Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-01-22
Tho CrIttcnden Resolutions,

Tho CrlttcNden Resolutions.
The two issues now occupying the excited
interest Of our General Assembly are: lst, Shall
the State Of Virginia make an overture to "our
Northern brethrcny' end, Shall this overture
be made on the "tasis" of the "Crittendcn re-
solutions =
Why the General Assembly shoula at all
concern itself with such questions, at this tinle
is also q question which naturally interests
public attention. After having acknowledged
their own incompetency to deal with the crisis,
by issuing call for convention Of the people !;
after carefully attempting to avoid all share Of
responsibility for the action, by requiring that
the people, assembled at the polls shall, by a
direct vote, fix, beforehand, the limit Of powers
to be exercised by the convention; after all
this, it might not unnaturally be supposed
that the General Assembly would not attempt
to iorcStal, by its own or the action of its
agents, that Of the Convention. And yet
in such case, what would become Of the Com
mittec on Federal Relations -
This "committee, it seems, is altogether in
capable Of that masterly inactivity which it so
confidently recommends to the population and
Governments Of so many States 1t must do
something. The initiation Of n grand inter
State conference, is the object aimed at; FIVE
commissioners to be appointed, and the request
issued to all the States, that they will respec-
lively appoint other Commissioners the Com
misSioners to assemble on the 4th DAY of Feb
ruary, to deliberate for an uncertain period OF
tine, after the expiration of which they are to
report to Congress any terms Of adjustment
which may be determined on, in order that
Congress may IF it so choose) submit the
same to the several States for ratification or re.
lection; or, if no terms Of adjustment can,
after the lapse OF an indeterlnnate period, be
agreed upon by the Commissioners, then the
Commissioners of Virginia must report such
fact TO the Executive Of the State.
We would suggest the humble opinion, that
the present position of Virginia ought not to
permit the tender on her part, Of any overture
whatever, to the Northern States. II we must
! make the first advance towards States which
are wasing war against us in the name OF
deccncy, let it be in the shape, not Of an orer-
tu,~, but of decided ultimatum. We also opinc
that neither the General Assembly nor its
board of Commissioners, is competent to tender
an ul.imatum, in presence Of the fact that the
people ore about to assemble in sove-
reign convention. Even the convention, when
; assembled, will hardly, we trust, resort to
overture or ultimatum, before placing the State
in position which will enable her to make
the advance with dignity and effect. While
We are writhins rnder aggression; when no
step has been taken to TiEdicate our outraged
dignity and nsuted sovereignty; when the
powers Of the Federal Government are welded,
in effect, exclusively BY our enemies; when
these enemies thus hold our strong places
and are daily employing them to eoeres
US to submission; while Harper's Ferry
is held by Federal troops; while Fortress Mon
roe closes its gates to the admission OF our cltI-
zens; employs its garrison in daily labors oil
reinforcement; and in nightly and steatthy
removals Of powder from the vicinity OF Nor
folk and Portsmouth; while our harbors are
occupied by mcn.ol.war bearing "seatsdo orders
ior the cnpoylnent Of force against Southern
States; aclils oar Legislature dares not eren
demand that the Federal Government shalt
abstain from altering the status ct our }o'ts
and a.sehals; surely, at such time, Fir-
ginia overture is dcspicablc; Virginia ultl-
matum is ridiculous.
Our "Commttce on Federal Relations" does
not contemplate the tender Of an ultimatum'
That Committee only proposes an overture
not an overture, either, Of negotiation for the
attainment Of equal adjustment; but an over
ture Of immediate concession and deliberate
submission. This is sufficiently obvious when
that body openly recommends the "Crlttenden
Resolutions" as 'basis'' of adjustment ANY
s.adjustment' on such 'basis, involves the
submission of Southern men, the subsection OF
Southern States. Any Southern man who Is
willing to accept such basis OF adjustment,
proc,aims himself at once a srBNlsSIoNIsT; his
submission differs very slightly from that OF
any other sublnissionist; and we do not deem
il advisable to enter at present into any exact
calculation of the in6nitesimal degrees which
graduate the scale Of submission.
Let US scrutinize the proposed terms oil ad-
ius,ment. The following are the items, "hlch
are recommended as JaroraJle to Southern IN
tcrests!
1st Tha, slave property shall be protected
by Territorial Governments only "ln all
the Territory South" Of the line OF 81
deg, 30 min.
ood That Congress shall have no power to
abolish slavery in the territories, arsenaIS' iortS'
dock yards, lighthouses, &c
3rd. That Congress shall have no power 70
abolish slavery in the District OF Columbia,
,,ntil Subsequent to the abolition Of slaeery an
Tiyinia and Maryland, and then, only with
the consent Of majority of voters i'll the DIS
t-;c, and the monied remuneration OF such
shareholders as shall refuse such consent
3rd. Congress shall have no power 10 pro-
hibit the interstate slave trade.
4,h. Congress shall have power to remrne
rate citizen whose fugitive slave shall have
been taken from him by violence, and 10 that
end an adequate tax shall be imposed on the
county or city where such violence shall 'e
committed.
5th. fsaeral office holders shall, in any
oven, bc uermittrd to hold slaves in the Dis
trict of Columbia
9Th. The foregoing regulations, and certain
articles Of the Constitution, shall be perpetual
aud incapuble of alteration by any constitu-
,ional amendments which the sovereign States
NAV hereafter desire to make
m .baaes NJ foHy ',rouid not our adju'feFs