Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-07-09

Mr.. BAEBouR-Then, as understand the
Chairman of the Finance Committee, you have
cot to raise, by a direct tax on your people, in
order that your so called obligations may be
met, seven hundred thousand dollars. Now,
is not this little item worth considering? Uhr
10! Don't think about these Virginia people.
Put it to them strong. Saddle them
with all the expense you can. Tax iheir
lands, negroes, horses, COWS, and other proper.
ty to fl your E%xcheqner. But for Heavens
sake. gentlemen, do not think Of asking them in
addition to this burden to pay their money into
the coff.rs Of the public enemy. Gentlemen
saw it is expedient. But | confess that this
lender interes, for the good opinion OF the
Yankees meets with no sympathy in my heart,
and | think ought not 10 be entertained By any
member of this Virginia Convension. | have
q great respect for this assembly, and | cannot
heiicye that it will consent TO levy a new tax
Of seven hundred thousand dollars for an Oh
ject which ! is plainly 10 result 10 our disudVaa
tage in o financial as we'll as a protective point
Of view. I cannot bring myself TO believe thai
this Convention will 90 SO far in their lesls!a
ton as to provide the enemy from Our own re-
sources, with the means Of waging war upon
US.
am told that the Military Committee are
considering the policy of a iorcible draft Of
men for the war. You can 20 to the plough
and take from between its handles the poor
man, who is endeavoring to support his wife
and children, and put him in the army to &c
fend your soil, and yet you are about to levy
tax npon the means of this same paor man,
which in the end will find its way into the
treasury of the enemy and be brought back to
be used against his own homestead. Where is
the consistency of such legislation rs this ?
Gentlemen object to this ordinance on the
ground that it is a confiScation OF property
but, sir, it is no such thing. 1t is merely the
suspension of payment during the war. You
have the money of the enemy in your Golfers,
and you merely keep it. Yet the tender sen.
sibilities of gentlemen Seem to have been
aroused 10 such an extent in regard 10 the
nice points Of honor involved, that they have
stou;ly contested in on argument! OF three or
four hours, I wise measure, locking only to the
benefit of the people Of the Commonwealth,
and as I have shown, rejecting no discredit
upon its good faith. They have TAXED about
seven hundred thousand dollars rs though il
we're a trihing sum, which could be easily rails.
ed without being felt. Sir. | have seen the
iay when | thought as much Of one dollar as !
do now If ten; and dollars may look very
much larger in my eyes, even now, than in the
eyes Of these gentlemen but when | rrmern
Der that this sum is to come out Of the pockets
Of nv constituents, and perhaps not without
some hardship and suffering. | am not aSlam
Cd d say thar seven hundred thousand dollars
does look ID me Ike a very considerable
amount Of money.
But let US look at the question in another
aspect. According to the law Of the Conlede-
rate States. it is high treason fer ME 20 pay 4
dollar 10 Northern citizen. and the principle
which applies to individuals may morally, if
not legally, be applied to the State.
We have no more right 10 attempt to sustain
our credit, in view Of present circumstances,
and in view of the action Of the Confederate
Congress, than We have to declare peace on our
own private account
| should like to ask these gentlemen, who
have drawn these nice moral distinctions, to
tell Inc the difference between regulating n
debt owed BY you to a Northern creditor, and
suSpcniing the payment Of interest on j debt
10 a Northern creditor. Let me ask them
again. whether, if Mr.. Lincoln had seven hun
dred thousand dollars OF our money in his col.
fers, they believe he would he honest enough
to seEd it TO Virginia ? | will not do them the
~ininstice 10 suppose they have any such con.
flcnce in the President Of tho old United
States. So far from Lincoln sending money 10
the State, he has refused to pay the ar:carages
Of the public off GERS who resigned commands
in his service. Gen. Lee, himself, cannot draw
his back salary, unless lie %as fortunate enough
to secure it before his resignation.
Your public servants are, therefore, absolute
~ estopped from receiving compensation tor
their labors. Is not that a public debt?
But what did this old State OF Virginia do
Did you not stop the Be!lona guns long be
fore you seeded? Did not your constituents:
arm themselves on an unauthorized call, rush
to ~TIarper'S Ferry and seize the public proper
~ there before the secession Of the State. But,
sir, you had better infinitely have delivered up
these guns and this property than to surrcE-
der this money, becaus, it is not for the purpose
OF obtaining new arms, but to sustain those who
are already In the field. !. Therefore, main.
tain that our hest interest, the duty we owe to
the people, and ievery other potent considera-
ton, cal upon Us to resist the transfer Of this
large amount Of money fIcn the pockets Of
our people to the Golfers of The eremy. For
this reason / hope the ordinance will be adopt
cd.
Mr.. MoxroS.-As the author of the substi.
tute which has been presented, / desire Al OPP.
portunity of offering my views upon the sub
ject, and ! promise the Convention that / shall
claim its attention for a very short time only.
The gentleman from C~ulpeper (Mr. BARRorR)
has made two arguments upon this propo- ito,
but they seem to have been marked with the
radical vice Of all his speeches-that is, he has
not met a single authority presented by the
gentlemen npon the opposite side Of the ques,
ton. He has not, and will not, discriminate
between a debt due by 8 government ard a
debt due BIZ an individual. All the authorities
which have been presented, and they embrace
the most distinguished writer's both in cur
country and in Europe. fully agree in the tcsti
monY that there is a Inference between the
contiscation e debts due by individuals or
subjects, and debts due by a sovereign State.
The authority Of Judges Story, Marshall and
Kent, which he has produced, refer 10 a case
in which the corfi ,cation is n confiscatioa Of
private debts due to private individuals. But
there has been no authority prcsrnt,d i'll which
n debt due by a State has been rcpudiatrd BY
that State. The reason was most clearly SC;
forth BY the gentleman from A~lbemarle yes.
trrday, in which he observed that the contract
made by n State is one against which the
coercion Of the law cannot prevail. The debt
is one Of honor. When the contract is between
individuals, should a state Ct war exist. it
necessarily suspcnds the legal remedy which,
would otherwise be possessed. Now, the argu.
mcut which the gentleman from Culpepcr
presented, as conclusive, was that there was n
constitutional law, presumed to be known to
every creditor, which enabled the State 10 sus.
pend the appropriation Of that fund in case If
war, without a violation Of her contract. IN
other words, that it was a condition Of the
contract at the time it was first made which
enabled The State to withhold payment in case
Of war. But is the question now before Us,
whether the interest shall be paid upon u par.
ticular fund, or whether it shall be paid at all :
I think not The question il totally different.
We can, if We choose, suspend the apprnpria.
ton Of a particular fund. Blu. Mr.. President,
| would ask if there is not a difference between
| the acknnulednnsnt nf q dcht mud The rnn,G;n