Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1860-03-02
with all wI.o war upon tie South and its inst-

tulonS.
At first this organization excited no feeling
, Of uneasiEcsS NJ the South We could not be-
licrr that n party having no distinct principle;
! upon which they proposed to administer tn,
/ government could long survive. We could not
! believe that 4 iartv with no other object than
: Il cTilSadc upon the South ard her institutions
could survive the just Indignation Of the Con-
! sltn.ionnring men Of the North. But sir,
| the presence oi one hundred anl twelve Black
Republicans upon this floor shows how utterly
taiaciouS that hope Was. These men repre-
sent an aggregate constituency OF twelve mil
! inns Of people. wlln derlare tina! their object,
! thcir purpose AMI their Intention is TO drive the
! South from all the Territories belonging to the
Government. That is the issue. 80 confident
are thcr Of accomplishing their purpose: 81
reliant are they upon their eighteen millions to
lash us into submiSSiOn-and ! will here re-
mark that such IN argument may be potent
and conclusive at the North, but il IS orc that
VIC o! the South shall never regarG--so conf
dent arc they Of accomplishing their object, re-
! lying. Is they do, upon the force Gt numbers
to accomplish il. now That the South is ihii>
surrounded and ail hope o: expansion or g.
cape is cut cit they declare that the irrcircssi-
Bile conflict has begun, ard that, for tie Future.
ibis Government shall have all slave or all free
labor. That is the position assumed by the
leaders ard representative men OF the Black
| Republican party; and their followers upon
this .lo0r are trying to endorse it BY the clcc-
ton of Jorx SHERMAN, who indirectly endorsed
! John Brown in endorsing the Helper book
Sir, it is against that doctrine and that
damnins hcreSy that we Of the South have
taken up arms and speak only fer Viz
gnia--wc will never surrender theta until this
Black Republican party is disbandcd and It's
purposes are disayowed hy the people of the
North. You may boast Of your eighteen mil
lion to accomplish your purpose and point to
| the eight million Of people at the South II
war is to cHlne-and that can bc the only re-
| suit if YOU are bent OH the accomplishment OF
your obiectS-and if this Uninr is doomed 20
| perish the historian who in !iit!Irc years re-
| cords the events which led to that culamitcus
result, will devote his first chapter to The ag,
grcssions OF the North. We have Never cuiI!e'i
anght but our constitutional guaranteeS-the
rights clearly given TO Us II; the pla;n AMI eS'
! rresS provisions Of the Constitution. II 10.
them, must fight: if We must tigh. in tic
| fence of our hca,ths our tsHirs, and Our
rights, let lna appeal +" yoii, IL the name q;
humanity, let me appeal 10 you rs brave iieIi,
| not to war upon the icirnr"ieSS women aE'i
/ children ri the South. NO home and sound
! yonr rcyr;lic and summon you: hosts alltl
! when the last man is hchln,i your cnlTcncn.
ments aai You arc rcauv, we viii come, aI''!
our only r.,:rCt will be that yr'! had no more
! for us 10 G.h
/ Sir, have no sympathy with that doctrine,
which have heard expressed upon tnlS tl0o",
! that if the North. or any State cf this Union,
! in the exercise DI lis sovereignty, iUr reasons
which to itself sculn sufficient, chooses TO Witt
! draw iron this conlcucrac;, they are to h2
| ashcd into submission. When the compact
which formed this conicticracy is violated. each
State falls back into its original posLion-lnto
the exercise oi It's sovereignty aiid i:S iIaitcn-
able rights. Violate tic laws which govern the
material world and IFS cclucnts are no longer
subject to the control which makes the system.
| Violate the organic law o! O!!r existence aN -
cnnicrirracv. and each element composing It Is
aS free from constraint Is the winds oi heaven.
!! That law you Of the North have violated. &C
have heretofore submitted We have acGul-
esccri in and borne denial Of Justice. We
have done more. We have borne your agSrc--
Sions on the rights guaranteed to US by the
! pau provisions oi thc Constitution; we have
! vic!ed to these a@gressiuns !or the sake Of the
! t'non: we have ac,Iiiescc,l in 0nc-Sded COM
promises, and Whitfield aw"y or constitutional
Guarantees, until our love for the Union has
been aScribed to stupidity, and our submission
~ Gnwarticc. You Of the Norlh have stolen
our property. and when our citizens have gone
! North il; search Of the thcTcS, you have IN
suited. hara.*ed imprisoned, anu sometimes
| brutay murdered them. Not content Win
robbin- lis Of :Sij 900 nI1 worth ol slaves the
descendants of those slaves which our ihtherS
bought from yonr iathrrs-thc money thus
! transferred to you tor the purchase oil those
slaves now constituting the basis OF Tue caPital
employed in your Northern Factories; not con-
! tent with taxing tic labor oi the descendants
OF those slaves in order to increase the profits
upon that capital not content with thus, you
! have sent hired emissarics from the North 10
claim and receive the generous hospitality ni
| the South, in order that you might gain access
TO orr slaves to excite them to rapine, inslirrrc'
| ton and murder Failing in all this, you then
! send John Brown, with all the munitions "l
! war, 10 murder Our citizen: III the dark and
! silent hours Of the night And Your followers
| on this floor are required. by the election q
John Sherman. to endorse that acton.
This irrcpressible conflict doctrine Is i0r TIC
ruture. to I've the " shibbolcth' Of the RcpGb!I-
can party; and you desire to place over cur
deliberations here living representative Of the
irrepressiblc conflict doctrine. Thus YOU seek
10 make Mr. Sherman, who is the Representa-
tive Of that doctrine, tile Speaker Of this onse.
| Against this we socnnly protest lo" laugh
at our protest and significantly point at your
eighteen million people Thus you run SO lar
| in advance Of the Constitution in your aggrcs
sous on the South. that even vonr pharlsalcal de
yotion to it vinot permit you 70 1.ioIc 1t 'lS ai
thority for your cXaclionS, but openly aF'" your
intrnt;nn tu resort to arce. But ! warn YOU
NOT in anv spirit of menace but in the spirit o
one who loves his country, that You nave g0n'
,lrc,,}y further than We can or will permit YOU
You have reached that point atwhlrh outrage'
humanity ceases Ia reflect upon the cDnSr
nlcnces Of its action. Nor will we Ineckly anr
submissirely ask for the maintenance and pro
lection Of our rights guaranteed by the Constl
tuition: VIC will demand them. Virginia VII
never again consent to bea s,lppiant where Sh'
has equal rights. c
Then. sir, il YOU choose to place .his Gov
ernrnent under the control Of this hgheT-la"
party; that party which is today tramrI'n!G
upon the rights Of portion OF the states II
this Union: which is now acting i'll violation
the Constitutions; that party which Is to-day
living in open rebellion to the Constitution an'
laws Of the country; then, do what J kno"
your purpose is, elect William Il. Seward a a:
President of this Republic. Notwithstanding:
all the eloquent gentleman from ONO Mr.
Corwin has said, knowing that Mr. Sewar'
is the representative even of nil the hereseS o
the North, and consequently that he was TIN
man best calculated to secure the position q
President of the United States in the Rcpuhl'
can party, he thought ii expcdicnt in the eXcr
else Of that conservatism for which ! under
stand him, at home, to be remarkable IN ina
marty, to undertake to make it appear in th
House that if Mr.. Seward were to be elected III
would disregard the doctrines winch he now
holds, and the doctrines of the party whlct
elects him. and that the election TO that mgr
post would make him national conseFVa,!''
fl,ctn