Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-12-14

orcunent in our favor, for although the conciu'
sion from the premises already stated Is ""rc
bic, still its propricty may be made ye' ~
apparent, by reference to other passages
history Of the Constitution. ro,st;.
In the Convention which formed the JUS psn
tuition on the 29th day OF May, l'oi, CO..
dolph offered a plan OF a government
ries Of resolutions, the 9th Of which, a!'ef e"u
mcra,ing various powers which ousht "
conferred on the Federal Government, eo'ciu.
ded with these words, land 10 call lortn ~
force of the Union against any memoei o WV
Union falling to fulfil its duty under the al.-
cIess thereof" On the slst Of May, the !sso-
lutions Of Mr.. Randolph being under eohsiael-
alton, Mr.. Madison said THAT the more ,e
Elected on the use OF force, the more ne uouo'
ed the practicability, the justice, the eincac! u
it when applied to people collectively ana NOT III,
diyidually. A union oithc States containing s".''
an Ingredient seemed to provide Tor It's OWL ue-
struction. The Use of force against i oa'e
would look more like Il declaration q! war
than an infection Of punishment, and "oulu
probably be considered by the party attacked
rs a dissolution of all previous comPacS ~
which it might he bound. lie hoped thats'ich
q system would be framed rs might render inns
resource unnecessary, and moved that inc
clause be postponed. This motion was agreed
10 nm cons vol. Mad. papers, 732-I6l. "A,
another time, on the Sth Of june, he treated
the idea Of using force against Il o'a'e IL "
sionary and fallacious."
The subject was afterwards revived 10y Mr.:
Patterson, of New Jersey, but it was repudlatcu
by Mr.. Hamilton is Impossible, as a way De-
tween the parties, and a dissolution oil the Cuioh
will cpslc."-p. ISL. 1t was subsequently
brought Up again incidentally, in n debate, "heh
George Mason secuted it and said, viii not 'he
citizens of the invaded States assist one another,
until they rise as one man and shake oil inc
| Union :ltocethcr:' And he was followed ana
backed by Luther MARTIN; aud the idea OF coer'
| cling a Stale was not broachcd again.
Thus it appears, not only that the power 70
coercc :, State was no. granted, but, when asked
/ for, wal expressly refused. Can any man douG'
now, even If we be the lowest and most slaf'so
Of the submissionists Will not the people
trent the man who talks of coercing a State, as
they would the successor Of John Brown? !
Mr. Madison ever did maintain contrary doc
trine, in correspondence with Mr.. Alex. Hives
ut a later period of his life, it is to he ascrlbet
10 the timidity and decay Of aye, and Mr.. klvc'
may well regret that he ever exposed his weak
ness.
Mr. Buchanan, however, in that most re
,nsrkable of all Presidential messages, while
he comedies that there is no power OF coercion
denies the right OF secession. This is indeed
the foundation of Il new school OF Rhetoric n!
well as Of Political Ethics. The State has III
right to seccle and yet no power has the RICH
to prevent her from seeding! | had Away!
understood that in L slate Of legal society
there WIS n remedy for every wrong, and tina
right ald duty were corvelatIve, and, therefore
if | have 40 right To do Il thing, it is my dut!
not to do il, and some party or power ha'
the right to prevent me from doing 1t o
to punish us for doing it. But it !
immatcrial to press th@. inquiry, because I'll
material value Of the right TO secede Is that
imposes the corrclative obligation upon ever
one to permit secession, and il 1t he concedd
that there is no right TO prevent it, by fore
then it matters not whether in AZ ethical pot
Of view, secession isrishtful or not, as whetEr
rightful or not, it Is peaceful, and if peaccil'
it is imma,erial whether it is rightfnl so faTis
the other States are concerned. But if us
not to be peaceful, then it is of the grarest N
p~ortance 10 show that it is rightful, Us live
shown, and TO point out the i'll consequence OF
surrendcrinG the right, which | will d III
another cllapter, with your leave.
NrRGrSrg.