Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1857-01-23
SECTIONAL EQCILIBklUM.:
To tGs Edn2riof The Enquirer:

L-D, jan. Is, 1857.
Messrs. Editors About tni. mater of "Section
nj Equilibrium" will you permit c plGiL ican to put
| ID n very n!aio gord or two? Ii understand il. il
is simply The proposition that Congress shall pass n
resolution that, in future. for every free Stntc, a slave
Safe shall bs admitted into the CGlon. Doesi it mean
whether tho people of the territory desire slavery or
not! II so, what becomes OF this great constitution
Al doctrine of popular soverelgniy We have been
fighting TO the dea,h about II not, what Is the Oh
jec. of .uch {. law l understand cur position to be
that, il the wiIi 81 the people, properly expressed. Of
every foo: u! :er.:cry eve: 10 be admitted M n sovo
,eiyn State. be that it shall be rren. il shall be 70 il
that il shsIl have slaves, ditto. 81 ths,. b. my dif.
ference hetwe en the principle of this "~seciicnu! t1ui-
Iibriuln" and that of the Missouri Compromise, which
has tecn repealed, | am unadic to st. il. And pruc.
;ically, il strikes me, tbs latter would be Infinitely
more rational and sensible.
y"ur o~.i~crons to Mr.. Calhoun's notion Of a
dual Executive" seem t. He 20 apply with
equal force &c roar equilibrium" plan. Does
not IL "d-maud Il Ircd @cation Of the Conftitu-
ton - Suppose Neorssh" lie received a: Il
free State; then, upon the sguii,priun, principle,
Congress declares "kausas shall b. q iiare State, :
the people thereof, to the contrary, Notwithstanding.
Accorllrg TO the Democratic platform, that, to
u nan up n tree, in1ke ma veilnnsiy like a 'mo
diA cation @. the crnsIiiu:ic:." Does nrt !! ''jn
vo;vs an appeal TO the rcsson and cnnsvi@n"c Of the
North - The conservative portion of he Northern
people sinrd upon our p~'ai'orm-'thc will If he
people Of the territory" in the name of common
SENSE, what ground nave We iOi sl.tu..Es that The
eanattcal par, oil them would maxi sGn: II bargain
with u, when they rave planted Themselves upon The
doctrine: 'y.o more slave states from any Quarter:
ave, down with slavery e"en where II already ex
isr,? And with what face could We ask the cunser.
vatives tr subscribe q principle which they have just
united with US in repudIstinsi Does no; IL amply
the assent and concurrence u! iEe snti-.iavery pow.
err ~ II it lakes kro to make a bargain, il certainly
does. Ii re are strong enough To adopt this 'equiii-
brium' policy tclttOut the concurrence of the North,
what's the USE gift We can equally a. well maintain
our constitutional rights. which il all VS. haze asked.
Ii we are not, thea i; seems 10 me- that TO Ak ;hei- con
currcnce 'in arhing the Souii,' ITO nsc yuur own
language, with Il power 0: veto on illegal and op.
pressive legislation sgaius. lis rights apI instiiu.
tions," is about he rational as for me to demand Ct a
man who steals my property 10 furnish me weal ons to
deteud it.
Where Gre we drif;ing7 We have fought the
~6sht-upon the one solitary Observation-Disclosures
by Congress With slavery in the ter: it, ries ~ routed
the enemy, hose. foot and ~dragoon. Black Republi-
can. Know Nothing, and SQua,ier Sovereignty, and
hardly flashed buryins tie dead, before We find a
Democratic Senator from Souil, Carolina practical
y excluding slavery" by according TO the "territo-
rial legislature tue right 10 refuss 10 pass laws pro-
tecting lhe property Of Southern immigrants" the
most snesking klnd ofSquatter SovereiSnty-apd the
Richmond Enquirer proposing a compromise, to
which "thirty AK thirty" is not worthy TO be COM
pared. Yours in haste, WoVD SAWYER.