Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-01

tutc not only one but to provide FOR many
sovcreiSntiesI Why | d,... say that there are
parts Of the world in which TIC existence ut
Rhode Island is scarcely knOwn D my
friend ever hear that Rh",i. ,lal,! was pro.
nounced sovereign, dcIlut.d. as she IS IF the
privilege Of making; herself knuni abroad by
| receiving or accrcdltinC ambassadors?
am afraid that | am prOtractinY tncse II.
marks to most unreasonable length; Lut
| think 1t important 10 escape t,D!;, aG error
IN theory, and NAL application ii tc;Il:S. Il
gentlemen mtan to shy that Virginia has
L qHasi independence " an absolute ln,!c.
pcndence, US she may cIlrnse TO assert Acr
reserved rIghts-agrecd. Bat pra,s>: tint
L State IS nu! sovereign when hss, ~ coHvcn.
ton, surrendered the mosl ssniiiciT: attributes
Of al independent empire. 50 lJ:s rs sic IS
content to retain her dis!ranchised position.
Mr.. WlsE.-Dsd you Mir Cnarmrr, ever, in
your life, hear such catalogue If questions
rs that just iterated to this Committee? Why,
my friend has not added one single qurS;ipn lo
those Of this morning Does i,r wan. us to BIZ
like the dogs that play in the yard, running
around in circle, clIasing our own tails? !
cannot reason IN that way. ! cannot reason in
circle. must reason il d!:cs! ilr, to :;
point.
Nov my friend has gwen me hrm;iy. /
nra past uajprity. have lived more than halt
a century in this World; and lie tells he that
ain very Ingenious, very GcI.cruu, in getting
over difficulties, and that like IL shDw iugc-
nu!ty, perhaps, at tie expense Of ingenious.
ness III doing so. can say ~ lny friend that
do not take that as 4 compliment. might, il
turn, say 10 hIn, that Beau Drunicil, III all
his lmpudrncc bcip,c hug Ga0rs., never di,!
exceed the bravery with whicl the G! ! federal.
lSm pou.s out Of my !!!e..d l:o!a Richmond -
(Laugh!rr)
Why, SIR, what do yoa suppose: liz stand
up beloic this assembly, and aif.cts 10 treat ll:2
ideas and arguments which | hal used to diy
as novelty, as something ncw. Why, sir. /
caiinot claim originality in single thought
have uttered to-day. am bH: repeating old
truths, which for more than forty years haY.
been repeated in the Senate ii tie United
States by the prototype Of that rnag", (p"iu.
ing 10 Caliiouns bust) gni he did nat rrpra;
them half us well as Tue Virginia f.lherS-Ihc
father Of the Federal Cons ii utlon, and the
father o! the Declaration cf lndc cpclr!rmce-rc
penird them 10 Virginia ever sncc 1876.
" What Is the first question he ask; you? II
State is in the Union can size be out OF t!r
Union? Is that question worth answering? l.
answers itself. lie then asks nc The QneSloH
As II It was the salnL-:ua Il State that has d
vested herself Of sovereign power still claim to
be sovereign? Well, s;r | can answer that
question very easily. II She h.s rvc>tcd her
self and can divvst herself OF her snvr.
rcignty, then shc is not sovereign. Th.Ic
is one thing that can Gise,t hcr-and that
Is suhjugat:on by var or otherwise; or it nay
DC that SIC may merge herself III another
people nnd not cij"y her Separate sovereignty: :
but, without going into the question Of pot"u.
tlahty, Come tO the question Of fact; In Gre
atlng this Federal Government in forming il
as II Is written before US IN the Constitutions
which they did crca,c-dd they di@est them
selves OF that sovereignty! Did Virginia give
| away her war making power? Did Virginia
give away her commercial power: Did Elr.
glnia give away her po*cr oi eminent dolnain:
She did not.
She granted, (>he was one OF ihc gr3nto;s
she Delegated, (she was one Of the dclega,;ne
powcrs,) certain Of her own powers 10 u mere
agent OF the States, 10 be exercised lyr her III
in truss, the powers still remaining lcr own -
The gent is merely their administrator. see
no difficulty 10 gefovcr there. The sen,Iemao
has not even placed Il ino..hll before nae,
much less mountain. 20 g"t around. Any man
who has hollow 10 his !oo: could stard on
this o6stdcls wthou. touching lis apex with Ike
sole Of his foot.
The gentleman first assumes that The State las
dlvcsled itself Of all powers OF wa. Of peace
Of commerce, of land and Of everything else,
and then argues from this arbitrary premise
fhof I'm Sfnfn
viouS pctNi0 princjpiL Again. | sly 10 the
gentleman, that ms definition Of .lic word
| sovcrc gn is not correct ltS no; true in po:t cal
law that nothing can be above Il soyctecnts :;
4 sovereignty recognized c'c .Juc:J and dc jnrS
All Europe knows the fact The Papa States
have been sovereign ~ lon.: us the Pope la.
sat upon the throne. How mrny years was it
during which the papal S'a'es did not elect their
sovereign themSelyeS-hai nothing to DO with
it-that the Emperor Of Germany Dictated who
should be Pope: Yet were hot the Papa! States
sovereign How many grades Of sovereignty
are there in Europe? Arc there not as lnany
as live different gradat:urs? DO You tel nle
that the King Of Holland is sovereign as Louis
NAPOLEON! DO 20 tell me tha. the Duke OF
| llesSe Casse is sovereign a.; tn: King Of HoI
land?
Mr.. MAcrAILaNp-WiIl the gentleman ;cl!
me what connection there is between the sUve.
reignty Of those States
Mr.. WI>E-I am talking not by school.
boys dictionary, bar, as ought to talk, ,..hy the
vocabulary OF political las. 1 am talking no.s
by the laws Of lp-macy, by tie law Of na.
TONS Is not Turkey tins moment sovereign
| Who will deny that Turkey is sovereign: And
yet is she not helpless, hopeless Turkey:
Yes, Sir, as weak aS that bird amuas the
fowls we call turkey, Caugh;cr) and ,c! she is
sovereign.
Are there not States OF Europe that caanc,
| make WAT without the consent cf other powers,
and this under express treaty stlpulatinns? j.
not that the case with many Of the GCrmla
States? Aud yet, ale they noi Recognized as
sovereign, and treated as sovereign b.y all tle
powers uf Europe? You have there Imre'il!
sovereignty, and Royal Sovereignty, a;d Ducal
sovereignty don't know how many
other sn"ercigntics-ull mnra or less depend.
ent, not by divcsting thcTselv,, If power, but
by simply dslcgutiIt, powc.s, a:.l crnseAling
to unite with powers, by Compact, or agree.
mcnt, or constitution, Or couvtr!0n-fur there
is almost every variety Of y me- by which
sovereign powers will crasc'.t - limit, not the
power not its own orisinal character, hnt the
mere exercise Of the poW.r That Is ali that
these States have done.
Now, want TO ask q question; but before
| do thut have word Ia say which has just
occurred to my mind. Tie gentleman asks
the : il the Federal Government shall choose
to 90 to war; however obr': :I1us it nay be &c
Virginia, yet she is compelled to n.:rci: IL ihe
field whether she is sovereign or not? Why
did the gentleman tax abou Virginia? Why
did he not refer to the I;t,uCc which occurred
in the State whore his own s,!:' u Of polite,
claims its origin; in tie State which is the
mother of the elder Adams; that State that
burned blue lights for The ,iieEiy, aud Thar
tried TO overthrow Nr. MaIson's adniniS.ra
ton because the General Government declared
the WARP She was made 10 t:h: because. hi
her own sovereign act, she hai agreed not Ia
exercise the power by hcrsci;, M. to giv. n!'
the power, but to exercise it IL COMMON with
the other States. Ad the war was made for
| bar d.fapcn f,,r tho T,L.nT. 1E .ru,lc Il