Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-01-13
SECTIONAL EQUlLIBRIUM-How TO MAIN.
TAIN IT.

|
TAIN IT.
We do not claim, because we do not deserve The
credit of the discovery that the Institutions of the
South are not fairly protected in the administration
the Federal Government. Neither are We the fret .o
contend that slavery needs some stronger guarantee
of security than in the dead letter of constitution
which an INSCRIPTIONS majority perverts to its own
vo and mischievous purposes Nor yet did We ori.
gnate the expedient OF preserving sectional equili'
brium by the simultaneous admission of free aud Il
asve State since for many year that was the policy
OF the government.
We venture to affirm, that there snot au Intelligent
person in the South, who would be satisfied of the
security OF slavery in the event OF the ascendancy Of
the Black Republican party in every department Of
| the government The conviction Id universal that
| the utislavery power Of the North would suffer no
scrupe Of conscientious regard for the constitution
to stand in the way of their designs against the inst
tuti0ns Of the South. All agreed that the invo-
liability of our rights be preserved only by re-
tanning in our hands power adequate to their pro-
lection.
But here lies the difficulty. The problem is, 10
suggest an expedient OF policy by which the deen-
sive power OF the South may be developed pdr pasSn
with the undue sggrandzement Of the North
In the solution Of this difficulty, some of the fore.
most minis have been employed; and to mention no
name of Ess considerable distinction, John e. Cal
houn exhausted the resources Of his fertile intellect
in the euiesvor to conceive some plan for nrresting
the comparative decadence Of the South in political
power In that elaborate treatise of his on the phi
losophy # government, in which he compressed the
accumulated observation and reelection of his life, and
bequeatei all the boarded wealth of his wisdom for
the instruction of posterity, the great statesman OF
the Souh worked out the problem TO definite If
not to satisfactory result. After demonstrating
the necessity Of some self.protecting power in
the hands of the South, he proceeds 10 in.
ouire nwhat way the South possess itself Of this
power and bis conclusionis, that the only made is by
the establishment of dual Executive in the Federal
Government To say nothing of other objections to
this plat il demands modification Of the Constitu.
tiop il Involves au appeal to the reason aud con
science .f the North, and it implies the assent and
concurrence of the snti.savery power wherefore the
scheme an obvious nposslbty
But thre is nothing impractcabe III the idea OF
preserving au equilibrium Of strength between the
sections il the Senate and SO arming the South with
power O veto illegal aud oppressive legislation
against itsrights and institutions. To this end no.
thing ia necessary but to to the original policy
of the gov.rnment, and for every new free State TO
demand al equivalent accession c! strength to the
South. This policy is 90 perfectly fair and equal that
10 Reasonable man can oppose it, and it can hardly
fail to command the appreciation of conservative
people in tn, North In the event. however, OF iac-
ttous resist,nce the South has the power to conpe!
the concession o. its demands.