The day book. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1857-1867, 1860-01-12
THE DAY BOOK.
From the Richmond Enquirer.
Legislature of Virginia.
MESSAGE FROM GOV. LETCHER.

message from Governor Letcher, which was
read, and OF motion of Mr.. THOMPSON,
was laid On the table and 1000 extra copies
ordered to be printed:
Gentlemen Of the Senate and
House of Delegates:
| commence my term as Chief Magistrate
of the Commonwealth of Virginia at an
important and eventful period in the history
OF the State and of the Union. No one OF
nv predecessors has taken upon himself the
duties and responsibilities of the office under
the same circumstances. The Legislature
and the people expect from me, therefore,
an expression of my views upon the absorb
ing questions of the day, and some sugges-
tious looking to the future.
The Constitution of the United States, as
ordained and established by our fathers, was
designed to ''form more perfect union, es-
tablisa Justice, insure domestic tranquility,
promote the general welfare, and secure the
blessings of liberty to ourselves and our pos
terity." they construed it with reference
to these desirable objects, and as might have
been expected, union, harmony and broth
erhood existed between the different sections
law and order prevailed justice and
right were respected-the rights of persons
and property were fully recogniZed-and
each State was permitted to regulate it's do
mestic institutions without interference from
citizens of the other States. Confidence and
!raternal affection existed between the peo-
pie of all the States in those earlier and bet
ter days of the Republic.
This happy condition OF things continued
for many years, and was interrupted, only,
by the interference of citizens of Northern
States, with the rights and institutions of
the Southern. But for the war which has
been so perseveringly waged against the in.
situation of domestic slavery, as it exists
amongst US, an institution with which they
have no right to intermeddle, we would have
continued to live tremendously together, and
the ties of fraternal feeling and affection
would be strong now as ever before, In the
history of the Confederacy. This wanton in
reference thus commenced, and so offensive
ly persisted in, has produced the present
alarming crisis, and has brought the Union
of the States to the verge OF destruction.
The Northern people now insist that there
must be no more slave territory, no more
slave States, and that the Fugitive Slave
Law, must be repealed, or so essentially
modified, as to render it valueless for the re-
covery of slave property. In Massachusetts,
Wisconsin, Vermont, and perhaps other
non-slaveholding States, the Fugitive Slave
Act has been practically and effectually null
lifted and rendered imperative.
The Massachusetts, act declares that the
writ oI habeas corpus may be issued by eth
err of their Courts, and even by "any JUS
tice of the peace" in term time or vacation,
and upon the return of such writ, the fugi-
tive slave may demand trial by jury, and
if the jury shall disagree, the issue may be
submitted to another jury, or continued to
next term, at the discretion Of the Court;
that no confessions; admissions or declara-
tions of the alleged fugitive against himself
shall be given in evidence upon the trial;
that the Governor by and with the advice
and consent of the Council shall appoint
commissioners in each county to defend tu-
gitives, who are to pay all witnesses eXpen-
ses, clerks fees, officers fees and other ex-
penses, and they are to have these, and
all reasonable charges for their services
as attorney and counsel in the case, paid by
the State Treasurer; and the act also pro-
hibits their jails, prisons, or other places OF
confinement, from being used for the impris-
onment OF persons claimed as fugitive slaves.
(See Session Acts, 1855, page, 924. The
act of Wisconsin is seven more stringent in
its provisions for the protection of fugitive
slaves than the acts of Massachusetts,. [See
revised Statutes 1858, page 9l2. The act
of Vermont declares that no person within
the State shall be considered as property, or
subject as such to sale, purchase or delivery;
that the fugitive slave may have the benefit
of trial by jury-that every person who
may have been held as a slave, who shall
come, or be brought, or be in this State,
with or without the consent OF his or her
master or mistress, or who shall come, or be
brought, or be involuntarily, or in any way,
in the state, shall be free; and denounces
against every person who shall hold the flu
gitive as a slave, the penalty of imprison-
ment for not Less than one nor more than
fifteen years, and fine not exceeding two
thousand dollars. See Sessions Acts, 1858,
page AZ In other Of the non-savehOlding
States, Qf | am not mistaken similar leg
isation has been employed to defeat the
execution of the law, within their limits.
They maintain the doctrine OF an ''irre-
pressibe conflict" between free and slave
labor, which, under their teachings, has
produced its first fruits in shedding Virginia
blood upon our own soil. The friends OF this
kind of legislation, and the supporters OF
these mischievous doctrines, WELD the Exc
cutive, Legislative and and judicial authori-
ty of the non-slaveholding States, with
scarce an exception. In the Senate OF the
United States the Republican party num-
bers upwards OF twenty, and in the House OF
REPRESENTATIVES more than one hundred, all
elected by the votes of non slaveholding
States, and all endorsing and approving
these obnoxious doctrines and measures.
few years ago this party was very small in
each branch of Congress, and'we were assur-
ed that they represented comparatively
small number of fanatics, with whom the
great body of Northern people had no sym
patty, and who entertained no principles
and doctrines in common with them on
these questions.
1t is readily and cheerfully conceded, that
a large portion of the citizens OF the non
slaveholding States are loyal to the oonstl-
tuition and the Union; but it is not to De
disguised; that large number are lnditter-
emit to both, and would prefer dissolution
OF the Union to the extension of the slave
territory, or the increase OF slave States
They desire to contAe slavery to the States
in which it now exists, and the sympathy
manifested for Jno Brown and his associates
in crime, gives reasons to fear that they are
not prepared to aid in putting down at
tempts to interfere with the institution, even