Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-02-22


no legitiIhatrd change cf the relations Of th'
parts under this compact. On the contrary
all the contemporancou, and juZta contc:rpora
neous constructions Of the lIlstruurnt, tspc
cially that lnaie by the voice Of Firginia
through Mr. Madison, whom your distinguish
ed President, (Alr. JASSEr.) has characterized
as the chief architect Of the Constitution, &c
clarcs the relations Of the parts in these words
THE Constitution Of the United States was
formed by the Sanctions Q! tho States, siTaf
each in It's sovereign capacity.
And again, ".hc States then being the par,r:
to the constitutional compact, and in thcil
sovereign capacity, it follows of necessity that
there can be no tribunal above this with az
| thority 10 decide in the last resort whether
the compact made ty then. b. violated urd
consequently as parties to It, they must DECIDE in
the lust resort, such questions as may he Of sui.
icenl magnitude to irqiire their ln!erpvSitivn. >
! Then, are these qucsilGuS ui Sufficient mag
nitGde 10 require the interpGs;!on uf sarc'
reign!y? UnqueStionably, the Interpreter
means those questions which involve The
! pTcrogati"c ot that sovereignty itself,
and those were Of sufficient magnitude 10 re-
quirc lis nlerpoSiton, ard such Is arc oi them
selves dangerous 10 the great nu:n0sss Tor
which the Constitution WAS established; and
among these great purposes Te know there is
expressed those Of justice, right. eQiaiity, gen.
cral welfare and the blessings o: !iUg:;y IL us
and our pos:efiy.
Gentlemen, in these relations OF the States
70 each other and to the Federal Government
the peopic OF South Carolina have assumed
that their sovereignty has never been divided;
that it has never been alienatcd; that it is i'm
prcscri pably in its entire that 1t has moi been
Impaired by their voluntarily rclraiCinS from
the exercise Of certain functions Of sovereignty
which they had delegated 10 another power.
and upon this assumption, they contend that
in the exercise or This unrestricted sovereignty.
ana upon Lilr great principle OF the right O: "
sovereign people 10 go"crn themselves, even
if it involves the destruction CT the compact
which by its vitialion has become in imminent
peril, that they have Il right 10 abrogatc their
consent TO that compact
have thus, gentlemen as rapidly as posi-
ble, grouped before YOU Il few iactS and princi.
plies involved in the action o. the State which
represent, and shall now proceed. with as much
rapidity as possible, to exhibit 10 you the real
sons Why, upon these facts and these prInci-
pies, the people Of South Carolina have deemed
proper to ubrugatc their consent to the compact
Of the Constitution Of the United States.
As preliminary to this statement, | would
say, that as early as the year 1920, the mani
fest tendency Of the legislation of the general
government was TO restrict the territorial rx
pansion Of the slavchuling States. That is
very evident IN all the contests OF that pcrIGG
and had they been successful to the extent HAT
some hoped, even then, the line that cut oil the
purchase from Francs might have been pro.
jected eastward to the bottom Of the Chcsa.
peake and sent Virginia and half Of Trnncssee
and all Of Kentucky. Virginia proper, after she
had given 10 non slavery her northwestern cGn-
pirc, to the non slavery section That might he
the line. The policy, however, has been push
cd so far rs TO deprive this Southern section ni
that line OF nj lest seren-tenLhs OF the valuable
acquisitions Of the government Besides this,
would state, as preliminary, that large por-
ton Of the revenue oil The government OF the
United States has always been drawn from
duties on imports. Nav, 'hc products That
have b'ea necessary 10 purchase these
imports, were 1t one tune almost eXclu-
sveIy, and have always maialy been the re-
suit oi slave labor, and therefore the burden of
the revenue duties upon imports purchased by
these exports mast lal upon the producer who
happens also To bc the crnSuuIrr o: the lIE-
ports.
In addition to this, i. may DC stated. ihas at
very early period oi the existence OF lnis
Government. the Northern reop;c, irotn Il vi,.
riety OF CAUSES, entered upon tHe industries Q:
manufacture and OF commerce, bI! ur agr:cri
ture scarcely TO the extent cf self support. lh:s
may hive arisen from 4 variety y. CAUSES !;
among them perhaps, an uncongcnial climate,
4 barren soil, but an alluIng SEA coast adaptc'i
to co,n;ucrcr, besides an ini:e:eni t.udeircy up
on the part oi the people OF these attitudes 10
the arts Of manucrait and tralic; ard while,
therefore, twas important that all the sources
of the revenue should uc kept up TO iaect the
increasing expenses Of the Government, it also
rnlnif:stiy became Of great Importance that
these articles Of manufacture n wsic: they
have been engaged should DC subject to the
purchase OF their con(rderates. They, there
lore, invented q system If duties partial and
discriminating, by which the whole burden
of the revenue from this extraordinary system
lrl upon those who produced The articles OF
exports which purchased the articles OF iul.
ports, AMI which articles Of import were con.
sulned mainly, or to 4 great extent, by those
who produced the exports.
Now, the State Of South Carolina being at
the time one OF the largest exporters AMI ccnSr.
mers of imports, was so oppressed by the upe-
ratioEs Of this system upon her, that .he was
driven to the necessity Of interposng her sov"-
reign reservation to arrest k so lar as she was
concerned. This interposition together with
the rapid spread Of the principle OF free trade
all over the world, did arrest the iniqnity IN
the shape in which it was then presented. IT
could no longer be the avowcd policy Of the
Government to tax ono section for the purpose
Of building up another. But 50 success.
full had been the system; to such an extent had
it already, in few years, been pushed; so vast
had been its accnnulatons OF capital; so vastly
had it been di0iised throughout lis ralullic..
tions as seemingly to inter-wcavc the very life
of industry itself, in the two sections into each
other in the form Of mechanics, of manufactures,
ships, merchants, and bankers. The people o!
the Northern States have 50 ""awIcd and crept
into every crevice Of our IL, >try which they
could approach, and they h. themselves so
conformed 10 it, TIM; we our. ives began 10 De-
lieve that they were abso" ely necessary to
its vitality; and they have s. fed and Iattcncd,
and grown So great mud lar as they feed and
fattrn upon this sweating giant OF the South,
that with the insolcnc: natral 10 sudden and
oloutcd wealth and power, li':y begin to believe
that the giant was created "A!y as tae'' H'ou'
tary.
Eow, strange as it may en-, it is nrccrthc.
less true, thut while the. ere thus building
up their wealth and thcl: power from these
sources, step by step, VIC VII Sc: la!tcrly that
with this aggregation Of wealth was growing
up determined purpps- . desrJy tile very
sources from which il was drawn. | pretend
not to explain tLis refer n' II merely as his.
tory.
This, gentlemen, brings me directly to the
causes which desire to lay before yon. For
fully thirty years or more. the people Of the
Northern States have asSaird the institution
of African slavery. They have assailcd Afr-
can slavery in every form in which, by our conti-
guilty Of Territory and our political alliance with
them, they have been permitted to approach it.
During that period Of thirty years, large
masses Of their people have associated them
selves together for The purpose OF atolish'ns
nr 4 e, md