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

slavery society. Upon that occasion Mr. Viii
berforce presided for tho last time in public
The object Of that meeting was TO petition
Parliament for the abolition OF slavery in tho
West India Islands, The distinguished mer
who addressed that meeting. were tho Sir
james Mcintosh, Lord Deuman, and LORD
Broug1aun and well recolluct the views pre-
seuted by them. And permit me 10 say, Mr..
President, a. that day, think, my views upon
this subject wero as extreme rs my friends
from Rockbridge in 1882 CT probably now and
i ever envied the position Of i man, did
that Of Mr.. Wilberforce, when By the cloouence
Of these statesmen and orators the tears were
seen triciIlIng down his checks Us they deliver.
ed their powerful appeals upon the subject Of
African slavery. These gifted orators and dis
tnguished statesmen presented their views en-
phatically to that antislavcry society. "Gei,c
men petition to abolish slavery in iheWest Indu
Islands, and if you succeed in that slavery
cannot stand 10 the Southern States Of ;hc
United States There will Le n pressure up.
Oil it bv The free States on the North md
by the West Indials lands on the South, which,
with the moral power Of the world, will soon
crush j, out
Little dii then think, having confidence
in our Government as the best that was
ever given 10 matl, That should live TO see
the day when that dread struggle should be
brought to my own home, and when should be
in council with statesmen Of Virginia to devise
means to drive out this fanatic SIN.
Mr.. President, this movement FIRST began in
England, and when they achieved their object
they transplanted 1t to New England. 1t has
been fOstered by British gold and by British
talent-it has been encouraged by American
tanaticisn and American gold. To 90 no far.
thcr hack than the time that Mr.. Van Buren
was President o! the United States we find
that this movement was then inau.urated |
met him in lhc presence Of my friend in m7
eye, Ok. MAcrAKLASD,) in the mountains OF
Virginia. and he then declared TO lue thut
aboliturli-,n was spcck so small and in.
significant that we Southern men need not
ieel the least anxiety about il. IL was only Ii
| handlulii and yet III ten years alter Alr. Van
Buren himself became candidate for the
highest official ctice in the gift Of the people
Of that very party.
Mr.. President ten Years ago, or eleven, I
was honOred with u seat ~ the HOUSE, OF Repre-.
sentatlvcs. At that tlmc there We're, think,
nut four tree.Soers in the Senate Of the United
States; now. | believe, there are four and
twenty. Al tnat time, however, such had
been The progress of this abolition sentiment At
the North, ;hLt the Wing party North had al
most been entirely absorbed BY the free soil
party and recullect that WAS one OF The
! few Wings from the South, who, with one
FROM Florida, three from Georgia md one
from Alabama, stood in the breach for three
weeks and kept the House disorganized. De-
cause We required the Whig party, if re acted
With them, to renounce the Wllmot Pr0yiso-
! We told them that We would not co operate
with our enemies to crush our section; that If
we were TO cooperate with them they must
show that they are our friends
Mr.. President, at the meeting Of the present
! Congress, yoa rrcollIct the struggle that there
was for the speaker, because OF the Infamous
| Helper book u book which recommended
every crlme that human intellect can point to, or
! the depravi'y Of the human heart can conceive.
! That book recommended every crime for the
suppression Of slavery in the Southern States
arson, murder. burglary, poison in every
shape; and, Mr.. President, that book, at:ucious
as it was, received the endorsement OF sixty
| eight members Of Congress, and the SPECIAL
| endorsement of WIN. II. Seward, the expected
Premier Of Abraham Lincoln AID %ho IS IN
the mouth Of all hopeful patriots in the South
as the tnan likely to lay the basis Of some salts
; factory adjustment OF ths question Seward stat
ed that he examined ihis book minuteiy, and he
recommended II confidently as a proper book
10 be read Now, sir, after that struggle for
the SpeakerShip, Of some six weeks dure.
tioa. they had to abandon the candidate
they originally started, which, however, WAS
no, Remuneration Of any principle they held,
but mere yielding to expedicncy. They ad-
hcrcd 10 the samo principles which governed
them 10 their original choice, for sc find when
the Presidential canvas came Oh, whi:h unfJr-
tunately eliminated in the election Of .,brahatG
Lincoln in November last that Eve hundred
thousand copies of the Helper b"ok were dis
tribu,ed throughout lie North us ar cleo
,ioneering document
Mr.. President, our soil has been invaded;
our rights lave been violated; principles hos
tile to our institutions have been inculcated in
the Northern mind and ingrained in the North.
, cTn heart, so tha. you may make any compro.
mise you please, urid still, until you can uIlenrn
and unteach the people, we shall lind no peace.
Mr.. President, suppose you were to take
BOY Of the size Of that boy, (poluiins 10 one
Of the pages) and have him taught 5y
mother. aud by father, and by preacher,
aid by every teacher, in the Catholic religion.
in Catholic country; do you not think it
would be a miracle, it, at the age OF twenty
one, lie would not be Il Catholic '-oT Pro-
testant, if instructed IN the doctrines OF that
church, BY a similar process hen Te 1nd.
! therefore, that in the Northern States the yontsi
are instructed in the nursery IN the schoUi-
house, in the church, by the press. to regard
! slavery as o sin und crime, and those who
cherish it rs u social institution, unworthy ol
recognition upon footing OF social equality
with the pcopls Of the North, and lit objects Of
| lhc scorn aud contempt Of the world ask
you what is the hope, what is tho chance Of
eGectiEg changer
| SIr President, by the election Of Mr..
Lincoln, the popular sentiment Of the
North has placed in the Executive Chair,
Of this mighty nation u man who did not get
| al electoral vote South Of Mason and Dxon's
line, u.an who was elected purely by North
ern fanatica sentiment hostile to the South
And, Mr.. President, recolecting your anlece-
dents, | am reminded Of the high yenaratloH in
which you and myself in coni.non with many
within the sound Of my voice. held aiillard FIJI.
more; with what pleasure we once rallied to
his standard. Will YOU forget hi. teachings
Will nv friend from BellGrd (Mr GoGeiN)
forget his teachingSY When It was expected
that Fremont would be elected 70 the PreSl'
clency in 1855, in addressing Northern audi.
dicnce. he appealed to them to know whether
if the South was 10 elect sectional President
upon principles hostile to the North, getting
not single vote from the North, whether
they ought TO or woulG submit 10 il
What was the response? Never. Yes, he said
uerer; and they never ought AND that very
sentiment you md 1, sir, and The gentleman
from Bedford, CIR GoGo1S,) and the gentle
man fri Halifax, (Mr. FLornSoY,) fully en-
dorsed at that day. nm or carrying it out
now, and / trust tho Convention vii! agree
with me in that policy.
Mr. President, we have suffered wrongs ami
grievances Tho Government is no longer q
Government Of equal rights. Our enemies have
now command OF the Executive Department,
they have command Of both branches Of Con.
sress How long will i. he before they will