Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-05-22
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IL 'e'n 'f'''-' cyirariss a,,n sct,7T
,,,,,,r,rv REPORT OF TIE PRED scoll
mlNoStlin iprfSION COMMITTEE.

u,~,pr,ry REPORT OF The THEE DNDO wv"
mlNoHtiini pniSION COMMITTEE.
| HARRISBURG, Pa, May IL.
,.,;nc Mr. Welsh from me s%iest ro' ao;
tee appointed BY Inc nS ELOQUENT minority report
sr'n maui "a signed by Messrs. Welsh aud walton
LOIS Ip democrats upon the committee nno a''t'
tne rs.d was ordered to be printed IN thsreeorn'
and YOU hastily prepared synopsis oil Inc d"e u,
,ont and am acrry tina, time will not permit me 10
ar,end this notice. The document should be pup
Iished entire 10 every Democratic psper ID tns
Alter some preliminary remarks, he report eon''"
as follows: ,hst a hos,
I'VE cannot but express our deep regret .n"e ,
tile attitude has been assumed toward tne isoo ,
tion OF the Supreme Court of the Uhl'eo
Whatever difference Of opinion may e1'st IT, .snsc.
ence TO that decision 1t should receive ."V ,nt nh.
aud sanction of ali law aolo'hg Civ Ip ,rnornc.
anna hree.b that gave it existence shah p'"uouuTIs
-, 49, 80; w., sr,onaou. aud its doctrines uutenhol1
To .rrpudate' ito cay that u IL ~,
Isw,-snd TO proclaim lis authors 'olo'a'or'al,
rsnn;caJ and unworthy OF confidence ana respect
a,,n", hut be regarded startling propositions H.
h nsnSd estimation OF all who view that court at
tbs ersa, conservative element in our governmen''
and the constitutional protector OF the rSntS aoa IL
berries Of the peope.
After dwelling further upon this poinf. the repor'
neIt refers to the propreiy, of State Legislature
attempting 10 review the action Of the Suprem-
Court Of the United States" and declare that I'll
must be patent every one that euch course Is en-
t,rsly futile and without any possible effect Iai'
position is ably argued and cannot fail 10 snake tht
convictions Of boss whose preJudices nave forceo
them into an absurd position.
The facts involved in the bred Scott case are next
clen. stated aud the legal history OF the attempt OF
thus individual TO regain his liberty gwen In sue
clint and interesting style. This naturally leads TO An
argument iu support of the position assumed oy 'nN
minority and this argument is carried out IN III.
most able manner. II covers the whole ground apc
| leaves not single legal point uD2uardeo.
The next point dweIt upon Is that ut 10 clear ano
| conclusive that ours was designed to De govern
| msut of white men. 1t WAS not intended oy III
founders that any other class or race should ever OF
permitted to control lite destinies The report 'elo
ouent while referring to the past history OF the caun
try and the evils which departure from the primer
| pe stated above would entail upon our national tu
ture and saws that to protect ourselves and our pos
terity from such alarming results. must carefully
guard against the causes which certainly Wonlo pro
| duoe them. This can only be done BY placing
barrier, wide and impossible, between the TWO race
now in conflict, and euch we hold to be the true me-
rit Of the recent decision Of the court, which IN u
future application and development will amply shield
| US from the dangers to which we have adVerted.-
However much we may regret the unfortunate con
dtion of the cuored race, we cannot IN our examna
| ton of a question frsught with so much Interest
loose sight of the great truth that set preservation
ia the rst Law Of nature To admit the cltlzenshP
the negro is to place him, without Limitation, upol
the same equality with the white man. Its ultimate
effect would be to see the African and his de'csndenf
clustering around the polls In the exercise OF INT
ssme ina.timabe privileges now enjoyed by the graa
Caucasian race, aud perhaps few years would EXIT
bit the startling spectacle OF coored representative
occupying the same seats now 80 respectaoy nieo o.
| a majority OF your committee.
The constitutional provisions, laws etc., bearing OF
the question: are negroes citizens are referred 20
considerable length, and quotations are gwen Wih
facility and clearuesss which proves mat the au'h"
of the report is moi only well read IN our po;a,
yual
| legal mind. A number of American and EnHlish ~
thortes ere cited to SUSTAIN the position assumed oJ
| the minority.
Near the conclusion of the report, the author thn'
d;snoses of the attempt to drag Thomas Jefferson IL
az sutbority for opposing the bred Scott declslnn
"The majority Of the committee have insulted the
memory of Thomas Jefferson by invoking MIS- grea
name, and quoting his commanding authority, II
favor of the reasonable sentiments contained IN the
resolutions as reported In this, they have only im
tatsd the gross Of candor, which has 20 recent
permitted the opposition to Justify their feeble attacks
upon the Constitution and the Uoon, under the sane
ton Of the great men Of the revolution, VINO IaGoree
40 successfully to establish both. The majority have
quoted the language, but not the meaning OF Jetfsr
son; for, upon reference to the letters from whcf
their garbed extracts have been taken, It appear
| that the iilu.trous founder OF Democracy was IN
ysiyhpp i'm eloquent aud forclble terms against tina
growing spirit Of Capitalization. Of federal assump
| ton of power which, from the DAYS OF tho Virgins
and Kentucky resolutions of lT9S to the presen
| time the Democratic party has sreDuously resisted
and never 30 successfully as in the recent presidential
contest when the Disregard Of State rights and str'c
constitutional construction was carried oy the repuo
lican party to the most dangerous and reasonable sx
| tremes. The opinions of the supreme court which
| Thomas Jefferson then deprecated. seemed to ltnt
the sanction of that high tribunal to federal interter
ence 10 purely State affairs. But happily for the per
petury Of this uniou his gloomy foreboings have no
been justified by the result. For not only The Su
preme Court itself, controlled by Wiser and more ma
turs councils but the federal government, with all IL
power and influence, bias recognized and sustained fr
the fullest extent, the doctrine of State rights anc
placed upon safe aud unassaaole grounds the grea
principle Of popular sovereignty in the territories iii
itself only an extension and necessary application
of the former And If the immortal sage OF Moni
cello were now alive and in midst III he cuu'c
witness and dwell upon The proud trumphs OF the De
mocratic party, so true, constant, aud 20 fathfu
TO the Constitution as il from its framers-h
dark presages az to federal encroacbmens would Civ.
place to prophetic visions Of the pernaneucy ane
grandeur of this conf-derated republic
The report concludes with the following eloquent
paragraph:
that the recent decision of tho Supreme Court OF the
United States will not be susta nsd and upheld b!
the calm, good sense Of the American people. La
the outburst of defeated sectiouulsm, tones Of de-
nupciation may bs hurled against it by the party
whose hopes destroys aud whose principles il over
whelms. But in the future as in the past, the great
mase of the people will be true to it. as they have
ever been to the Union and the Constitution. And Il
ever the broken fragments Of constitutional liberty
strew our pathway, it will be in that fatal hour when
the strength and binding force Of the judiciary shall
be forever los, the IRRESPONSIBLE Resistance OF dsgeu
crate faotions." OBSERVER.