them 10 determine what sheli or shall not be
done, and let the responsibility rest with them.
take this oeea sion to say that the sentiment
last quoted altered in u moment OF excitement
upon reflection. repudate as MUST aud improp-
er thank the gentleman thai he has afforded
me the opportunity to give this public oppression
of nv disapproval Of that statement. uniform
| ly vot Cd against placing the Wilmot provlso IN
any territorial bill. | voted against 1t becnnse
believed il to be unjust to the people oil portion
of this Union.
The Clerk then read the second aud third in
| torrogatorirs. ms follows:
AIN right in supposipg that his theory Is,
| that the constitution Of the United States does
not carry slavery to, aud protectit ia the Terri
tories of the United Staiesl TINT IN the territory
acquired from Mexico and France Including
Kansas and Nebrarka) the Missouri restriction
was necessary to make the territory free, be-
cause slavery existed there und'r Francr.at the
time of the acquisition, but that the Kansas aud
Nebraska bill. which repeats that restric'on,but
neither legiss,es slavery into those Territories
nor excludes il iherefrtm, in his OPINION. leasos
| those Territories without either local or cpnsiiu-
| tiunal law protecting slavery: and that therefore
| the Kansas and Nebraska bill promotes the for
| nation Of slave States in Kansas and N'bra-kal'
| Mr. Richardson. The constitution does net,
| in my opinion carry the in-t uiions OF any of the
| States into The Territories; but 1t affords the
| same protection there tn the institutions OF one
State as of another. The citizen of Virginia j.
ns much entitled in the common territory. as the
citizen of Illinois but both are dependent upon
| the legislation of the territorial government for
laws To protect their property, Of whatever KIND
it may be. Thus it will he seen, TINT though
there may be upon this point difference theoret
! ically- involving questions for judicial decision
yet there is none. practically, among the friends
! Of non Intervention by Congress. as the practical
result is to place the decision Of the questions in
! the hands of those who most deeply inlerc--
! ted in its solution-Eamely, the people of the
| Territory--who have made il their home, aud
whose interests nre the most deeply involved IN
the character of The institutions under which they
are TO live II this great principle of nnn-lnier-
veniion and self government Is wrong, them in
deed the American revolution was fought III vain
and IL is time cense To venerate the memory
of the patriotic dead who purchased with their
fortunes and blood the free institutions of the
several separate, liz lependen'.and Co equal States
forming the Union under which we hive 80 pros
perausly and happily grown to be go gfeat.
After Mr. Banks had spoken:
Mr. Fuller, of Pennsylvania cordially approx.
ed of the resolution which had been adopted
yesterday He felt il his duty. in justice Ia him
self and to those with whom he WAS acting, t. 10
clare tho opinions he entertained, and the course
of action he would pursue under certain circum
stances. In answer to the specific interrogato
ries presented he would say TO the first, that
he did not regard tho Kansas and Nebraska bill
IA promotive of the formation of free States, nor
did he consider it promotive OF the formation OF
slnve States.
As the second inerrogatory, relating to the
consitutionaty Of tho Wilmot proviso he bad
never, and did not now advocate the constu-
iionality of the Wllmot provso. lie had never
committed himself to The position TINT if the ter
rtorial bills were silent on the subject ct slavery,
leaving it the operation Of the Mexican laws, he
would vote for bill cnbodying the Wilmot pro
wise.
As 10 the third inicrrogu,ory, he had never Ia
ken position on the subject, but WAS willing
/ TO pronounce upon it now. Slavery existed. be
! fore the constitution, and, in his Judgment, now
| existed, indie pendent Of the constitution. When
the people of tho confederate States met hv their
| representatives in the convention to form The
constitution, slavery existed in all but of the
States Of the confederacy, The people, having
the ri hit to hold slaves. conceded through their
representatives the right to prohibit the importa-
tion of them after the year 1903. They made
no concession 81 far as regarded the existence
of domestic slavery. They claimed the right.
and it was granted to them to reclaim slaves in
asses of escape. They claimed the right oflepre
sentaton, and il was granted the right of ropre,en
taiion and it was granted, He held that Con.
CESS bad no ight to lcgislatc upon the uhiect OF
slavery. and that the Territories the common
property of oil the States. The people of oil III,
States. therefore, had n right to enter upon aud
occupy that territory; aud were protected by tho
flag of the country. He thought that Congre>.
had no light to legislate it into exclude it tfuu
II Territory; aud in his Judgment the territorial
legislature had no right to legislate upon the sub
iect, except SO far rs tp protect the citizens %
the Territory IN the enjoyment of their property
He believed he had answered all the questions
and had nothing more TO say.
Mr. Bark sdale, of Mississippi, submitted the fol
lowing nferrogatories, stating that he expected
ench candidate 10 answer them
IL. Are you nov memb,r of the American
or know nothing party:
~. Are you in favor of abolis hing SLAYER,
in the District of Columbia, and in the United
States dock yards, &c
''3, Do you believe in the equality Of tn,
black and white races in the United States an,
do you wish to promote that equality by legsla
ton
II Are you in favor of the entire exclusion
of adopted citizens and Roman Catholics from Of
fec!
Mr.. Richardson had taken occasion to look o
yer the interrogatories propoundcd by the gen
tleman from Ohio, Mr.. l3ingham,) and though
that he had answered all of them substantially
except the first and the fifth, and referred til,
gentleman to the remarks he had already sub
mtted in proof of this.
In reply to the first question, he would stat'
that in his opinion, the constitution of tho Uni
ted States extends over the Territories so far a
it is applicable 10 their territorial condition. an,
to the fifth that he believed the fugitive slave Law
TO be in operation in the Territories of Kansas
and Nebraska.
He then proceeded to answer the nterrogato