Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-07

i've millions, III representation As lSS 10 %;
which immense prepondcrancc Of Com
ronwcallhS and population is TO hc stca-
dily increased by the addition Of new
States, which is in possession Of the power
and the patronage Of the government, with
The ability and the will forever to exclude
from it Southern mrn, and the unlimited
power Of taxing and trampling upon the
hopeless minority.
And in this gathering Of huge clouds,
black rs night-this rolling Of the distant
thunder, ominous of the approach Of
the storm-thcSc shocks Of the earth
quake, heralding an explosion which
may shake to atoms the pillars Of our So
cial edi!icc--thiS roaring and surgng Of the
mountain waves of the greet deep, by the
breaking up Of whose fountains we may at
any moment be overwhelmed, my dis
tinguishcd friend from Augusta, (Mr.
BALDWIN, who was happy to see receive
from fair hands the orators wreath, not
because agree with him in sentiment, but
because am always pleased to witness re-
wards to intellectual merit; secs little
more than the raying Of madmcn, joined TO
The votivc offerings Of gallant parsons to
the toothless old muts Of Iankecdon--
these poor old crca!ur$.s who stalk about
with eyes dim rs lamps living OF short
allowance Of oil-thcir checks blazing with
the permanent blush of the brush-thcir
heads decorated with profanc AMI alarm
ing eruption Of exotic of cnris, anil who
make the wclkin ring i'll his own tacetious,
but expressive language, with The singing
ot ''psalmS and h,me' - Sir, | hope my
friend is What | say with sorrow and hulni-
iaton am mol, q member in good staEding
and fellowship Of some orthordox Christian
Church; for fear that if ne is not in now,
the scepticism which sees no danger to the
South from Northern aggression. will keep
him cut forever. Knowing the solemn re-
sponsiblitirs o! our position here, | feel
rather rc,ukcd 1T ycnturing upon an anec-
dotc, especially trite one; but the gentle
man really seems as hard OF belief rs the
man who having been refused IL place in
the Ark, though the waters Of the flood
were rising III every direction around him,
contcmptuouslv told that distinguished
old navigator Noah, to get along with his
old boat, for he did not believe "therc
would be much Of Il shower after all. -
Mr.. Chairman, fearful crisis is upon
us-our agricultural. mercantile and COM
mcrcial interests are prostratc-our tinan-
crS are deranged-our once glorious Union
il disruptcd-seYcn stars have left oar
fcdcratirr constellation, and others threat
Ell 10 shoot from their spheres. Waiting
in vain for sympathetic responses from the
'.blue mountains and monumental sea
shore Of Virginia." the Confederate Com
monwcalths have eviuccd the prudence Of
the traveller who stands on his guard as he
hears By the waysde 1.-The warning rattle
of the scrpcnt"-of the Western hunter
who raises his death dealing rifle when
there is crush in the jungle, " and he be-
holds the large green eyes Of the spotted
tiger giaring upon him. The Hover deck
Cd fields Of Louisiana; the beautiful sa-
vannahs Of Georgia and fair Carolina, from
plain to mountain cave, rcsound with the
din Of preparation, and echo the stern
notes Of defiance. The Gulf States hTistle
with bayonets-column after column Of
the uugucnot and Cavalier chiyaiTy deploy
into line, and the brilliant casIue and more
brilliant. eye, the sable plume, the "dancing
crest" Of many noble leader, gleam along
the ranks where flash the banners Of 4
gittcrinS army. =,
.
be the course Of the border States ana o.
Virginia IN my humble judsinen, they
should ut once resume the powers formerly
delegated by them to the General Govern
mcut, and in solid phalanx assert their i'll
dependence. The time When they could
be accused Of imrTudrrcc for such ! course
has passed; necessity, not rashncsS, il how
the word. Attempt after attempt ut COM
promise has resulted in failure, until longer
asking looks like suppicatiou. Statesman
after statesman i'll the Senate has cndcav-
ored in vain to calm the storm. Pro-
position after proposition for peace, which.
though patriotically made, was regarded
by the Southern men as III part surrender
Of their rights, has been pcrsistently voted
down bv the North. The voice Of Virginia
for peace, so potential, So successful here
tofore with the nation, has been scOrncd
and having in vain attempted to SECURE the
rights of the South by her separate action.
when she again speaks, it should be from
the head Of the Southern column. With
out the Confederate States she would be as
HELPLESS as q child. What, if she remained
with the Northern, or Northern and middle
Confcdcracv, would become Of her cher
ished doctrine Of Statc-rightS, the liturgy
Of her political prayer book: How
would she resist unequal taxation-the
plunlcr Of the public treasury, insults and
aggression, and the steady encroachments
Of relentless sectional majority upon her
institutions Every reading man knows
the wild theories Of the North and North
West on ths subject of government
Scornful dcrision is their only reply to the
cherished States Rights doctrines, to the
perfection Of which the great men of Eir-
ginia have devoted their lives. Tramplng
this hallowcd creed in the dust, they favor
the widest and most partial schemes Of
internal Improvement by the General Gov
ernmcnt. Rejecting both, an equal distri-
button ofthc public lands among the States.
and the trust By which they are held, for
the common bcaef. Of all, they allow them
10 be seized by the States where they are
situated ; they hold that no system OF
taxation, by duties on imports, however
excessive, is unequal or unconsttutloN-
al. and advocate dangerous agrarian
schemes in the shape Of homestead bills
unI other obnoxious measures for robbnE
the treasury and running the country. If,
when the South was q unit, We were unable
TO SLclll liiC l'iS VI 49,
sion, how hopeless will our condition De
now, with this rcsistlcss majority Of North
ern and Northwestern States against US,
and when seven OF our sovereign allies
have left the Conleleracy: With these
great political facts staring me i'll the face,
am forced to say that guarantees, which,
for the sake Of the peace, would, at one
time, have accepted, would now consider
myself unjust to my constituents to touch.
Every moments delay on the part Of Eir--
ginia has confirmed the wavcring and
strengthened the ant-Sonthern rig hts par
tv. in the border slave States, while the
gulf States have become more and more cX-
asperated against the North; and the hope
Of reconstruction grows fainter and faint
er. As the breach between the Gulf States
and Northern States w-idens, and the for
mcr become more determined TO act with
perfect independence, and thus dilninishcs