Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-09-10

lrlth, juStlce, reason, 10 ever homogeneous
and consistent. Tho attributes of God do not
circumscribe, they corToborate and illustrate
each other. Disinterested sincerity, clear, sim
pie, unprejudiced candor, like the wisdom from
above, is first pure, then peaceabIe-without
Partially and without hypocrisy it is
Whether it win or loss the game;
True rs the dial to the sun,
Alth oug it be not shone upon.
What all eager cutlery Mr.. Bright made against
the inequalities Of our representation! Yet
when he was taken at his word, and the seats
for Sudbury were transferred to the West Rid
ing of Yorkshire, how transparent became the
source Of his clamor! 1t was not to equalize
representation that he demanded ~ equitable
distribution Of seats, nut simply to take seats
from these whose politics were opposed to his,
and to give them to those who agreed with
him. We thought he was for peace at any
price. "Pcrish Nice, rather than go 10 var
about it," Let Savoy go-but save your
money" All because the Emperor of the
French was the spoiler. Shift the scene oil his
"~political ethics'-movc two Thousand miles
a~wuy-makc the e~rperimentum in c0y1"Ie not a
monarchy which is worth no Manchester man's
regard, but a model Republic, that infallible
pope u constitutions, and vie find the member
Tor Birmingham roaring for q war-a civil war
-denouRcing thu assertion Of the title to SELF
government-ignoring the ~clearcst rights OF
subjects to choose their own rulers-exhum.
ing Canning's pointed falacy about the hep
tarchy-and calling upon all the world to help
Abraham Lincoln to %extinguish the !ndePen-
dence of twelve millions CT people, and Of many
Sovereign States, who never, for one hour, ali.
Dictated their prcrogatlTc OF territorial! supye'
macy. Orthodoxy in politics as in religion is
Mr. Bright's doxy, and heterodoxy is the doxy
OF al who presume to have an opinion OF Their
u%D.
For our poor part, although our material
senses be double, our moral sense happens only
10 be single. We have noE Two conscierccs
divaricalins like the compass when we cross
the line. Ours is one and misunderstanding
on the one side Of the Atlantic exactly as il
does on the othcr-applying the rule and
plumb-line OF even. handed justice to all men
and thinking a human being has hIuAsn rights,
even although he should happen TO he . plan
ter OF cotton. Within the memory Of man,
America, by conquest, purchase, and settle
ment, belonged to England. It's c~olonistS we're
English, by birth, subjects 0! our Grown, deni-
zeDs of our country; owning lcalty to the
Crown, bound BY the obligations Of patriotism
to their fellow countrynen, sworn, all the chlel
of them, TO their allegiance to this our State
We put o tax upon their tea and q stamp upon
their legal instruments not TO half the amount
Of the money the mother country had to pay
for the government and protection oil The colo
u;es, and far more than replaced by the cxci!
Sive monopoly Of oar home markets. y ma
Iority Of them, not extremely decided, took it
into their hcads to stand upon 4 constitutional
punc,i!io, ut that time ignored in the practice
even Of the mother country, the masses Of
whose people had no voice in the composition
, Of the Legislature, and, aided b. the 5!uudccs
Of our generals, wrcstcd FROM us our most pre-.
cious outlying empire without even the prctex!
Of any substantial grievance Or real plea OF
ortpression. Independence Day Is To this npur
their highest festival. Of real secessioniSts
there we're not more than two millions and q
nall. Is there a man in all America who does
not glory in the Declaration Of Independence,
from Abraham Lincoln upward or downward:
On what principle Of morality or common sense,
then, can any one Of them deny the right OF
the Southerners to proclaim their independence
Now?
There are twelve millions Of secessionists.-
Can you bring all indictment against a whole
nation and half i continent? Slavery has IN
all ares, and in one form or other, been the
normal condition Of every civilized, even every
barbarous State. TO this hour it prevails IN 4
large portion Of Tie world. The planters did
not make, but found it a domestic inStl,utiDn
on which are baSed the very a!ructtiYc and cx.
istcncc of society. Disguise it - we may,
abolltionistn, the general policy Of declaring
slavery illegal beyond certain sections Of the
territory of the United States, is 4 virtual rnaH!-
festo of emancipation, leads directly up 10 II.
Do not let us be misunderstood. Slavery is =
curse, and the people on whom history t.aS liz.
posed it are deeply to be piticd. The South
ought long since to have raised tho Slaves
gradually to human rights, for the interes:
both of the owner and his chattel. EH; We
must do as we would be done By, and Judge o!
others as, in their circumstances, We would
have done ourselves.
What, ifyou, and |, and we, had been planters
depended entirely on slaves for our very
existence-if our States drew their very life
and being from slave owning-what should
ice do, if we found that Il combination of other
J States where there were no Slaves, employed
a mere counting Of noses ultimately to TreSt
what VIC regarded our whole property from
us? Why secele and fight for it, to be sure. But
is this all? Ifa tax upon tea and deeds, not
onc.fourth part 50 hca3y on the American col.
onies Us the very Samc dIty imposed By the
mother country on its2!t, justified rebellion,
what is to be said Of monopolles and protective
and diBrrant:al duties imposed on the South
equal to a tax by the North Of forty millions,
sterling. The New England States pcolnce
nothing, export nothing, cannot even feed or
! clothc themselves.
The slave States not only maiutain them
selves, but export seventy millions worth an.
nual!y Of agricultural produce; ard Yet hy the
craft Of fiscal legislation are drowned in debt,
while the North is wai!oTing in wealth. The
peur debtor awahens 10 hiS Iausc;, aad strug-
sleS 10 shake himself free cl the usurcr and III;
per coats. The case is a. plain as the nose on
your face. l.'cry colony We have is self
governed, sclftaxcd, entirely Gercn'ten; upon
us or upon each other. We canaut c"cn send
~convic,s TO our own property because the set.
tiers object We cannot interfere with their
land tenure: their chief domestic institution.
We have allowed the United States to 90 from
us, anil lind both countries to he the better for
it. ia what pretence can &c Of all nations
deny the right Of twelve millions Of people to
self government, and to .ccetlc from q cornmu-
nifty that virtually contiscates their property
and Expresses them with unequal taxation
But is this all The thirteen States which
formed the original Union were each separate
and dependent colonies. On the I'd July, l77G,
they declared that "they were, and of right
ought to be, free and Independent States, and
the connection between them (the plura) and
the State Of Great Britain ought to be dis
solved" The declarants voted by States, not
by populations. By the Confrdcratlo:: Of TITS,
Article II. declares that each State retains It's
sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and
every power, jurisdiction, and right which is
not by this Confederation expressly delegated
TO the United States"
The Confederation Of 1854 was instituted by
voting by States; The Presidency Of Lincoln
is that Of the majority Of States, not Of the
Inainrity Of nnnulntinn I'm Ii We IN MIG Lun.