Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-11
To tic Editors OF the Enquirer.

In your paper oil TINS morning, you MI
nounce Mr.. DlJarne:te, us o candidate for re-
election to the Congress OF the lnotl Unitec
States, with a very just co%Inmendatlon of him
No man spproyes more thoroughly and cor.
iially than | do, the course Of Mr.. De Jarnett-
.ince he has been our representative, and n.
me will vote for him. more cheerfully than ]
sill. to represent us in & Congress, i'm whic,,'
N nv opinion, Virginia Gun appear with pro
,ri-ty. But, I subu,i. to sou, und to The pee
Ole Of this District, whether Virginia can, witt
oroprie,y or hanur, apvcar, by her deputies i!
the Congress q d party which is now, at thi..
moment, engaged il sc:ua! war upon TIN
southern Statcs-,hs first duty Of Ehcsr
congress will be to justify that wa, and t.
raise men and money from Virginia, us we..
IS the Black Republican States, 10 carry it Oh:
So appearing in that Congress and particl
plting in its deliberations, Virginia will &C,
';nowlege its authority and he bound by IL
: cts, and thus, instead oi resisting cocrclois.
.ccording to the resolutions Of he7 Legislature
md Contention, she will hs one Of ;he ca
crcionists.
She will he actually making war upon the
South, for the benefit Of the Back Republicans
ot the North, while many brave and genernu-
! ~ lI NV va ~
the South against that war.
cannot believe that Virginia can ever sinh
20 low in the scale OF h~amaniiy-can ever be
come 80 base; and, therefore, | cannot under.
stand how she can send Delegates 10 the Ion.
,rcss OF the blnrk Republicans.
Nor can | understand how Mr.. DeJarnetse,
nr any Other Virgiuiau, Can consent to take his
seat in such a Congress. The first thing h.
will have to DO will be to take an oath TO sup
pert the constitution Of the United States
What United States? No: the United States
II America. for the States Of Americs are moi
now united, and The constitution ma it existed
for them is not III existence, and as II Srena t.
me. therefore, the >oaln will not be true, AMI
canno. be Kept. Bat, if 1t may De truly laksl',
how vii! it be fulfilled and keptf WI! .he
Delegate from Virginia support i h7 voting to
enforce the laws which the Congress may
pass, and thus vote men and money to defend
Fortress Monroe, and Fort Pickens, and recap
lure Moultrie and Sumter, in fact to carry oui
var against the States which have seccdedP
do not know how others may feel abou: il
but | would not take such all oath 10 save
every Black Republican, Oh earth from pcrdi
ton.
submit, therefore, to The people Of thi:
District, and to the people Of Virginia, wheih
CT thew will elect delegates to the next Con
-ress Of, what is falsely called, the United
States, to be held at Washington.
am satisfied that the people Of Virginia.
large majority of them-are in favor of imlne.
diate secession from the union with tue Black
Republicans, and The formation Of G unioI;
with our brothers OF the South. Nest un
fortunately for the peace Of the country tfr
Convention now in session has differed with:
them, and By e corrsc Of procrastination un
exampled under similar circumstances, it has
involved Us in war. do not mean to say that
It has Intentionally involved US in war, for such
I do not believe has been the purpose Of the
great body Of the Convention. Indeed, i!
there be any such in the Convention, the
number is, / am satisfied. certainly | hope.
very small. Nevertheless, from various causes.
the chief among which, I believe, has been ar
ration for an old governmental fabric which
they seem not to be aware has been converted
into O t~attering.ram, the present Convention
of Virginia, Il say it with deep regret anG
morti6cation) has SO managed and maneu-
vred, that it is justly responsible for the war
which is now upon ia. and may desolate
our land, nay most probably will, ere it ceeseS.
#, instead OF clinsing to the old timbers. like
mariners in a wrecked ship, who feared the
surf and the breakers, while Lincoln and Sew
ard hid out false lights from the shore, the.
had boldly manned their life boat and defe!
both surf and breaker, they would now be
standing safely upon a hospitable shore, sur
rounded by rejoicing friends, instead Of being
received. as now they will be, amidst the bleed
ing bodies Of their slaughtered ccnAtrymen,
BY shouting savages ready to ''welcoms them
with bloody hands TO hospitablc graves"
Woe, woe, to the land, that 80 many men OF
sense and patriotism shouldnot only have com
mitted such a blunder, but still persist in
laundering on, with e funeral note, into II
burial conference IF the Border Stalcs--esnr
reciion from which will occnr when all the
politicians, place hunters and Presidential as
pirants shall find their winding sheets convert
cd into purple robes.
Let Us leave Them to their sad rites the peo'
pie live although the Convention is dead; and
| appeal to them to terminate our connection!
with the Black Republicans by refusing IL
elect members 10 q Black Republican Congress.
The Convention, il alive, could not prevent
this. We, the people, have taken no oath &c
support u Black Republican government, ans
although our deputies may m'srcprssent US In
ofhco, and deny and %tra.aple upon that great
fundamental principle Of free representative
government, sacred as our hearth stones. and
dear to us as liberty, the right TO instruct ous
representatives., We are Yet sovereign at The
polls, and, without the aid OF q Convention, vi
can withdraw Virginia from the communicating
contact with Black Republicans, by refusing t.
elect ueubsrs to their Congress, and ~electine
members to our Legislature who will pass the
laws necessary to unite US with our brothers in
the South. Let us DO so.
Your ob't serr't,
JAMES Lyons.
LaburDu:n, April 10, 1861.