Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1856-10-07
THE CRlSIS.-SHALL THE SOUTH lk1 fNh
MoNT,S ADMINISTRATION.


CHI ..lo,, c- .sfsty 70 the Senate and incur the
Co.. =, ,h. nop who remains under his root when al
30, r,ostrst.d all the pillars but one ant
-, On its basel Shall we acquiesce II
,, remnants election because the forms oil the Con
s,itution are observedi Ihey ~ou'u oe equ"'' w
.ar,od # the army were increased to hundred thou
sapd men and concentrated in the Southern STATES
: souadrons of war steamers were Stationed III Sou."
srp norts and at the mouths OF Southern rivers ''
sor,s in the South were commanded by Nof'ne''
man, and every possible preparation MADE 10 suo'u
gaze rs: and vet We should hardly be advised
70 acouiesce in such thugs because they were cons
tutioual.
rhs uusstion is whether the possibility OF
constitutional administration by AIR. Fremont
should induce US to give his party Inc III
mems. advantage that will accrue from actual posses
sion of the government if they determine TO proceed
with their assault slavery That possibility 81
small as to be feather in the balance wien "es"eu
against the dangers Of submission. Make Inc eS'''
mate calmly consult the past history aud present 'ei.'
nsr of abolition examine the character OF Its cahu''
date. and il seems the contamination OF Jolly 10 sas-
,;6cs the advantages of prompt action to the nope
that action will be unnecessary.
III
,ou are committed OH tho South, it must be attended
with bloodsbed, for overt expressions will not be at
temp,ed until preparation is made to use torce' IL
Mr.. Fremon,s election be accepted as uec'ai a,'''
OF war, and the South secede immediately III oil III
man probability the war will proceed no farther Una"
the declaration. By prompt secession We sha" ''''e
the avenues of federal corruption ana SAVE 'u'
people from influences, to which no people, however
MIN
yirtuous, should be subjected Before those 'u'u
sncss can be brought bear sh all DC Deyonu ne
reach. BY prompt secession we shall erect "o'etn-
,sn, untitled TO receive the allegiance oil all our CUT
,ens and TO recall from the federal service SUCH Vi
tbsm "A remain in it. AT least one-haf oil Inc il'
.srv officers OF the present Government are natives
Of the South, and will not carry arms against her'
Rut wa must never permit them to be commsnueuo y
John Charles Fremont. He must never possess the
right to treat them deserters, but on hs accession
10 mower, he should find them sreadyn the service oil
another Government equally legitimate with his own
PROMPT secession will parslize the military arm OF the
presen, Government by Withdrawing from 1t many OF
its best officers Delay will expose them to The per.
plexes OF decision between the orders OF the'r
lsuslly qualified commander and the cause of their
native States.
TO the present treasury of revenues derived from
Southern commerce, and divert those revenues 10 a
treasury which will be used to dsfond aud not to de-
stroy the South We transfer Executive patronage
from Government which uses 1t to weaken aud al D.
vide the South to which will use to consolidate
her power. We protect citizens from curruption
and teach them that patriotism and fidelity to South
ern interests are the only avenues to honor and emo
umens in the South.
By prompt secession We prepare Tor conflict If one
be inevitable, and meet it as nation meets foreign
war by delay we invite attack and resist as rebels
unorgsnized uuproyided, without treasury, without
amary force, and relying wholly upon the undlsci'
plined valor OF our citizens. Even then we should
triumph, but what disasters what bloodshed shall we
not avoid by preparation.
twill be said that We shall be of after seces-
sion than before that have the fugitive slave
law, and then we shall have none. We have now
fugitive slave law which brings back II" slaves, and
is source of everlasting outrage on Southern citizens
in pursuit of their property. As separate nation we
shall have revenue cutters and custom.house officers
TO prevent smuggling who will also be required to
capture fugitives. We shall have prevention Instead
of sham cure. Then as now, fugitive slaves who
be taken to prevent their escape which now are m.
possible Cut off from political connection with hos
tile powers slavery will be under the protection OF
government devoted to lis preservation. No govern
ment but it's will have power within its lhnlts, or
have access to it for mischevous purposes. The ev'
erlasting din of the slavery controversy will be ban.
i.hed from the land, and shall have time and op'
por,unity to give our attention to other matters and
TO develop our resources in peace.
Aggression will not come if it be forced TO take the
form of iuternecine 1t is thing to denounc,
and mal,reat citizens subject to government con
trocd by the aggressors and quite another thing t.
invade the territory of a sovereign power able ane
willing to defend herself Abolition philanthropy il
an exceedingly cheap virtue under the present gov
ernmen it will not be quite so cheap if it be forced
to raise armies and fight battles to achieve purposes
which il haters itself will be accomplished now by
LIBERAL expenditure of breath.
But if aggression take that form will he infinitely
less dangerous than under the insidious garb Of law
and constitutions not observed. We shall at leas
know how to meet it. We have more than
million Of fighting men, well acquainted with tn,
use Of arms, accustomed to field sports, sset
to all active life in the open air, many OF then
trained to arms in the military colleges so numerou
in the South and with oil tbs vigor, hardihood AM
courage usual among agricultural people. Gu
institutions hsve been tried by war and the presenc
of invading armies the result was not insurrcctio
aud divided force, but capacity to bring into th
field much larger proportion Of our lighting me
than it IL practicable to spare from peaceful avoca
ton. in slavehoding States 1t is sometimes sal
that the slave population is no longer devoted
their masters US in the days when Dunmore proclaim
ed their freedom and invited them TO the royal stan
dard Possibly in exposed districts they may not be
In the main, have reason to think them less de
voted to the whites than formerly. BE this as it may
there il counterbslancing circumstance that mus
not be forgotten. During the Revolution the whit
population outnumbered the blacks in the Souther
States about 100000 they outnunber then
nearly three millions. The whites have gained o
the blacks more than half u million Of fighting mel
War is the time Of security against nsurrecton, 70
then the dominant race are armed, organized and O
the alert.
We do not think the South need fear aggression il
the shape of war; and if it come, she may defy an
force that can be brought against her
After every view Of this great question that pre-
sents itself to eye; after calmly weighing all II
attendant circumstances, and with most solem
sense Of the importance Of right decision by IN
Southern people, forced to the conviction TN
this only safe and honorable course for them to pu
cue if Mr.. Fremont be elected, is TO withdraw immt
diately from the Union, and to establish separat
government for Themselves.
1--WE have warned Northern brethren, froI
time to time. Of attempt, made by our common gov
ment to extend an UNIV arrantable jurisdiction over Iii
We have reminded them of the circumstances of GU
emigration and settlement here We have appeale
to their native justice and nagnsninty, and we hav
coniured thenl by tho Ties of our common kindred