Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-08-17

1 SUOM luul III r.n
.;.tsni Inf the same nve, that il was IN 1915;
md will On further and show that the dotters
in VIRGINIA who are sustaining Dreckinrldse
and Lane and opposing Judge Douglas, are
r,,;ltv Of the ~nrosscst inconsistency, especially
SsHv frir,d the Senior Editor, and those who
,r.rc ,nrmbcrs of the State Convention in 1918.
Il will he recollected that Ten. Cass' famous
Nicholson letter was published December
olth 1877, It is not denied that Gen. Cass
in th,, l,rtr ayowcd the doctrine OF popular
sora..joniv Indeed, before the letter was pub
I;sbo1 limited States Senators have avowed in
nnnn Sonate that it was submitted to
tbom, and other leading men Tor advise
ment upon this very point Senator
Davis. of Mississippi, says the letter was shown
- HIM that he opposed the doctrine at that
800 a,J no man can read that letter who
t"noH.s ,hc meaning of words, and fail to see
tho Ioctripe OPENLY avowcd, lis the following
extracts will show:
CoD Cass savs:-"The Wilmot Proyiso has
been before the country some time IL has
been repeatedly discussed in Congress, and by
the public press. am strongly Impressed
with the opinion that a great change has been
| going on in the public mind upon inns SUBJECT
in my own as well as others; and that doubts
are resolving themselves into convictions that
the pyincipk it involves should be Kept ont Of
the National Legislature, ant tcJt 10 the PEG.
PIE Of tie conftie'ucy IA their re.peeftee t"cat
governments"
Spcaking OF the action Of Congress in rela-
ton to legislalinS for the Territories, he says:
at should BIZ limited to the creation Of pro-
ncr governments for new countries, acquired
or settled, and to the necessary provision for
tI,eir eventual admission into the Union, tear-
inn, in the mcantine, to The people inhabitiny
them to regulate their internal cohcsTitS ,th
TIER 0cn rdy.
In summing up, he says: "Bricily, then,
I am opposed to the exercise OF any Jurlsdic-
ton bv Congress over this matter; and am
in favor of leaving 10 the people of any Terri
tory which may be hereafter acquired, the
right to ~legislate il for themselves under the
general principles Of the Constitution. be'
ccausc do not see in the Constitution any
Grant of the requisite power of Congress: and
am not disposed 10 extend a doubtful prece.
dent beyond It's necessity, the establishment OF
Territorial Governments t7hen needed, icactng,
To Tie inhabitantS all tie rights compatible
rith tie r~eiaiionx they benr u the cohTraer"-
tim"
And finally, he closes with the declaration
that the Wilmot Proviso seeks to take from its
Ieqitimate tribHmal Il question OF domestic
policy, having no relation to the Union, as
such, and to transfer it /" another, created Ny
the people for 4 special purposes and foreign
to tic subject matter involved in this lSsue.-
By going back to our true principles, we 20
back to the road Of peace and safety. L'are
10 HE pcopl, mho piNbe niiccted hy this ques-
iiou. 10 adjus: IL upon their omn reY"nsibiH-
I'm and in their own manner, and we shall rem
der another tribute to the original principles
Of our government, and furnish another guar
antcc for its pcrlianencc and prosperity. Tue
italics are my own.
With Il full knowledge Of these views oil
Gen. Cass, the Convention in Alabama was
held in the latter part of January or the tlrSt
of February. uale Of the resolutions adopted
bv that Convention was, "that they would, un'
der no political necessity, support, either ioT
the Presidency or Vice Presidency, any pers"h
acbo sbaU not he The. Hrm mt dcOrtd opponent
nf mn aIan or doctriar which in any way IN
tcrEeres will! the rights Of the citizens Oh any
one State to possess and enjoy all Their proper
~ in anv Territory which may be acquires W
fine Union. rs fully, completely and srcllrely as
citizens of any other State shall enjoy theirs,
&c. This resolution was adopted ny tie Coi-
ycntion in Alabama us M expression oI lnei
dissent from the doctrine OF popular sovereign
ty in the Nicholson letter, coupled "ilha pledse
that prevented that Convention from support
inr Gen. CasS sllouid lie or any other Ind'T!du-
n holding similar opinions be nominated by
thc National Convention to assemble in May.
Gen Cass was the most prominent candidate
FIR the nomination ut that time; he was my Ia
vor;,c ,caiust the world for the Presidency.
When in committee the chairman, Mr.. john
: C,skic read the resolutions. stated that
they were not satisfactory to mt, hut did not
cav in what particular. was asked to o!ler
an amendment if | thought proper. offered
mono. for the reason that, 50 far as the prtnet'
alice involved in the resolutions were concern
c1 endorsed them then and endorse them
nov. but did not wish 10 knock '(0"h ten.
(ays ,r;ih one haad, and help mp AR. CHlhon"
wiIh the other-which was plainly tho object
or tho Alabama resolution, embracing rs it did
,Lo distractions Of the latter, and containing 1
,Lsdca AGAINST the rcrraer, which was cvinccd
iy lion. ". l.. Yancey in 1913 at the Baltl'
more Conventions. ,
T],c committee, after reaching the African
Church, where the Convention was III session,
before handing in their report, met Tor ilrthcr
consultation in 4 room III the cast emu OF inc
building. there complained again that the
resolutions, If adopted in their present shape
would not allow lis to support Geil. lass II Ie
we're nominated by the National Convention
which was to meet in May. was dccIucd ny
the committee to report the resolutions.
That the friends Of Gen. Cass should not he pre-
cludcd from supporting him, should he be nom
mated, | determined to resist the action Of the
committee upon that point, in the convention,
as far as possible. With this view, so soon as
the report of the committee was handed in, |
asked a friend, a delegate from Petersburg,
gentleman whoss sagacity and Judgment IN
blaming a political campaign, and taking posi-
lions. / had great confidence in, to pay partlcu,
lar attention to the reading OF the resolutions
-cspecially the 9TH, Sth, and 9th-asi my oPln'
ion was, that as they then stood, ii Gen. CnsS
should Lc nominated, the Democratic party Of
Virginia could not support him that II alter
hearing the resolutions read he concurred with
inc to make the point before the convention, and
that if any speaking was necessary | would
bc with him. So soon as the reading Of the
resolutions was over, the gentleman to whom
had spokcn asked that the 7lh, Sth, and 9th
resolutions be read agaiti, which beng done,
he Immediately raised the question. 10y way ol
inquiry, whether, SHOULD Wen. C"SS NC no'n',
mated by the National Convention, we would
not bc prccludcd from supporting him by the
terms of the resolutions? y lew remarks IN Il
conversational way were ln'!nlGcd IN by dllier.
ent members. Which were not distinctly heard
by mc-and fearing that the question would
remain undecided, | rose FROM my seat and
commenced! addressing the convention, when
was stopped hy 4 friend, with the remark that
it was ali right, the point was saved, Sc could
~s,,pport Cas- under the resolutions, should he
he the i!nmincc.
Whether any, anil if any, what amendment
was made | am not able to say. All wanted
was the sanction Of the Cnnrcntinn that the
terms of the resolutions would not prevent ouI
supporLing General Cass should he be noinina
ted. This obtained.
Alabama had set her trap 1" catch General
Cass. ltrconired close engineering If we adopt.