Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-28
THURSDAY MORNING, MARCH 2s, 1861

slipped in. don't know how that is sir
One reported it from the Committee us his, ant
another takes 1t up rs setting forth his opinion
Now, sir, great deal Of friendly fellowship it
aug Hng syHe with the gentleman from Harri
son. (Alr. CARLILE) would lend inc 10 spcal
kindly OF him. could not justify myself if
offered any unkindness 10 him, because have
every reason to believe that be is PERSONAL,
kind to me; but let me tell him in all candor
and with all respect, that il it shall come ,t
civil war, he and | will certainly differ, und
hs and | will DO on opposite sides, and will
have to tight each other; and would cxpcc,
TO find hun Il shtiny, if not for the Black r..
puollcanS, at all events, to STAY in NnrllIern
Con!ederacy, even if the Peace Conference
propositon should be rejected. Laughter
his Peace Conference proposition is zrro.
1t Is as low as ne could PROPOSE. II is nothing.
And the only reason perhaps, that the gen,
tleman from Augusta prefers The report of the
committee, alter all, is, that he has discovered
that the report Of the committee, although it is
grand Improvement upon the Peace Confer.
ence, may be made even moro cfrec,ual to do
nothing and to leave US where the trap VI the
dead.fal OF this crisis hss caught US, in u
Northern Confederacy.
Bat ain enlarging loo much. don't lies
ltste to say that the bold, decided, and une.
qnlSoc4l action Of the gentleman from Harri.
son, (Mr. CaRLlLE) entities hi.n 10 father this
measure Of the Peace Conference. And some
Of these gentlemen mag well say like John
| Randolph once said about the administration,
Of Thomas Jefferson. lie said Mr. Speaker,
| found William B. Giles riding in the Royal
George; and | saw John Quincy Adams aud
BarnabaS Didwcll step into the same coach
and when they sot in, sir, | thought it was
time for me TO get out j and say the gentle.
man from kanawhn, (Alr. SrMMggs,) ard the
gentleman from Augusta, CHR. BALDwIS,) left
this Peace Conference proposition just about
the time that the gentleman from Iarrison
| (Mr. CAKLlLE) came into it. Laughter
Again: gentlemen, now warm advocates Of tho
report Of the committee told Us At the opening
| Of the session OF this Convention that the peu-
Pie were our masters, and that the people were
TO be bowed down to, and that the people were
to pass judgment upon everything that We
should du in this Convention. The gentle
man FROM Harrison has done justice to hn-
sell, has done justice to the proposition, has
done nothing less tLan homage 10 the Ieople
By proposing in his amendment that the naked
question Of the Peace Conference proposition
snail be submitted TO the people. Is that the
grieranceY Does that alter it SO us TO make
other gentlemen vote agalrst it! If i, dues,
let me hear no moro about extreme defe; cucc
to the people
Sir, never was afraid Of the peoI.l. If |
have any strength before the people and with
the people, don't owe it TO any ability, per.
haps to no great merit moral or intellectual
Of any sort-no great merit but one, namely,
that never in my life was afraid 10 dlT.r with
my constituents, and | never was afraid TO tell
them so. | don't want their advice at this
time. AIN ready to act And irany ybody else
wants their advice, or if there is doubt Us TO
what is their counsel, am for referring every
| thing you do to the people.
Now what is the effect and intent u the
| propositions Of the gentleman from Harrison
! Mr.. CARTlLE: They do precisely what the act
which organized yuu Convention -Eot Il SOW
ereign but an adyl>a,ory Convcn,un-says you
| shall DO: refer any result you arrive ut To the
people for their ratification or rejection. What
ls the sort Of action that mist be refelrcdy-
Secession Union or disuEUn Nothing OF
the sort in that act, Sir-nothug ot the sort.
1t says you shall refer to the people any prop.
reaoSs fI between Eis aae ,hs 2Tssnc
Government
The gentleman from Harrison, (Mr. CAR
L1LE,)i is right lie is oUrying law OF his rep
resentatre bcing--the law tliat orSanlZed INN
member Of this Convention ard organized
the Convention for him 10 be member. Why:
Because there is not a section in tic majority
report or in the report Of The Peace Conference
but proposes 10 change the organic lIH cl the
| relations existing between this Stale and the
| General Government
Both propose nothing less than change
q material change-l am afraid destructive
change, of the old Constitution.
Again, you may tell the by and by, when my
propositions come before the House, that they
are TOO strong Mine are too strongE Well
these tel! you, 3Ir. Chairman, are 100 weak.
They are not only too weak to satisfy nue. to
satisfy my constituents, or to satisfy the com
plants of the Southern people, which are IN.
Vulnerable, intangible to legislation, undeGna,
be-aboye all they are too weak to preserve
peace.
Come down TO zero, gentlemen. Come down
10 the last peg Of demand. Be so humble that
YOU yourselves would be surprised If your pro.
positions should ie rejected. Come do*n lower,
lower still, and after you have got to the
profoundest depth OF low, lower, lowest-sup
pose then that proposition is jected-suppoSe
tkut proposition il rejected where IL peace!
Sir ike freedom, peace will Shrek and die. as
when Knsciusku fell What have you then? War
, You must Immediately secedc, aud iEnmediate5 !
: fight
Answer aggression with terms of submission
cloaked under proposals for colnpromise,-u
you may be sure that the aggressor will spur
, even your. terms Of Submission, and will pu>l
t YOU to the wall Make your demands hiSl
enough. Plant your foot firmly, not only OIL
I YOUR rights, but when once assailed step over
the halfway mark. You will find many
, friends to check you and 80 to pull you back
3 and say you are extravagant, and then yoI
. NAV step back little and bring your adverSa
ry to some point Of honorable agreement
Where, gentlemen, are you going! sec
pretty clearly. You arc going into Border
State Conference and from that into Nationa
y, Convention. And where is the matter then tc
/. terminate We are to be bound up in Northern
/ Confederacy. We are TO be dwaffed br tht
sloughins off Of eight Southern States, and VII
be compelled to treat on terms dictated bi
the Northern States themselves. Time! time
time step by step, hy dila,ory action, oy post
ponement, by propositions which will enc II
: nothing. Timel time is the great abb
ter that Is to decide where Virginia is to 60
| What nonsense TO usk the question, whero wt
are to 20. Why, where areyou Is Eirg'ni;
d boat that you can put OH the water, and row
up the coast and down the coast. Is Eirg'nI'
a Wagon that you can put upon wheels, aiit
, cart North and cart South No, sir, she Is
r blessed be God, terra .irma-as inmovabie NJ
! earth, M rock, mountain, river ard lake car
he made She is here in the latitude
. Of Of 81 ''1 deg, South of Mason & DxO"'s line
With 800 Zoo slaves. Yet slavehuld:ng Stat'
ss Ssh she is, and Southern siate as she IS, she III:
hrsn caught by the dead fall Of this crisis il
the trap Of Northern Confrdsracy, and 20,
vii will keep her there if you can. And now nj
. m hnve rot to say is that ycu have got TO d
one Of two things you have got to accomplish
one @ Of two purposes before you can satisl,
= va" pa.to-a ,he blessed old Union II you can