The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1860-01-09
Nirbmonb pispatfb.
MONDAY MORNING. ........ JAN. q, nso.
GENERAL As>EMsLY OF VIRGINIA.
SENATE.

SENATE.
SATURDAY. Jan. 7. ieGa.
The Senate was called To order at IL O'Clock
M
The Senate " ere informed, In the usual man.
ner, that the House had passed q number of
Senate bits.
Messsse from Gorernor Lrfeher.-- The follow.
ing mess Age. received from the Go ernor, was
read Os motion of Mr.. THOMPSON, 1.OsUcopies
were ordered TO bc printed
Gent1sneA Of the Seaass and HoMss Of pefesasss
l c. mmence my term a. Chief Mas ist1ate OF the
even.fnl persod IN the histery oi tho State sad Of
the Union. Ne one Of my 2 sdecessers he's taken
office under the ssms circumss xnces The LeeN
'atufe and the peopie expect from ,ne. therefore.
An expression of m, views upon the absorbing
question of the da, aud some sessions oosins
The Constitution of the United States. as o,
dained and established BY our fathers, w.s de
s,gaed ITO form more periect ancn. ests iish JUS
os ..cure Il, OF s, 'ss to
ou rseives and sur poaterIf,." Thes construed 1t
NH, have hem exvec,ed' nr,oa hsrmon. and
bfOt rho,,t existed between tho different sec s;
law and order ore. alsed. justice and r,knt wsre
ful recog nixsd: and each State permitted to
regulate its domestic Institutions without inter
ference fr,.n cltzens from the okh41 afa4 Con
sdsnce md frttsraHi asctsae Sxisl1 between the
psc Is Of Al hs states IN Ut Sc earlier and better
This h,ppy condition of things continued for
man, years. and wss interrupted oni, b, the m
reference of crfzens of the NOrtherH States, with
the his and Institutions OF the Sou hern But
for the winch has been SO persevernsly waSed
S.sInst tae institution OI domestic slavery. az IL
ex,s's anon MS an instirutl N with ~h,ch they
have no right 10 inter" eddie we woaid have con
of fraternal feeling and s9ect would lie as stlons
now as er before IN the history of the COufeds
racs This wautoa inter fe re nee. thus commenced
and one nsivsiy persisted IN. has produced tho
present alarm,ns crisis and has bro ant the Union
The Northern people now insist that there must
be more slave TERRITORY, no more slave States
or so essential. modified AS to render 1t vaueless
for the recovery OF slave property. In Massachu
non slsveholdin safes the fa. tive slave act has
,sen PRACTICAL, and etiectaali. nuhed and rem
ter ed IN operative.
The Massachusetts, act declares that the writ Of
b. teas eo'phS may he Issued BY either OF their
Courts and even 10y amy justice OF the peace. IN
term time vacation. and upon the return Of such
the fiji :tve slave ma, dem md trial bt Jury,
and # the jur, shall disasree the issue mal he sub
mltted 10 another Jury, or continued 10 the next
teIIn At the DIS retion of the Court; that con-
LESSONS. admissions or declarations of the alle-sd
u ainst himself shall he evidence
upon the trial. that the Governor. by and with the
advi e and consent of the Council, shall ap.
polnt commissioners in each county to defend
fu -ltves who are to pay all witnesses expenses,
clerks fees, officers fees. and other expenses and
the, are to have these and all reasonable CHARGES
for their services attorney and counsel in the
paid b, tne State Treasurer a. the act also
prohibits their as prisons or other places Of CON
huement from bein- used tor the Imprisonms mt of
persons ella med as fu tive slaves. See Session
Acts 1855. PAGE 924.) The act of Wisconsin is even
more stringent in It's provisions for the protection
nt IN tive slaves tHan the act of Massac nusetts
lSee Revised statutes 1858 PAGE sl2.) The act Of
Vermont decl es hat no person with the State
shall be considered "a property "r subject AS such
to sac, purchase deli yery; that the iu tive savc
person who may have been held as slave, who
shall come or he bTou- ht or he IN The State, with
without the cons mt of his or her ster ms
tres. who shall come or he brou. hi. or be in
ynluntafi!v III any way, IN the State, shall be
hold the fu tive a slave, the penalty of i'm
prlson 'uent for not less than one nor more than
sand dollars. tSes Session Acts 1858 page ~
In other of the no"-sa yehol,iin. Stttes tIt |
not mist KEN similar le sisiatinn HIS Ueen
employed to defeat the execution OF the law. with
IN Their limits fhe, MAINTAIN the doctrine # an
lshor, uhicn. under heir teachn 8. has produced
ifs FIRST fruits IN the heddins OF Nirzinia blood.
upon our own soil The friends of his klnd at e
zlslasion. and tie supporters I these mlsehlevous
doctrines. vie II the FIX tcutive lie Isia'Ive and
Iuiciai authorlt. Of the non slaveh"lh n States,
VITA scare AN exception. In the Senate of the
United States the Retubllcan part, nunibe up
wards Of twenty, and IN tue House OF Represen-
tatives more than one hundred all elected b the
votes of non sla ehoIdns States. and ali endors
and appIovh- these Obnoxious doctrines and
measures few Years AGO this parts WAS very
small m each branch of Congress-, and we were
sured that the; repres .nted u conpsrativel, sma
number of fanatics with HON the great body of
the Northern pc tpe hac pat hy. and who
tarta,nen 40 principles and doctrines in COMMON
with them on these questions
1t is restit, and ch~e folly ceded, that large
po riInn ri The citlzens oi the slaveho! !dlnS
tut II NOT to be dis. .ulsed THAI lar.e numter
indifferent to both ard woeld pre- fer Il dssnu
ton o the tnlon 10 the extension of slave terri
tory, the increase oi sla1 States. They desire
t conhne slavery 10 the States IN which il now
exists. and tie sympathy IN infested for John
Prown and has associates IN crime give reason to
fear that they not prepared tn aid IN putting
down attempts TO inCerfere with the insti ution,
even IN the states. where 1t is recognized and pro-
tecred by law.
THIS lamentable state of things, between the two
81 ncf'on pl iced b, the Northern people upon The
Constitut on ot the United States. hey construe
tons of their Soatlern brethren. They insist that
the Constitute authorizes the adop ION of mea-
tories-rhe common progert, o. all the >tates-and
they spare effort To affirm ,hei, construction ~
ot the government territory acquired. and
territorial -"veruments were orsanized, .thout
sna eave States were admitted into the orion
Sayi passa. The Cons tuition was construed fair
y md iustl. acco dn- To lis terms and spirit-we
lived in harmon.-and ,iur prosperit, AS a nation
vas steady and unparalleled. When The Northe IN
fcsllnss were en- endei ed, crlminatlon and recr-
mination followed; and now We, find that the ties
trust has succeeded, and the kindly fteLnss o, sf-
feciion nave been s"othered D, bit er sectional
OF the Union. The only foundation upon ~h,ch
the nm Mt can feSf M r. sefuIits IS the aiise
been sntirel, Undermined 1t is nearly gone that
it becomes the conservative patriot oi the nation
To unte and determine upon line OF ro!cy that
snail severn their future act on. greatly fear,
however, that the disease has takeos ch Id upon
the Noriherr mind thatlt is almost impossible now
t. oeradIcatelt.
In thus deplorable condition Of things. with all
the evils inc dent to a dissolution of the Union
prominently before us, the enquiry presents itself
what can he done to avert the danger: TIE Su
preme Court cannot settle this question of con
struct.on because Il $ not recogn lzed by the par
ties as an arblier This has been but too palpahIy
manifested IN the utter repndiation Of the Dred
Scott decision b, the Republican party.
The only mode. therefore OF remedying the evil
thai occurs TO me. under The Constitution is pro
vlded IN the fifth article thereof Snmmon a Con
anf at a ! ffaS SfAfp n tDi and fraas
ference may be rad 5etWsen the representatives of
the people elected for this purpose and thus
not be settled upon some basis mutual, satisfac-
tory to both sections If such convention shall as
comparison of opinions they shall find that the
d aerences between the savehodng and
Of ea sas
and the adjustment, OF all ques stlons relating to the
two sections ii they can be GeconeiIed. let them en-
adjust the terms and elve them such sanctions
III render them effective.
su< gest, the refore. that you adopt resolutions
IN favor ri the call OF such a Convention. and ap
peal TO the LIE. isaturss Of the several States to
unite IN the application proposed to he made 10
Ccnsress IN pursuance of the provisions of the
tce aforesaid. II the -siavehoiding States
shs fail or refuse TO unite IN the application. such
failure or refusal will furnish conclusive evidence
Of determination on their part to keep up the agi
tatton, and TO contnRs their aggress ons npcn u.s.
II the Convention shall meet. and the question
cannot he sst, ,factoril, adjusted, it will furnish
evidence equally concln of their deterIntna
ton. In either event the people Of the South VII
clearly understand what the. are to expect in the
future.
IL Will, d,ub less, be objected to this suggestion
that 4 looks to disanIon Grant il If YOU please Is
not the dan er .f disunian imminent now and Is
not the public mind, North ard South dsepy axi-
tated by tn. appreh.nsion that the d., of the
Union are numbered! Dlsunion speeches are t,e
order oi the day in deibera,ive hoiiss State and 1
National anu the press teens with the same sort Of
mstfsr. editorial. communicated and selected -
southern LIE, isatures emp ed in considering
the best modes Of protecting the htnor aud i4hts
Of their states and are IN aking provision fr