Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-03

Constitution; and there is no powcrb by whlchth
Federal Government can come down to Virginia
and compel the people 10 go to the polls ahu
vote. If General Scott were to come among u
with L force aud go from one precinct TO anothvt
to hunt up voters, and force them to the po!S
he would find his etIort q vain and very iruit-
less thing. Thus, sir, / show q minority can
administer and break up the government, IL
they Set lit so to do. They have the power;
and the fact that they have the power SHOWS
that our government is Tot one OF msJoritles,
as laid down by tie gentleman from Ausu'!s.
This is NIL | shall say this evening. and Tue
Committee rose, on motion Of Mr.. MONTAGUE.
TUESDAY, APRIL 2.
Mr.. MONTAGUE resumed as follows:
Mr.. Chairman when yielded the 6oor yes
terday I was about 10 remark, that the people
Of Virginia had caused this Convention to a-
semble for the purpose Of taking into conslde;
ration the great fact, whether Virginia should
dissolve her connection with the Federal Gov
ernlncnt o. not. As | am one Of the repre-.
sentatives upon this floor, as well as one OF the
people of Virginia who believe that she or any
other State in this Union, for cause to be
Judged Of by themselves, have the right TO dis
solve their connection with the Federal Gov
e%rnrncnt, Il decent regard for public opinion,
and q proper appreciation OF my o~n sci: re-
specl, after what has occurred here renders it,
in my Judgment, imperative that something
should be said in favor Of this great right OF
secession. Only one gentleman, SO far as | re-.
member, lad attempted during the progress OF
DIR deliberations to mako an argument against
this right. I alludc to the gentleman from
Harrison, (AIr. CARLlLE) Other gentlemen
have snccrcd ut il. The venerable gentlemen
from Rockbridge, CMr. MooEE.) denounced it
rs ridiculous and absurd my friend from Bed
ford, CIR. GrGClS,) sneerel at it; the gentle.
man from Monongalia, (Air. WnLEf,) referred
10 il as ridiculous the gentleman from Prince
George, who addressed you on Friday last, (Mr.
RivEs,) denounced in open and bold terms all
Of us who entertained that opinion, and who
were willing TO act upon it as traitors, and in
quivcd /! there WINS not suc!, a thing IS hemp
for lis. nd ,,.l
un.ires 10 ~. lie said that our desire to ex-
crrisc this right was based on motives Of self
prnmotion in the Southern Conicderacy.-
THUS. sir, while we have been denounced RS
traitors, while our doctrine has been denounc-
c,l u; ridiculous, while the doctrine OF the
fathers Of the Republic is held up to the scorn
If thu world, | trust | shall DC excused II l
attempt to put this great doctrine on q tounda'
tom from which | think it cannot be over
thrown.
trust, Mr. Chairman, that il, in the nrdor
Of my ten prraIncnt, shall seem 70 manifest
something like harshncss and nnkinhnesS' gen
,Inmcn vino differ with me will excuse me, Tor
] assure them ,ha, | desire to be perfectly
courteous and respectful TO all. have not sn
unkind feeling against 4 member Of this Con
~vcntion, and why should |? We sro ali Eir.
g%inians. We are ell seeking To ettain the
Same great object. We have all occn reared
under the same great principles of c~onstitu-
tional liberty.
Although we may differ here for q time,
have the consolation to believe that the day is
not far distant when all of Us, the whole poo
ME of Virginia, will rally together AS a band of
brothers in defence Of the time h0norcd rights
of Virginia, and when Virginia does that the
world will see that she is still the friend Of
liberty, and the uncolnprcmising foe of tyranny
and oppression.
Mr.. President, one of the wisest mtn tina.
Virginia Or this country ever produced-l ,nesn
The venerable Mason, the author o! your BIZ
Of Riglts-declarcd that ''the perpctuity Of
our institutions depended on q firm adherence
10 Justice, moderation, temperance, lrugailtlY,
and BIZ II frcgue.t recurrence to Fundamental
principles." propose to recIr briefly to some
fundamental principles OF cur government, and
see whether, 10y Il proper application OF those
PRINCIPLES, to the crisis in which We stand,
there is not = course Of safety and OF escape
from the dangers which threaten TO Overwhelm
liz.
/ hope the Committee will bear with me if
| | be somewhat tedious. What sort OF Govern
;ncnt is this We have? Is it a Consolidated
| Government? Is it n Central Empire, governed
and controlled in al its departments by d mere
majority of the whole people of the country
Or on the other hand, is it Il cotupsct between
Sovereign States-a government OF defined
and limited powers. fixed aud prescribed for
certain we'll defined purposes? On the an
swer 10 this question depends, III ing Jnds'
ment, the proper solution OF The great question
of tho doctrine OF the right Of secession.
r;.E gentlemen from Harrison. MI. CAG-
LILE,) said that this doctrine of secession was a
doctrine Of modern orig;n-that it cmanatcd
from New England. I think | understood him
to say that 1t crnanated from the Hartford
| Convention, and was endorsed BY that Con-
yrn,ion. While I do not endorse the doctrine
put forth in the Hartford Convention, yet !
have read their resolutions with care, and I
| lind no such doctrine laid down there. tako
issue with tie gentleman. | say thu, so far as
this Commonwealth is concerned ard 50
;ar As these United States arc concerned,
i. had its origin in Virginia. Virginia
HsS the first State on this Continent that ever
exercised The great doctrine Of secession
When did Virginia To that? On the 10Th of
t1n.. TSE - prior RI ,,.rr nnr1.rotirp nf II,
dependence. She did not 90 about to consult
border States, to see wha. they woull do. In
the plenitude Of her sovereignty, and in the
depth OF her patriotism, she severed her con.
nccLion with the British Government, thereby
exercising the great right Of secession. As
| Vas cloqucntly SAID by my departed and 7cnr-
rated preceptor, the late Judge Beverley Tuck
G., prior 10 your Declaration Of lndrpen-
d'nce, her voice Of defiance Vas always ring
Ing in the ~tyrant'S cars; hers was thY cry that
summoned him to the strife; hers Was the
shout that invited his Vengeance
IL is q EirginiM doctrine. ! shall show, br.
fore | get through, that ono Of the greatest
me.r Of thu country, differing with him as We
in Virginia hnvo always done on many great
cardinal priuciplcs-u man whose ability the
world has acknowledged and puid homage to
Stl'lNJ ~ ~ lllol III ~
| separation from England as secession, and
quoted it as Il precedent in favor Of States re.
sorting to the same means Of getting rid of the
Federal Government.
That sir, was the first act of secession.
What was The NEXT | hope the Committee will
bear with Inc when I show that old VII. in;a,
win adopted the first net Of secession on this
continent, was the first TO take the lnovr "
bring about another great :ncasilrc Of
In january lTS6, Virginia. by Ter Legislature
proposed 3 Convention ii Delegates from the
Stntes for tho purpose Of augncnting the pow.
ers Of Congress in regard to the regulation Of
coInlnercs. 1t was held in Annapolis, only
five States being represented; and that Con-
rention recommended that all the States should
appoint commissioners 10 meet at Philadelphia,
on the second Monday Of May, 1871, to take
into consideration the situation OF the country,