Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-21

"lo'n tneF pave luuSht, Tell them EG;. sb
is j melancholy lacr, lha! Willie tie people II
be- capable of self govcrnusnt they 90 III! e
c:rjse sc!l:govcrnmen'.
But, Mr. Chairman. whet ARE we Ia do
this crca, emergency? What Gun bc dorc
sa.e this great nution in its unity, it, splc
dor. its power and its glory? The govc-n1Ic
Of ;is Union is dssolved-a fact now esta
lshel in the history of this ration. Sevt
beautiful! stars. which once beame'! in srlc
dor upon the proud banner Of our coun.r
glitter theIc 40 more.
As have announced before, I have b..
brought up in that school Of polirics whic
! teaches that sec, ,ssiun is g peaceful, legitina
remedy, is proper and right, and belongs
! :ae States. ] Eare said uofeorcT, that it va
I right never 10 DC exercised br anv peop!
until they na,! exhausted every possible uca
for obtaining; ret:rrss- Here is nroud Old VI,
sinia s;and;nS Row RS one Of lhu old Unite
States Gor,rl.ncnt-a slave State anG ir,cnt
fled IN interest hccaiise of her peculiar irs;it
tons, win the States Of the Southern Conleds
rScy. The great advantage nI ncr lo5ite
heretofore has been, thar remaining n III
Union she has sent forth her voice Ter peace
ard she has said 10 that government o! whic!
s" is Il part, you must not max. war upon thos
Southern States :hnt have seeded, as ;ncY Ind
righ.t 10 30. Now she stands in position to d.
more good yet Although amid the storm arr
TIC hilows Of excitement, which have dashed
madiy around her majestic ship, a1i Sometime:
well nlch engu!ftd her; Yet, so far, she ha.
stood iilTn hnd unShakeG; although she hn:
been HS>,ilI;! by some Of her owr crew, se yc
stands amid the stOru Of angry elements
proudly .TaTing tic olive branch in he; hand
Ta'ch She will ercr surrender until all hope i.
lost
No. sr, she mus press on. And what shall
shr to: Well, sir, ny opinion, submitted
With very great dlSlrn>t, is that she ou,n! hot
nov I" IA that winch she would have been
justified in doing when she had The seven States
:! the HoutA united witt. her, 10 resist the sg
:EeSsiouS Of the North.
We must how act upon the circumstances
which have aiisrh stnce ttr Secession OF those
States which has proiuced such disastrous re.
su!'s.
'''.inla ciI9h; row To present her Ultima.
tTm. She has, III spirit nf peace, initiated
the Peace Conference, winch has been referred
ln. She failed in that, but she will no, cease
W.
Try again. She says To this Northern majority
oI nineteen States: We have endeavorcd TO
preserve the pence; We are in a hope
less minority; have remained as q mem.
Der cf this Northern Cnnfcderacy ID which
rra r!ncteen hcc States; we are ;et deter
In'ncd 10 preserve the Unioa if soG wlIl allow
tie second sober thought 10 return 10 vuu; to
justice to ilie South. and adopt a government
which will protect their rights in 'he ftuc
usay IL them when We send our uttimd-
you viii accept it, We will reach out
our hands To ,nu cf the Northcrn States, and
We "ii!, with a!i tte earneslnesS Of our heart,
,ppea: to ;hosc SJu;hern States which have Sc
ccdcd 10 come back; il YOU will only give us
!: Constitution under which the South can be
safely protected"
Wc have wasted enough Of our ergerg;es in
rac!tc lneeureS 20 take our stand now upon al
ii is too late now, in rly opinion,
20 &wai: ;ha action Of Cnniercuee Of
2ITder S:acs .Ahppt an uitimatum which
::7t .ciu tncy viii nut &c
t. H. 10. nn0w whether they "iii o.
lnt | confess have no very well founded
nncr that they viii hut Il t!"y refuse It.
D:..i 7hrr heads be- the blood which may br
s;,iiic3 au,i IA. consequences vi It refusal.
warn thcnl iE:t., Virginia will come ga; Of this
,drr vi coacildlinn, With her banners rs pure
ana unsGilirI as It was when she went into II.
We lose nothing by the olE@r; political partly
may lose, bI. the country will not lose h!g
The offer
" iat Is 70 Le tha. ultjma.uu Tie great
question which We have been struggling over,
Ind "hlc'l has been The cause vi the d:SrUp-
.,"n Of this Cuipn, has been the slavery ques-
i:on That question must bc settled now, de.
iiaiLey. In III. present condition Of things,
;hc condition in which Virginia has placed
herself, she ought ~ go i.rthcr and deInand
else than that, or she is not SAFE
| an wi!!iug 10 take the report Of The Com
,nittcr Of Twcnty.0ne, so far rs it gees upon
the slavery question. There may he some al
te,a;;ors winch ! should Ike TO make III It, rs
| aavc not examined i: critically.
But, Nr. Chairman, lhcre is an0thcr great
question in which Virginia is interested now,
and which is connected with this slavery qneS-
ton. and in regard 70 which she onght 10 iix
her eye with al uhshahen gazc. Il Is the no.
nsy question. It is that question which has mtr2
i!iurncr with parties end political movements
than any other Politicians Of the Nortli do
iui care 80 much about yoar slaves IS they "a
abon( riding in!" power, on the strength CT
the agitation If tire slavery question and
the Spots OF office. low
~uu!d Virginia stand If she could not ges
back these >.ates vi The Southern Con!cuera-
cv. w.th nineteen Northern States on one
hand aud only eight border States on tic other
Two Of those eight States Of the border, rs
has been demonstrated, are now passing from
tie condition Of free 10 slave States. Deia.
wsrr is RG uuger-;o be considered ns slave
Sta!c; and the sls"e population OF Maryland
is decreasing rapidly. You run the risk o.!
uniting wiki a Government with nineteen free
States. Suppose they take your ultimdtu'H; !;
how would you stand:
LoJk NJ the condition Of this General Gov
crnment. In tic hands Of utterly incompetent,
corrupt men from the highest to the lowest,
~ stupid, so utterly bind 10 the true principle
uoon which Government ought 10 be admin
istercd, and so hungry or The Spo!ls, N" first
thing they have done is TO pass that iniIutons
Morrill, Tariff Biil-a bill by which it was in
tendc,! to plumber the South, but the opera
ton Of which uuder the existing circuInstaces
ha; proved very disastrous TO the Government
and tu the Northern people. Under It, and
under snch legislation as we may expect from
q stupid, blind, ftnaticnl and corrupt admins
,ratlun, we should he guarded at cTery point,
against oppression, by the hungry majority
as this Government is bankrupt and without
credit, mna1ie to pay its employees. So it will
ic conpe'ra hereafter to resort to direct taxa
tiun a. one Of the SOURCES OF revenue.
How would Virginia or any ether Southern
slave State stand with such majority? Nine
teen States pccuniarliy interested, and in
lcrrs;ct BECAUSE Of their antislavery cpin'
ions, to TAX enormously your slaves with tie
large majority which lhev would have ask
where would be the safety for the institutions
of the South None sir. 1t would be the
,ucs, disastrous scheme Df emancipation which
could be resvrlcd to more feariuliy dsstrnc'
tlre than any direct legislation upon the sub
iccs Of slavery. Why, sir, they ould tax your
slaves 10 cxte-mina,ion. Their need CT mo-
ncy, their hatred Of slavery az M instl-
tutio:, drive: them 1T once to this prolific
scufce Of revenue | am locking now to the
possibility. the mere possibility, that the utti'
i l. In ~