Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-12-06
GOVERNORS MESSAGE
TO THE
IEGlsLATURE OF VIRGINIA,

ly hoped 10 close NY oi'|'"' H.,
from my Executive !aborS with i.susr, 1 ,%a
Harss of conpratulatiou on the condition ri the
Commonwealth. But, the upperr'''', theine
in this mvslast regular message must ne 'ha'
onr neace has beer disturbed; our citizens
. hive been IMPRISONED. robbed and murdered;
tho ~sanc.;tv Of their dwellings has been viola
tod. the;r ncrsons have been outraged; thcir
n,ar,r has been seized by force or arms; a
80 80 Lo,1 in their midst, with its arms and
wm,n;f;ons of war has bcca captured, and the
;,b,I,;tap,s cut oil from the means OF defence;
= national highway through our limits, and
il locomotive trains and Geographic wire;
\ have been stopped; and State and Nationa
SoyercirntieS have been inSalted and aSSailcd
and State and Federal troops have been called
out and been compelled TO fight, at the loss OF
several killed and wounded, to Subdue rebel
lion and treason, at lIarper's Ferry IN the
county Of Jefferson, within our jurisdiction
This was no result Of ordinary crimes now
ever highhanded and feloniouS. IL was No
: conspiracy Of bandits against Soc'ety IN sen.,
raj. with the motives which usually ac'ua''
criminals. confined TO the indiviauai PerPet'",,
tors. and 10 he crushed ry th'i' Mies' "'I
nun;shment. ISut it was an extraoro'hars aiu
actual invasion, by a sectional ois'nl"l ,hn;,
a.aa;arv mon Shareholders and upon their
nroperty in negro slaves. Inc ho"' ~ De
pIapI.j was the home Of domestic slavery
"n.son. m he seized were the persons OF
~ .asoldsrs. the property to he coatiScated
mas ,ba nronerty in slaves and the other prop
s.,v nr shareholders alone, such aS money,
,l,ie Jewels and other Of like kind. which was
-, 70 coupensate the robbers for the
tro,Lls and risk Of robbing the masters oi their
slovos. tbe slaves were not to be taken 10 nc
c,-,;s5 away, but they were to he made 10
- no the side .. the robbers, ana I" he
cor..5 70 tish, TO libcrate themselves by mas
so.r.inr their masters; the arsenal was taken
90 crnnIy arms to s~ervi!e insurgents; ana 4
provisional government was attempted IN i
british province, by our own couhtryihei'
united TO us in the faith Of coniederacE. com
bininr with Canadians, to invade the slave
boldinc'siateS OF the United States; ana tiins
tba p;Sht of the 10th OF October last wa> sur
nrisel and the day Of the 18th OF October last
was startled by the signal guns Of rarine, muir
5ar robbcrv and treason, begun at Harper 5
Ferry for the purpose Of stirring up universal
;nsprrec,ion Of slaves throughout the whole
South. -
no, hoe, il is not more so than the rapidlty
ama ~oncor Of the causes which have prompted
and mn, il in motion. IL is not confined 10 the
n,r,i.S who were the present partlcipators IN
r. out,apes Causes and influences lie behind
i, more notent far than the little bando deSpe-
raaoos Who were sent ahead to kindle the
sn,rls of a general cOniiagration; and the event,
sad as il is, would deserve but little comment,
If the condign punishment OF the immediate
perpetrators of the ielonicS committed "ouid
for the future secure the peace which mas been
disturbed, and guarantee the safety which II
threatened. Indeed, If the miserable conSictS
were the only conspiratorS against our peace
and safety. we might have forgiven their Of
fences and constrained them only by The grace
Of pardon. Bat an entire social and sectional
sympathy has melted their crimes, ana now
rises in rebellion and inSurrcction to the height
of sustaining and juSti,ying their enorin'i.;.
II would be pusiilaniInous to smut our eyes
and to affect not to see certain facts oi fearful
import which stare us in the face, ana OF winch
must speak plainly TO you, VITA the hrh anu
manly purpose Of meeting danger ana WIN no
weak AID wicked design OF exciting sgitatioh'
That danger exists, Of serious MAGNITUDE, 'hS'e
can be no doubt in the minds oil !Ae most cam
and rejecting, and the way 10 aver, II Ill ~
cases is 10 march up TO II ana meet II io"t u
front. Ii it has no; grown TOO great areau!'
il will retire from collision; and If ii has grown
strong enough already Tor the encounter, IL mao
better he met al once. for it will not diminish by
delsv. believe, in truth, that the very policy
Of the prime promoters OF this apparently mad
movensnt * purely tentative 10 Try whether
we will Ace the danger which Is now sealed III
blood If we take the dare, the aggression
will become more and more i~nSolen,; and II we
do moi that il will either truchle or meet US In
onon conflict to be Subducd; and, IN elther
event. our safety and the rational peace Will DC
hest secured by u direct settlement at once
the sooner the better. SO.
For a series of wears social and sectional DIT
~ferences have been growing up, uhiappl!E' DC
tween the States Of our Union anu jhclr Peo,
nj. An evil spirit of ianaticism has seized
upon negro slavery as the one subject oil social
reform, and the one idea Of It's abolition mas
seem, , To madden whole masses oil one entire
section of the country. l; enters into their reil'
gion, into their education, i;Jo tier politics
and pravers, into their courts OF justice, INTO
their business. into their Legislatures. INTO all
classes Of their people. the most respectable
and most lawiesS, into their pulp,,S and into
their nresscs and school-houScS, into their men,
women and children OF all ages, everywhere;
1t has trained three generations, from chilahooo
M. in moral and social habits ui hatred 10
masters Of African slaves IN the lnited states.
It turns not upon slavery elsewhere, or against
shareholders in any other country. bnt Is eS'
pecially malignant and vindictive towards Its
lwn countrymen, for the very reason maj II
is bound to them 10y the faith and sanction OF
a confederate law. To set up that law 10 II Is
70 enrage it 10y the sight O! the law, because II
is hound by it. 1t has been taught by the
Atheism of a higher law than that OF Il
regular government bound by constitutions
and statutes. Ii has been made to believe in
the doctrine of absolute individual rights, indie.
nendent OF all relations of inan to man in u
conventional and social form: and that each
man for himself has the prerogatlye to set up
his conscience, his will and his judgment over
and above all legal e%nactments and social inSti.
tutions. lie has been intlamed by prost!tutcd
teachers and preachers and presses 70 10 ana
dare any crime and its consequences winch
may set I'D its individual supremacy over law
and order. II has been taught from the Senate
chamber to trust in the fatality OF an IRE
preside conflict" into which it is bound to
plunge. Its anti.ChriSt pulpit has breathcd
naught but insurrectionary wrath into servants
against their masters, and has denounced our
national Union as a covenant with death Tor
recosnizin. propcrly in slaves and guarantee
ing to it the protection Of law. Ii has raised
contributions in churches to furnish ariaS and
money to such criminals ss these 10 make 4
war for empire OF settlement in our new Terri
tories. Ii has trained them on the frontier
and there taught then the skill Of the Indian in
savage warfare, and then turned them back
upon the Oldest and largest Siavgnolding State
to surprise one of its strongest holds. Ii has
organized in Canada and traver>y,i and cores
bonded thence to New Orleans and from Boston
to Iowa. l, has established spies everywhere,
and has secret agents in the heart Of every
slave State, and has secret associations and
underground rail roads" in every free Stat;
It eplistS influence and money at home and
abroad. It has sent comiorterS and counsel
N..I .u.,.n.hr- ann wnnll have SrnI rescue