Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-10-15


!. that it was \ sensation document, gotten Il
t By some mschievous persons; and snch wa
n nv confidence of that luc;, that as soon a
). | read the document Yesterday, repair
e cd to my room, prepared despatch 10 IN
l. Secretary Of State, to ask him Whether
!. was genuine or fabricated. received re
n spurse from him late last night that II wa
i, gcnune-a response which was prepared T.
! receive, OF course, from the news "n'ch :"
learned through the mail. Like my colleagues
therefore think, in view Of this communica-
r ton Of the President to the Convention
through this Committee, and IN view ol TIT
, proclamation Of the President OF the Unltet
States to the whole people, that there is ne
, hope Of an'an amicable arrangement with thu
Administration. have cherished, sir, mosi
ardent hope that matters would be solved
pcaceablr If there be any man upon this
floor who has cherished more ardent lro-f
decided, more, I must say. religious andsin
cere love for this Union than any other, !
claim 10 bu that man. Seventy nine years
ago, the people Of Augusta deputcd my father
to this CITY rs 4 member Of the Convention to
ratify and adopt the Constitution which form.
cd this Union. After lapse Of three quarters
of :. century, the same county. The DESCENT.
ant; Of the same CONSTITUENCY, have dcPHti'l
me here 10 upI,9l) and s:tsiTin il. have,
therefore. sir i traGi:!,ntr:. aiav: M. TO the
Union. viii stand by ii, sir, as ens as !
eau stand by il consistently with :'ie h'n3c
snd the interests Of Virginia. niu:: confess
that nv hrpcs in the pnrprt;ia!ir" n tie
Union, ~ il row stands, Est"a hect greatly
Weakened, il i,e;; have nrt been entirely de-
s!rnrcd.
1t sccns proper. then, for Us to decide III
| this crncr@cnc,' what We, rs F:TS:nlans, are TO
do. There mrr three lines Of pn!icg that lay
! before rs Ore IS 10 remain IN the Union as
! We ere an 10 lend onr iIc"S !n'l ";;r Um5 i;
| the Subjuga:1n Of our Splthein sisters. ] oe
lieyc, sir that there i; M man upon Ibis floor
who j.; .;rpSr:d TO Staati here IN that attitude
| There is 10 man who desires I" -:lain his con-
nectnn with the present Union, %iIhc; ttc$'.
guarantee; OF projections, ai:! witliGut the
adoption of ti1st satisfactory line Of polio"
which would hc crns;s;cn, with the Interest
and the homer of the Commcuwca!Iil. SIR, i;
We remain as wc are We ahaninl, il my judg
ment, aiI hope Of obtaining any such gnaran.
tees VIC abandon all hope Uf Security. and
We lend ourselves to the purposes ri Il DON'T
nant. sccinnal majority. am not, theu, Eif,
Bnt there arc t'co 5ti,,.:; One is 10 Scccdc
Immediately and tic other is 20 ask tie coop
Grafton of our sister States which have not
vet seeded. propose to max" f2H remark:
upon this subject, all unpraparcd o.: am and
NIL unexpected as tfr discussion is t, me-
| Ard, sir, | wish ~ present them in Il plain,
practical p';nt Of vie.7. am plain, pracs:.
cal ,nau, "h, ci:!,ai-,r; to lonii y. thu.:s in
plain, I'.l:tira|. cc'a;;':i s'>.: point 9f vcw.
| Nuw let lE, ::. wSI: WUai! -: tn" eject if
an Ordinance pf Secession is a'n;';'i At this
| time.
il4!e is u w;:r wa:ins Here Is Ar ;n,mcnsn
preparation made on the par. ol Tho United
States Government fIr LaT.in., 81 thar s7ar.
| The u. r.;:,r!t seat ot il;I w.:I =: =: GrTJ
part Of the Union It is nr.: r,nIird 10 IL:
region about :irc ci:.. Of Charleston and th2
city Of Pensacola. Tttrsa ar: IL. prints whcr:
the war i; tn~ seated What >uti!i ta tn.
effect uf the Immediate secesson n Virginia !:
| I. would b.: to transfer tha scat 81 wnr from
the Gulf of Maxico, and irnn, :hc extreme
Southern pat Ct o,!r Atlantic coast 20 the
bosom of Firginla. Yes, sir, :o"r county,
(Loudoun) that county situated upon The oil
highway, North and South; the county Of
| Jefferson and tho cnun;y Of Bcrk.!ry, would
| be the Flanders in this war. | could not con-
ceivc Of any greater favor i!!! y0!l could COR
fer upon this Black Republican administration
than to sccede now. II is attended with grca.
cost aud with great danger, 10 place every gun
and every man ut that remote point OF our
territory. Tir climate is iTsa!unrous the
warm season is adv&Ncng and If ;hc war Is
prosecuted there, you may expect pestllence
TO be a more valuable ally than your ar.
mics. You may well expect thar the miaslua
arising from the swamps Of Florida, and the
swamTis that surround Charleston, would
sweep out of existence more Of the invaders;
than the arms Of the Commonwealth and the
Confederate States. All the provisions for the
support Of the Northern armies would have TO
be transported thousands Of miles, at great
expense; and it is under great difficulties that
they could be supplied at all But, sir, by
Virginias seeding you transfer the seat d!
war to this fertile and salu5riouS country
You transfer it to country that furnishes
every supply that is necessary for the support
Of the troops; to n climate that is entirely
salubrions to the Northern troops who would
be engaged in prosecuting the war. Yes, sir,
you bring it home to your own fair cities and
families You go into this war without any
aid from any quarter. we have no alliance
with the Confederate States, nor oar sister
border States not yet seeded, and Virginia
would stand alone between the Federal Gov
ernmcnt and the Confederate States Of the
South. She would bc the battle ground Her
fields would he laid waste AMI her citizens
would become the vlatims Of the conflict.
And, sir, what is our state Of preparation
Where is our ordnance? Where is our mus
kerry? Where are our rifles? Where, in
fact, are any of the nutritious ni war, which
are Indispensable for our security? Sir, you
may talk about courage and yrn may talk
abou: chicalry; but say il l., ',;'t true cOur-
age and true chiyary to rush into such an
unequal contest as that. say. in iny jnds-
mrnt It would be telly and foo.-aardIncss IN
the extreme What is the condition Of our
Treasury? LIT inc tell yon, sir because It
| has been my melancholy duty To make myself
familiar with il, bein, member 81 tho Senate
uf Virginia. and having occaS!";' to exaIn,nr
the financial condition ut the S;.r. tell ycu,
yon are bankrupt. In order to Iarse th" money
to buy I few arms, you were 0b' 5ed TO resort
to the miserable expedicnt o! ,.ttelrpting ta
issue one million of treasury noi2s. There is
no money in your l.rasury; your credit Is
gone; your bonds are selling now, is some
gentleman remarked. at so:ne sixty dollars
Even the Gpnnitious which are 10 be housht
uadrr the operation Of this treasury note bill,
have not yet been supplied. lntimatioos have
been given that the Governor has made CON
tracr, and that there is some misunderstanding
in regard to portion Of it. But, Sly, all mns'
concur that We are not in condition to 50 e
war; and soy thet it is the part OF conmor
prudence, common Sense anu humanity, thai
We should not engage in war until We sh;i
have prepared ourselves Tor the conflict.
Ny friend over the way, from the city o
Richmond, (Mr. RAND1LpD has suggested TIT
idea Of the capture Of the Navy Yard at Cos
port and Of the Armory at Harpcrs Ferry
Let me call his attention, and that of the Con
vention, to the relations which Se now bear Il
the Federal Government.
An ordinance of secession does not teTmI