Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-11-18
THE IMPENDING CRISIS.
IL he Eiitors Of Ml E~aqrIrer:

bent upon all good men 10 aver. II possible, 4
dissolution of our Federal InIon. About this
none can differ. How. then, are we of the
South 10 preserve the tnion
Tins i 4 question easily and often asked; the
answer is difficult. The Union was formed ito
establish Justice. TO insure domestic tranquil
IL, provide for the COMMON defence, promote
the general welfare. and secure the blessings of
liberty to ourselves and our pnsterity. Expert.
ence has si,0wfi tia, the Union thu formed
was fully adequate 10 accomplish I'LL Of good its
framers intended to accomplish, II the provi-
sions Of the Constitution, which brought into
existence the Union. had been fairly observed.
The Union created by the Constitution was Il
mere society of independent States, each State
occupying the relative position To each other
aud the whole which an individual citi-
zen of 4 state occupies To each other
citizen OF the State, and 10 the citizens of all
the other States. 80 far at least aS to DO moth
ing, which will pat in jeopardy the lite Of any
citizen or reduce the value of individual pro-
pcrty, or the aggregate property OF re citi-
ZcnS OF Il State. or o. the citizens of the several
States. These propositions are too plain 10
need illustration or ampliiicatIonS. Every rca.
sonable being must admit them. The gucS.
ton now presents itself. Have the provisions
Of the Constitution been fairly observed: No
sane man wIl! say they have, III al! things
One Of the avowcd objects for the formation Of
the Union was. ITO insure domestic tranquil
ty;" and in this there has been Il sad failure
So far from insuring domestic tranquility, it is
the immediate cause o! the distracted state of
society winch Tow exists in all the Southern
country. By it our lives are endangered, our
property made insecure and its value lcSSened.
so that the | Mon has failed ITO establish JUS.
tlce. 1t cannot be Justice for the citizens Of
one or more States oi this Union by their acts
10 do any act which IS 10 imvcrii the lives oi
the citizens Of any other State. Uur citizens
have been murdered upon orr own soil by
citizens from other States. I;IS cannot DC the
establishment Of justice. The | Mon has not
Ensured domestic tranquility The whole
/ South is in Il state ef excitement. And why
is this so: Simply because the Northern lcglS-
~latureS, aud people, have thought proper TO
make war upon The Southern States for hold.
ing negroes as slaves and property. Having
already said tha. no citizen Of any community
had 4 right, without lust cause, 10 Ito any act
which would leopard the lie Of his ncishborS
or render their property less secure and valua-
bic, and having said the States OF this MON
stand TO each other in respect 10 life and pro,
pcrtv n individuals do to each other
it follows that no State has the right
To do amy act, or 20 tolerate its citizens
within It's limits. and within It's jurisdiction
doing any act. which is 10 bring into peril The
life OF any citizen OF any state Of this mon,
or to render his property less secure NJ vaIu'
able. That this Is true. all must admit. Then
il follows, ~ i necessary corollary, that if any
State has done any act. OF permitted its citizens
TO do any act, within It's limits. which tends 10
thwart Justice, To disturb domestic tranquility,
and To prevent the promotion oi the general
welfare. that such acts have not only been vio'
latiyc of the objects and purposes for which
the Onion was iorIncd, but also ~viOlativc OF all
the objects and purposes upon which society
rests. Have the Northern States done, or per
United their ~citizelS within Their limits to do,
acts which tend to impcril the lives and 10 rem
der insecure and Of less value the property OF
the citizens Of the Southern States Some 81
the Northern States. II rot all Ui them, have,
bv law or resolution, denied the iish: Of the
Southern people To hold negroes As property
they have denied that raan can hold property
in man; they have assumed the right To say
what shall be property in Tie Southern States,
rs well as III their Own States. At the iorma
llbl4 ~ l4.' 7 lssDiI, ~ "''' ''''c''FN' ''
p~ropcrtv in every State which formed tho
: Union thcr were recognized ard treated a.
articles Of commerce and thcy are tlD only
articles specifically tanned in the Cunstitu,
ton, and upon which Congress was All
tho.iscd to lay a tax or duty. lScc
Constitution OF the United States. Article !,
IN This heinz the case, no State has any
right to sav that Il negro shall not be Il slave.
100, ,..,l;,, a.. ..st, it,tt- my. ,tp,. fb1n ~
has 4 right TO sag no man shall claim property
in :. vessel. horse or CO.'S. II any Southern
State in the Uni0n were to deny the right Of 4
maa to hold property in vessel, and dcnouncc
vessels a. i nuisance, because they are some
times used in carrying negroes to the free
: States, and pass laws 10 burn ali vessels that
came in her waters, she would excite the wrath
Of the civilized world. and lac dcaicned by its
howis or murdered by its people; and yet, the
right of property III u vessel ! based upon and
sustained Nv the same law upon which the
right Of propcrt? in a negro slave, a horse or a
COW rests.
The Constitution Of the United States,
Amendments. ilah article. provides, mo per.
son shall be- deprived Of life. liberty or proper.
" without due process "i law: Aor >llalI Pm
waite property be taken FOR public use without
Just compensation. What property WAS con
,cmplatcd "a br guarded and protected hy
tins provision: All things at that tine re-
c~ogniscd is property, by the States forming the
Union: and Is negro slaves were then rccos'
ni>cd aS property by al the States, II follows that
negro slaves are embraced III the word proper
u. and ~ private property II cannot hc taken,
even ior public use. without Just compensation.
Whatever u State or the people q! Il State can
not. consistently. do, 10 Individual citizen cal
DO. II no State has II right TO do any act
which may tend 10 put II jeopardy the lie I"
the citizens ii other States ~ 10 render less Sc
cure and valuahI" their property, then it fol-
lows, that no State can properly pern'it any act
TO hc done by individuals WITHIN IT'S limits,
which may tend to impcrIl the lives OF citizens
in other States. and 10 render less secure aId
valuable their property. The aboll;ionistS meet
in open day, in many If not all the Free states
and ayow iacIr ohicc; 81 bc the abolition OF slave
rs everywhere; they encourage thcnegrocSoi The
South To rrI away from their masters; they IN
wife the negroes I" INSTRUMENTATION and rebellion,
Thus the aholl;ioniStS III the free States iInpcrl
our lives. and render less secure and valuable
our property; anu a. yet. no Tree State has cV
or passed any law to restrain or punish them
The States, by aLoiishing slavery within thcii
limits. haze thus paced themselves III an anna
goniS;icai position 90 those in which slavery
exists. By aboli,hIng slavery and prohibitin:
it in the free States, aud allowing the peopl,
within tir free States 10 attack slavery in ANY
and every form they may choose, justice ha:
been defeated. and domestic tranquility great!
disturbed in the Southern States. The object,
for which tic Union was formed have failed
Justice cannot he established or tranquility re
stored in the Southern States except hy the
action Of the NorticIu States.
Will they take such action. As will secure t
us Justice AMI insure to Us domestic tranquil
t.: | believe ana fear they viii not. Madness
seems TO role The hour. and | fear reason anu
Justice have been scare. from their places ant
prnprictY. Sooner or later. and from preScn