Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-02

villa virginia ana "NliSl lHtv WnGlI rtl0lC
! in 4 Cn:un Y:h any oi lEs border States, vi
ginia, the Oldest, the most interested, and h.
! fame mr;e distinguished than ury---shc is III
one they wJulJ prefer.
cal but eXpr,ss Iny estonishmt Mt that in
body so grave as this nor an asselntlage |
which we mrc candidates Tor tiicial position
but u body ief!esenllns tho aggregate sove
rciSnty Of Virginia in its greatest wisdom-lha
it should be gravel presented here that tn
Charleston "!icrcury" Is lLc organ OF Sout
Carolina ana that the expression os lh
Charleston crgan is the expression OF Soul
Carolina.
presume b tEiS time, tha: the Convention
is satisfied that the proper course ior Virgins
il - sccede forthwith A. we are in TeYo,u
iiot4rv times. | want ny position 10 be dis
tiaclly defined whether it DC ru;Eowed by In
blessings CT the curses OF posteriiy, or vhr,hr
| act wisely or unwiSeiy. These are the rcso
lutio"s which were offered by my yself, and almos
unanimously adopted, II: a meeting OF the cili
zens o.: Orange, held ut Orange Court House
on Monday the 24!I. of December last:
!. Resolved, In consideration Of the perilou
Condition of the country, il is the opinion G
This :are;ing ;ili 4 State Convention bs cai!e
at The earliest pnSelb:c day.
9. Resolved, From the proceedings in Con
srcSS. and oilicr sources CT information, "
! LclIeve the policy OF the Republican party wi!
he the coercion Of seeding States.
8. Resolved. That the union of the South i
the safety Of the South.
t. Resolved, As the opinion Of this meeting
the Cotton States will seccde; that their dcstin,
is our destiny; and that Virginia should retlr
before tie tth .. March next, and place hersei
4! the head Of the column.
5 Resolved, That every slave State shoul:
seccde before the 4th Of March, and co.opera;
afterwards
g. Resolved That wi,h united South
Abraham Lincoln vii! not make war upor
fifteen States; but should he DO so, may Goo
defrrd the right
Mr. President, ;hinI If resolutions lik,
these had been acted upon and promptly car
ried Oct, we would moi have heard at this ti,nt
any question IS 10 the position we should tahC
in tho present crisis Of OUT national affairs anc
We would not hare been listening to that fatuou:
committee Of lwcnty-one, celebrating as Il
what is or what is not coercion. iou wouli
have found Eirg MIA wheeling into line, as
Southern States by the first oI February am
she would now haY. been in Montgomery with
every Stare State in consultation, not making :
Provisional but permanent Government
Tie Union is already dissolved. Ii is 70 be
reconstructed, how cln il be re constructed
w;th ;rvs! SAFETY to Virginia and 10 The South:
l.; :. Uy Virginia standing. rs she haS byc
wi,n The North ard the South, In douLbt,
as to what her position Is, whilst wrongs
and lnSy,is have been heaPcL upon 'irr contIu
uaih: The COURSE ] have indicated is btin.
the proper one for Virginia TO take. would have
h"cn i wite, conservative measure; It would
luio Organized the whu.. South, lni We would
fage had to-day, under the Constitution, Gil
the guarantees wc wanted. wUul:i not have
called National Congress; would have had
The fifteen States gone into consultation and
made Constitution to suit themselves, and
would have opened the door Of admission to
arch AS would come in upon principles Of safety
to ourselves.
prralIt nc 20 5ar, that would no. have been
in favor Of an exclusive slarcholding Cuafcd
cracy. No! Whilst woud have required all
lbe guarantees necessary for cur protection,
would have had those border States asSOcla;ea
wish IL, whose interests in Trade would have
ir.! ,:i-n 10 tie Suu:h-l mean New Jrrsey,
Pernsy lvania, oI;o, Indiana aud Illinois. We
would always have had II. prcroIdcrance,
arl we woui! no. have let tiIem IN until they
hai purified themselves in SOME degree CT Aho.l'
t'unio:ii, and would have t. provision to this
rfccl: that, whichever they asltated thi. cues.
ton vi slavery agar, and whenever they pro.
claimed tiGt tEcy were hDler than oursclve:;
aud We were ,ut worthy to sit ut the columu.
MOI, table with lhcln, We should say to thcui ::
'L"uvr Us"
Gentlemen havespoken hare of!hc dangers and
horrors of war, as though the nth had every
thing to loSs and the North bad nothing to
l".e. ]: sc.us that gentlemen are very up
pfcHansire that the bord-r States Of the North
would make war upon Iii. border States Of The
South. Bat is it lot ay much their interest az
Il would be ours to nvcrt any SUCH result? II
i"= been suggested that sIundlng army would
bc necessary for the protection OF nur negroes,
and MY hiend from Book bridge (Mr. MooNE),
| think magnified the expenses Of supporting
that standing armT 10 something like
So, 100000. Ny belief is, if it be rcccs-
SaTy 10 keep troops upon The line at ull as it
might bc at some point where it was necessary
10 collect the reYe,IIp, IL would not be y 1.-THE
OF tie portion nov required Of us for the ex.
pcuscs Of the army Of the general Cover nment.
But our friend tells Us, that If we establish
a Southern Coniedcracy, end bring Canada
10 our borders we shall lose all our slaves.
| have no such apprehension and | believe
that uu- slaves Will be as secure thcr, if not
more So than they are now Aud why do I
hall | hIlt /, f,r -.
one is, that slavery is considered c fostering
sore By the fanatics Of the North. They bc.
l:ere that they are responsible before God and
the Tord, for the sin Of African slavery, and
that altbouoh it is within our borders, they
mist uso all tho means in their power TO de.
stroy It in the States, and never permit another
slave STATE to he admitted into thid Onion.
That is tic platform upon which Abraham
Lincoln was elected, and that is the platform
upon which VIM. Ii. Seward has been standing
for years, until ut last he has become the Pro
mieT Of the Prcsident-a power behind the
throne, greater than tho throne ITSELF should
Judge from tho letters and speeches that Mr.
Lincoln has Issued TO the world since he has
been elected President, That he may be consci.
cntioua IN the Views he sntertains; but believe
also. If there is Il man within the broad
Iir,i. oi this Union who will deserve
and receive the curses Of an indignant
pu,icritv for the breaking up Of this glo-
rous Union. that mun is Wm. Il. Seward;
who in bill his public acls has been governed
by 4 desire TO make political capital aud to Sc.
cnre his political advancement. 1t is shrewd
Iy suspec;ed-und believe there is truth in
lhr suspicion-t that there IS an organization
throughout this Union, that looks
To tho keeping Of the border States within
this Coufedrrary, and ,hat the High Priest of
that new party is to be Wm. II. Seward.
say, cir, for one, that had rather perish, than
say kind word 10 that arch iel.I who has
destroyed his country ! have denounced him
to his face; have told him Of his intentions;
told him two years ago, that if hi, question
we're between him and myself, We would settle
il in au hour, nnd settle it forever.
But, say Mr.. President that Virginia is
nor !hs Virginia OF l77G. II V;rginia has
lowered herself SO far as 10 receive such oo,n-
as has been rendered 10 US by the
peacs Conference, j, still leaves The question
,2en. AS mean and despicable a. it Is, TO DC
.corned and spit upon, as it will be by every
VirgiuiIn; tnc;e is not man who believes