Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-02-28
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Coercion.
The ingenuity OF political trekery has become so
acute aud cunning thut will not be held Df the
ordinary and accepted signiheaton OF words Inc
homes, people Of Virginia Intending no deception
and designing 70 practice fraud, conferred their
surfaces on men for this Convention, who were mn
dcrstocd to be against coercion, never dreaming that
they were 10 become the victims Of cheat and the
dupcs Of . pathological fraud.
b. coercion they understood, what Webster de-
anes it 20 te-"pcnal reS;raut-conrulsion:' and
they understood compassion to mcuu, ''the act OF
compelling" either by "loree, violence or con-
s:.a!,' they regarded coercion and eo'npasst6" as
synonymous, ard "niore active in their Signneatoh
.an oasraiAt and rs$ratn:' "a government sa!a
to use coercion 70 nakcs its subjects conform 10 tue
established religion traveller delivers his purse to
G robber under c9mpuision.' SUCH Is the mennng
which the people attach coercion, AID they Will be
shocked TO Ind any other nea,ng attached 70 It oy
their representatives.
II is ruuiored tina. there are delegates in this
Convention who hold that collecting the re-
venues outside OF the ports Of the seeded
States and recapturng tie forts is not eosreion as
nothing wrong in principle but merely involving
questions Of tsoedenc2 tina: the pnssnge OF force
bill, designed 10 compel the citizens OF seeded
STATE TO obey the laws Of Onion which their States
have forbidden them to recognize is merely iherps-
Siea! aud has there is nothing improper III subject
ing the people Of egh, seeded States to the ordeal
OF divided allegiance, with tho halter from one gov
er,,uert ior disobeyng and from me other :or obey
ing the laws.
The people Of Virginia lnay no: he skilled III nice
distinctions Of verbal criticism, but they ARC vel!
grounded in the principles Of common honesty, and
know that all honor revoltS at "ono Iaitn believed
and another taught-one doctrine for the initiated
and aro.hcr for the unintiated,'' When the people
pronounced against tos,cion-they intended Rll kind
G. coEpuls;on by force violence, restraint OF
k,ad, which wrested from, I'LL unwilling people what
their States had forbid them TO yield. To advocate
or conscu. to any resolutions winch do net !cr;id
collecting revenue, rccupturng Forts, or passing
Force Bills, equally with invading States with AL
mcs is practising dishonest, unprircipled fraud.
We care not how respectable may be the man, what
posts of honor lie may have filed, what confidence
auy have bee:. heretofore reposed in him 10y his Eel
10" -ClIieuS, lG'SISts fOLSA VI LIS
ayowine opposition to coercion the people inter
pre-: il, ard when III authority TO place upon it d-
icreGt aeuring, lie is dishonest than the thief
Tho robs TO quiet gnawing hunger. 1t will DO in
vain 10 suppose that such subteituges can quiet the
voice CT people thus outraged, deceived, defnuded
and cheated. II no other for civil war existed,
such iai:l,uous deception is we'll calculated to
the PEOPLE 20 acts Of violence and wien they find
themselves dcrauded OF their suageS, md tha: the
power they Conferred guard the honor and protect
;hc Interests Ok Virginia. has been prosti.uted
cure place and pluGder from Mir. Lincoln, they Will
MOI, they canpot quietly to the danining dis
grace 5ror:i., upon them hy unprincipled aad dis
honcs: men.
Much Ingenious reasoning may ne rr>o.;cd To, TO
Sustain the paradox Q: compassion that is not cosr-
ctoa: o., tha, the Constitution and laws in accord
auce with it. being the supreme law Of the land-to
which al. citizens OF every State bound to yield
obedience, anything in the Constitution o. laws Of
the State 20 the contrary Notwithstanding and that
tho cyaciioa Of This obedience, by force is the
duty oc the authorities aid that it is tho fault Of the
citizen who does obey, and not Of the officer who
executes the law. The gloss that covers The ingenious
falseLood Will not deceive northe sopEistry BY which
i: May be sustained. dslude the people. Conscious
Of the rec:i;udo of their motives they will stop to
uprarel the web but stamp the fraud thus praetccd
upon chem, With The heel Of their indignation. "A
vanished fn..ehood, in many aspects, probably may
often conquer naked truth by reasoning bu:, how
ever clothed BY tneritrcioas art. carnot escape the
instinct o: truth, ever present in the breast Of
honest people. They opposed to coercion 10 all
shapes and forms They did liz. define it, because
their own rect;udc laugh. them that no honest Han
would pretend not 10 understand them.
II VIC are in error in thus plainly declaring the ser
timep: OF the people, the March terms of the Cocrs
wi! soon be il session. ut which We invoke The peo-
pic 20 speak out and define coercion. Do the people
mean that coercion is 1ryoag and to be opposed by
n1nIs o. merely that it is insrpsdiea and To be cub
mted 70 and acquiesced in if the authorities differ
from tho people! An answer from the people may
DO, only do good in this Convention, but il may auy
en- indignation liable any moment to burst out in
acts OF violence. and marguerite civil war. There are
atty thousand bearing men in Virginia that will
prefer the aroiracnt Of civil conflict to the sueak
ing disgrace Of praclced .alsehood. Did the peo-
pie 0. Virginia mean III. an "nsrpsdienf" lie, or
did they mean Gn:;- Coercion. under all shapes und
:o:ms2
We do not believe that the people Of Virginia de-
rsncd the theoretical sophisrns which are the ground
work in the paradox OF compassion that is not CO.
the execution Of laws that the people have
been forbid 20 obey. Nor can We believe that
the people Of Virginia will couneuance and sustain
:his Convention in any notion which tends 10 exact
from the people Of State anything which the soV-
c.ccn Convention OF that State has forbid It's people
% WELD whether revenue, FORTS Or obedience in auy