Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-02-28
aEzaza1,1a:i
VOLUME LVU.-NUMBEis 70

While Virginia tht has erstr;alHcd no Suci;
: idea, she can never f.il 70 remember that ll,c
4th OF March is IN ths calcnG";; ,Lat It i, :.
day which has called forth, r:,i.apI;lr Tor u,
the exercise Of that power, w!iic! belongs 10
the Government o calling 10 is MD ard Str.
vice her own war.TCrn veteran and sO!,iIrr,
T:rginia's own son, wtcm the State ui N,r.
ginia has deemed worthy of her thanks. an! as
worthy &c wear q sworG-pai:idIic as b,i!s"c
him to be, and as honest as MS purroS, wcrc-
1t is unfortunate in the distracted state CT
affairs as they exist AT this tin!c, l!Iat General
Scott was called TO the city Of Wa.Eipgt"n |
will pledge 10 Abraham Lincoln Uy ishi ! 4 ID,
that there is not man within rke li.nrts OF
this State who intends TO prevent hy force the
consummaton Of his Inauguration. Then.
say, it was unfortunate that this thing should
have been done--to add exci;e!nent 10 the:
which already existed
only say. sir, in relation 10 the subj jet, as
AMI now speaking in reference to thGt particu.
lar point, that while no such thing is con en-.
plated, and no such purpose is cn;cr;aI Cd Yet
whenever the power y! tia, army IN Washing
ton Or elsewhere is brought to Lrar Cpon thjs
Commonwealth under the gulsc oi cXacurag
the laws by force in oppo>iticn 10 the W! ot
this people, all the sympa,hes Of this CO. vel.
tion will be aroused Tor the honor Of the State,
and they viii stsnd h:.e Grited as one man
! say here, if any coercion were attempted 20
be used upon this sub hjec!, while t! is S ate vas
dclioerating if cny force wc"e TO br applied 30
rs to overawe our deliberations, ci,~l dir, clIy
or indirectly. there is no. a NAN, bcc,c, n
this Convention, who would net t,cl that his
own rights were assaeI. do no: care wha,
| you may say about the theory tina, the govern.
| i,, ~
n great ard free people, ls we are. are drllbcra.
ting upUn a question Of life &: death. We Go
not intend to stand by ard see ,;lelr rights
! tra:nPled upon under the rrecX. ,ha! the gov.
ernment has the Power under Ike Constitution
Of the United States.
Blu. we are % be .econc:cd. as wc are told
by some gentlemen, snd we are to go out cf
this Union upon the idea that we are to be Ia.
ken care OF in the Southern Conledcracy. How
is this thing to be accomplished? | now ap-
proach this SUI hject in spirit Of ca:jtouness--
mako no alluslon 10 those gentlemen who brt
c few days since addressed this Convention III
manner that must have been acceptable 10
every one who heard their arguments, however
much any gentlemen here may have differed
from them. They came here clothed with an
authority which we we're bound 20 respect, and
for their cenllemaniy department and bearing
which they exhibited here and every where in
their intercourse with Eirginiau$, will say.
that whatever destiny awaits me. whether am
t. be separated from them or nniiel with them.
shall ever eatarau iO- them TIE highest Ic.
spect
usk you whether ths Argument which has
been addressed 10 you from 0I#er quarters IS
one which is 10 he adopted without grave anG
serious consideration. Go into . conicdcracy
Of the South What is the argument which
gentlemen bring TO sustain il? They set cut
with the proposition, that Il people To hc free
and to maintain their rights and iihe, ties i'll all
time, must have the same interests. and thaL
there must be sort ri homoscneousnc>S IN
the population. What is the argument in favor
Of this idea! They tell you that all the >ia:c
labor will be required 10 cultivate the cotton OF
the South, and when they have taken Ike Save
by the hand and carried him to SoGtic
market, with the other hand they wrulG sup
ply his place with the Yankee Tha; i; tllt
argument which has been employed ny some
Of those who advocate Southern Comic dciacv.>
Does not the argument destroy t>ell? They
have not told us, in all the arguments au
dressed to us, that the people whom they pro.
pose to bring here are not congenlai, in rhcir
disposition und nature 10 the people u the
South. What, sir, reconcile Errgir:a 20 this
process, which tneT propose TO :na"sura;r,
and by which all our Save labor Is 10 be
carried CT! They tell Us, il order 10 keep our
slaves as our property, Eui prevent ihen irolH
going over the border, it wlil DC necessary 20
establish line Of military posts eli along tic
banks Of the Ohio river. i this the arsuI"en:
that is 10 be addressed 10 Virginians? Ex u..
me, MIR. President and gentlemen Of the Con
vcnton, if | cannot appreciate al arsGtneat o:
this sort.
Have we not been solemnly warned hS eonc
OF our wiscst statesmen to be jealous Of these
standing armies We are told that TINS is 10
be the destiny Of this great State; that in "'.9
alternative your property is to be protected e:
the confederated States establishing upon y"nr
borders a line Of military posts, and lest that
argument might not avail they then tell You
that in process of time your whole State Will
be depleted Of its slaves. Cotton they ia'c
told us is King; but VIXEN they have tauntnS.
ly proclaimed i'll make no reference to the
Comnissioners-haVe they told us how long
his Ma jesty will remain upon the thr0rc?-
While they have proclaimed tia. cotton was
King, they have altogether failed 10 tel! us thar
King Cotton has q rival, and a mighty rival
too, elsewhere. They have failed 10 tell u
that the empire Of Great Britain-a power TO
which, for purposes Of conquest and Suhjnga-
ton, Rome, IN the height OF her glory Is not
to be compared-a power which has dot.
ted the surface Of the globe al! over with
her military possessions, and whose morn.
ing drum beat. following the sun. and
keeping time with the hours, circles the
earth daily with one continuous sound ard
strain with her martial airs; they have failed to
tell us that this mighty power. which never
makes n treaty without regard to her own int.
rests, has Row extended her acquisitions md
made treaties with nations tina, Can supply this
article Of cotton.
ITant to call the attention OF the Convention,
for moment, while upon this subject, 10 s'nc
statistics which have in reference to it, and
which have an important bearing upon the
great interests Of the State CT TlrsInia. ind
more particularly the interests Of the South,
so far SIS the cotton question is Concerned
These statistics 60 TO show that Great Britain
produced Of manufactured articles from 'his
raw material, in the shape OF cotton cloth. two
thousand millions Of yards. How nu n of
this do you suppose comes 10 the lnitcc
States She sends here III, 600 900 OF yards,
while she sends TO her East Indian colonies
the enormous amount cf 10000 0C0 ono
! quarter of;hc whole amount she makes. Nov,
sir, is it to be supposed, when she has establish.
ed her empire in India, vhsn she has placed
her foot upon tho Celestial Empire, and where,
BIZ the fol ce of her arms, she is abou, to mako
the people Of the sun contribute TO the sup.
port of her manufactures in Manchester-'hat
she is proper guardian for the interests o;
Southern men and Southern rights and South.
ern institutions? How, sir, will the English
Government extend her fostering care over ilc
Southern Confederacy1 A nation pc,n,it mo
to say, with all the kindly feeling which have
towards il, which, as has been said by sem:
writer upon the subject will make sood lie!
record upon the abolition of slavery IhrouG h.
cut the world AS to the opinion which she
holds upon that subject Ynu need but refer 70