Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-07


n fair triaI. IT. has had :. lair trsi; Il has bee
10 existence seVrnty.fire years. Look at tn
result Of tic experiment. Shall not attelnp
to describe it. Sc2s traveller records that, il
the great temple Of st. PuulS there Is q table
upon the monument OF Sir Christopher Wren
the great artiflccr, with this inscription ~ri!.el
upon il DO YOU seek his monument" "eiT
cumypice," .'Lonk around YOU" Wehave mad
tho experiment. Wha: is itr Do you ask m
to describe! I answer "ctrcumspice'-lo
around you. Whose heart does not lhrob, as al
American citizen, in view OF this experiment
Look around You, from the Pacific to the Allan
tic! from the Gulf 10 the States; from Texas Il
Maine. Three quarters Of century ago Vi
were only four or five millions OF people ii
number and but a few scattered and impoyer
ished States. Now We are thrty-iour States
for will rot admit tiIGt cur sisters ure finally
gone-with cities rivallng IN wealth, popula
iion. power and magnitude the eldest cities o
the oldest Empire OF tue world; with peopl'
unsurpassed for Intelligence, for ali ttie appli
anceS and means Of self subsistence, for happi
ness and prosperity, ard Tie like Of whom th'
sun Of God has never before shonc upon. |
| is Susb an experiment az this to which the gen
llrrnan from M,ddlcsex TO refer; and we arr
va. oalY upon the threshold of our gl0riou:
destiny, IL We will be but faithful 10 oul
duties rs true American citizens. Wha
scene opens before the imagination O
the true American patriot, as Ills eye goe:
down the vista Of lnturity: like to look up
on the flag oi my country; like to contemplate
its starry folds, and when think, that orisi
naliv ,hrrc were but thirteen stars upon il, aid
that now there are thirty-four. | am reminded
Of an incident in ihr history Of ohc Of the inhdcls
Of France: walking oct one bright ,noonlisht
night he met with one of the Christian philoso
Dhrls Of that Empire. ho was on his way to his
| observatory, md engaging him in conversation,
! hs propounded this question 20 him Where is
your God" The Christian philosopher point.
ed him TO the stars, sparkling all over IA" lea
.en's blue arch, bTt still this exhibition affect
| cd him not He then introduced him into his
chamber, ard turning his telescope heaven
wald, and bidding him look, as field after Gclti
Of glorious starry worlds passed before his 81
sion, the intiic! aweL ard overcome by the
sublime sight, cuulI rot but bow in meek rev.
I erence before hc majesty oi God md his wo.ks
and exclaiui-"lhcre is = God -
Allow me TO say, AR President, that the
Starry field upon our country's flag shall still
increase, until the telescope of the future Shall
reveal galaxy of stars, representing States
only bounded by the oceans which surround
this hemisphere.
Le, us look awhile Mr. President at ;he
evils that must result from secession
The first. in my opinion, would be, that our
country would no. only be divided into North
crn Confetirrucy and into Southern Cnntede-
rary, but sooner or later, this great Coafrderucy
would be divided into sundry petty Coniedcra-
ccs We would have q Central Conledcrscy,
II Conlcde"acy Of the States Of TIC Mississippi
Valley, Northern Confederacy, Weste, n
Coniedcracy, on the Pacific, al Eastern Con-
teleracy, and Southern ConIcderacy. And
what tho result Of all this would be, | leave TO
the opinion Of history. which has already writ
ten upon similar subjects. We would have
between these several Conederacies L perpetual
warfare, ordinations and rccriminationS, roads
and inruadS. strife ard discuTd, until the encr-
gies and the wealth Of this great people would
bc utterly destroyed and exhausted. We have
now in the Central American States, and the
Mexican States, L 1T representation Of what
We would become under the condition Of things
which have pictured. And what is the COLI
ditior Of these States. They are suo.dlrided
into so many Republics a& that venture to
say there are hot 1 DOZEN men on the hoSr oi
this Convention. intelligent as they may DC,
who can tell their liaines this hour Sucn
" ouu lie te ultimate resul; Of the Secession
pulicr, which We are no% called upon 10 adopt
and the evil that would result from this dis.
unicn. And beg the attention OF ny..fricnd,
Mr.. MoRToE (the reporter pEesumes) )-l hope |
may oe permitted 10 call him So 10 what AIN
gong 10 say UPON the subject say, sir, that
! dissolution Of the Union will be the COM
1neuc elnent Of the ebclision Of slavery, first III
Virginia, then in the border States, and ulti.
ulately throughout the Union. Will it not, sir,
make hostile border for Virginia, and enable
slaves 10 escai c more rapidly because more Sc
curcly: The apprehension Of that fact would
drive tue Shareholders South, ard by and by 1t
would operate upon the States immediately
South OF Virginia and banish slavery sill fur
the- from the border, until finally it wouiu
sweep it from he country. That is the idea Of
Charles Sumner, Of Lloyd Garrison, and Of
VI erdrl Phillips. That is what they say :;
they want to surround the slave States. in the
language ofSumncr, "%:lE wall oFi;rc." How
is that to be done; We maintain that we have
right 10 carry our slaves into the territories.
Let the Union be dissolved, and let the South
yiuld these territories, ard Ehat then. They
would inevitably become free States. They
would be l1rcc!osed against slavery, and the
Slave States would be literally hc,nmcd in BY
corjon OF hostile elements, the inhL cree oi
which they would try III vain to resist
Another idea may be advanced in this con-
ncclion. it must bc acknowledged that the
moral sense Of the world is against the iIstitu-
ton CT slavery. The Northern States would
Of course dcclailn against it; all the Northern
influence will be directed towards It's over
throw, and the influence Of the world will be
broush ht to bear against it, so that the inst!tu-
ton would b. quickly abolished.
There is aGoLnYr consideration in connection
with this question OF dissolution, which shall
present. Wha. would become of the Monroe
DOCTRINE, which the government has SO boldly
pIcucd Itself ~ maintain, should this policy o!
secession he carried ouL? Divide Us into 4
number CT petty confedcracies, and what will
become Of that doctrine: The British lion will
he seated on the Island OF Cuba, watching the
great gate to the Gull and Ihe mouth Of the
Mississippi, aud il will not be long before We
find her setting up claims for debt against
Mexico and making that claim q preteXt to
descend upon Mexican territory and hold it Us
Indemnity. She will do with her as she has
do;c every where else that an opportunity or
prrtcxt mas been afforded ntr. She will take
advantage Of our division and weakness, to *.
tend her puwer on tits continent and we can.
not resist How will the South resist those en-.
cro.chnirnls? She has 10 navy, and no army,
aud If we reflect upon the proverb'ai greed for
power and territorial extension that has al
ways characterized England, we behold dan.
gers which might well admonish the South
against rcsor,to any policy that involves d.
vision and weakness.
Then, sir, there is another thing We must
luok to. |, a very easy matter to break down
a hous4, but difficult matter to build it up.
1t is easy perhaps to break down this govern.
ment; but, SIR, when we break it down it will
not be So easy :. matter to build it up.
Again, gentlemen ask Us, will we join the
North or will we join the South. say neither
one nor the other We will stand upon the
! - IL 11nI