Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-02-01

they aic Us ci!ccluhIiy protected Ey ttis ar!"n vi III
Senate, rs by The action oi this House. There is III
a provision IN The House bill, 81 ia: n It appcrtain
to Parsons, that is not found in the Senate Till. The
choose to withhold the power Ia convene the I4gi,ln
ture. under the state of things which the bill present,
AZ a justification for that course, nor did they deem
| constitutional to enact and blend to ,etb.r in me hi
n general law and a particular law. Before undrr
taking the enactment of bills of this character. th.
! thought il became them TO consider. To- reflect befor
they proceeded, and the result Of this cnn.il.rntjo
was, the discovery of an objection to the bill, of
constitutional character. Well, sir, their view of IN
. case is decisive with ME. l would desire that in GU
action here. we should be unanimous; end not oll
here, but in the Senate. I regard the Senate, sir, a
in every respect equal to Us; i'll fact, they are called
in common parlancc, the upper House; and | hold tia
their action in this matter, Is entitled to NJ much con
siicrntion rs that had by us. They are certainly n
much interested i'll our slavery Institution, as m
member of this House, or any citizen oi the Com
monwealtll. Why, sir, | even hear, in some parts ,
this Hall, that they are not sound upon the SLAYER
uuestiun-yes, sir, the very men who are the pecuiia
representatives of the slave interests OF the STATE
those who are defined by the Constitution OF III
State, to be the special md peculiar guardians an
custodians of the great Interests of the State OF Viz
cinia, are to be- considered unsound upon the SLAYER
question, merely because they chose Ia disagree 10
bill, which, in their judgment, is amenablr To cOiisiitu
ti0nal objections. | cannot conceive OF n more absur'
idea than this. A more absurd idea could not en;e
the brain of any one, except, perhaps, the brain OF
man who is somewhat excited In his zeal TO rellcv'
Mr.. Parsons. He il, it seems, n badly treated iudivi
dual. He has left home and come down here for tn
purpose of instructlng us-nnt only OF showing tina
he Was right, but Of instruciing us 10 some extent
aud The other branch of this Legislature, as 10 thc:
rights.
Mr.. HlErr interrupting, (Mr. EARLY y~ie!din, til,
hoor.) Do | understand you 10 say that Mr.. Parson:
came here to have al effect upon me | wish To say
that Mr.. Parsons was te!egraphed for by the commits.
tee.
Mr.. E,RLr.-I do not think that Mr.. Parsons net.
ed improperly in coming 10 Il friend OF his. do moi
think, however, that he or his friends should TAKE e1.
ception tn the course Of the Senate in this matter. |
believe the Senate Of Virginia are rs respectable u
Mr.. Parsons, and have rs much interest III the slave.
ry question.
Mr.. L. concluded with a few other remarks in vim.
dlcation OF the course of the Senate.
MIR. FLOYD said-lf We can arrive at any cOnclu-
sion from the expression of opinion here, il Is this, that
there is perfect unanimi'y ut scntimen on the part
ot the representatives upon this floor, in regard 10
this much vexed, and much agitaied question oi slavr-
~. Here We stand, sir, with no difference Of opinion,
aud absolutely ana completely united in every scuti
incnt, and in every position, with reference 10 ;hi,
question: III II general SENSE. And yet, sir, these pro-
c~ccdinss are about 10 take such Il turn as Ia make il
appear Ia the world nj large that We IRE dlsunltrd
TINT we are disagrecing, that we are arrayed against
c"ch other on this vital question of slavery. Am |
right in presenting the question in this light, Aud
II | Gm right. what is the duty that we owe 10 our
selves, IL this House, and 10 our constitution, ave, sill,
and Ia the Union itsclt-I will extend it farther. ami
say, 10 human rights, and human liberty. L. i; not
rl-ht that we should discard all personal coiIsii-ra-
tl"n-. that we shnrli discard all minor motives. that
We should be willing 10 make any sacrifice here in
REFERENCE 10 this ball, except the sacrifice of right and
"t principle. Why, sir, Is il II matter of any sort Of
importance, how we should proceed, SO that we mr.
rive at the same road ut length! suppose We disa.
gree Ia the Senate amendment, what have we done!
~PTobab!v we viii Il victory over the advocates of one
set OF opinions, ar, by n reverse decision, Il victo-
ry is won over the advocates of annihcr Set ofopinions.
suppose You refer il Ia a committee of conference,
what then is the result! That you have come in the
tru" spirit OF patriots, that you evince n true
sentiment Ut Cancellation, and that you arc will
ing to merge all abstract differences Of opinion to So.
cure the accomplishment o; the great object which
we all have in view. This, | am satisfied, your own
feelings and Judgment will approve.
From the first announcement Of the outrage TINT
had been committed upon Parsons. | felt my
blood boil in my veins. But, sir, il was no
new feeling with ME. It was al old feeling
Ii was q sensation that | experienced before, be-.
cause I have seen and forgotten somewhat similar
outrages committed upon Virginia before. | have
seen the authorities Of Virginia called upon 10 come
To the rescue, under probably like circumstances, aud
God knows, if ever | felt a sentiment of SHINE for
the Commonwealth of Virginia, il has been when |
had seen her committed to Il position which she failed
To maintain. Is not that IN Your recollection! /. il
tresli III the recollection Of uS all. And. sir, that very
position was the result of failing to deliberate, failing
tn be absolutely or partly united III our action. Ave,
sir, when We resolved, nj all hazards. and 10 the las,
Extremity In resist the Interference By Congress with
slavery i'll the District OF Columbia, in spite Of our
resolutions with reference To the unconstitutionali:y
ii that law, Virginia took the frs, occasiou +, blirk
that question, aud remained silent.
Sir, | trust in God that when she takes such n no.i.
ton again, il will be under circumstances. which.
when her honor requires it, she sill make good
her declarations.
| heard with pleasure, this morning, the propo,ition
vi the gentleman from Essex, iMr. G.RSErr,) sand
was panied when it Was withdrawn. If that prnposi
ton had prevailed, it would have brought up the sub.
.tautial ISSUES here, which VIC We're bound 10 main.
tain. Sir, 1t is by committing us 10 sencralitics ar,
hypothetical cases, by saying, if so and go happens
such and such will be our action, that we have beer
unable 10 maintain our position. Let us have palpabi,
cases; show US the outrage that has been ummittc up
on a citizen OF ' irglnia, not by q lawless mob, but show
us the proceedings of II State; show US any infringe
ment on their purt upon our rights, having the en-
dnrscment Of the State upon it, aud then | am wiiu.
to 90 with the gentleman from Stafford, Mr.. Seldom
or the gentleman from Essex, tMr. GARsErrJ or an,
party in the commonwealth. heart and soul, tn an,
Extremity whatever. But, cir, let Virginia. in he
sovereign capacity, deal with Pennsylvania i'm he
sovereign capacity, md when she comes IN her sove
reign or corporate capacity shc will be- met in q pro
per spirit, and our difficulties, | have no doubt, vii
he adjusted in q manner satisfactory To all concerned
| cannot imagine that II would be otherwise. can
not imagine that nh appeal IN that State, which wa
your associate in the revulution-fhat S:nte which
WINS associated with yUH in all the early struy
,lr. of your couniry-l cannot believe that an ap
neal To- the sturdy Dutch farmers of Pennsylvania
and the other conservative men of the commonwealth
reminding them that they were u party TO the arran. e
ment pf the Constitution, that they have sworn I,
carry out that sacred compact, meanwhile warning
Them Of the danger oftritiing with 'hat Instrument
sny. | cannot believe that IN appeal OF this character
made with that dignifcd resolve which becomes
sovereign State, will fail 10 accomplish al that is ne
cessary in regard to the maintenance Of uur
riph,s. 7 cannot believe that they will disre.ar,
that appeal in view of the sad alternative wh:cl
i, would impose upon us, and the evil consequence,
which would necessarily follow. Yes, sir. a d.>rrgar.
,f il would, I fear, b. attended with no less serlpu,
consequences than the dissolution OF the Union itself
oui the ir!uring of our soil with blood.
Have YOU no better opinion of tho Pcnnsylvanian
finn To suppose that he would be the cause Of 4 ca.
,n.trophe 50 awful as this! You will say tint h,
had acted unconstitutionaIly and that he had out.
rsrod law! Grant it, Fir; grant il. Who is il, what
gentleman is il, That has not experienced at some time
or another, some act of insrati;uIe from some
friend. who desired subsequently, to make III,
prnper a,neMdc. and repair the injury, with Zeal sur
pas.ing The enthusiasm which actua;cd The outrage IN
the hrrinring! And the same rule nppiics In
governments. pre-eminently. | have no ioiit with
rrf.rrucr. Ia Pennsylvania and ourselves, standing u.
,y. do in such peculiar relations 10 each other. Ever
Peter denied his God; and his weeping a~itrrward.
WAS taken MS M atonement. And who know, sir
that our appeal to the reason OF Pennsylvania, ma,
no, bring her To u proper sense OF the wrong
which she il iilfictIng Are you not war:altcr
nv the results Of the last election in c0nrluiiu. tina
such will be the case! What is the spectacle that i
now presented there! Why, you have. instead o
the od;ous fnn.,ici,m which prevailed in that State tw'
wears ago, a spirit Of conservatism prcvailin. through
nut her entire extent, rs is manifest IN the compost
ton of her present Legislature, SO that, IN my "pin
ion. there is no real DANGER of IN issue such n ,rrIu
to he apprehended.
Mr.. speaker. ! speak earnestly about thi- nfflir, be
cnuse feel earnestly about it. i think have no
mlscalcula;cd in any degree the peculiar position i
which the South stands at this hour. Sir, II i not ib,
lana,icism nj the North alone that is arrayrd again>
slavery in the South. II is the sentiment Of all chris
tendon that is against you, aud you ,talid here up"i
the reason of your cause, upon the Justice Of Jon
| cnu.e. and behind the battlcInents OF the COnsti;uiiuI
OF the Union. You see, therefore, the absolute i'm
portance OF preserving an nnbroken front, and {