Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-28

+
not satisfactory, then some other step is in CO...
Z temptation upon the part Of Virginia. Ar
gentlemen who hare taken The position whic
: they have taken to day in reference to the pre-
9 positions emanating from your Committee, il
5 condition to say, that If the non slavehold
ing States SHALL report back the peace Con
ference propositions, that thcse proposition
are satisfactory to Virginia? don't mean t
l use any explosions that can be construed int
any disresrecf; but if there be any dod GIN
, about these Peace Conference" propositions
ought we not TO know exactly what it is tha
; gentlemen contemplate, and whether I'M
JoIliy Of this CONVENTION si:all say that th'
propositions cmanating from your Commit
zee nre substantially different from these
. propositions Of the peace Conlcrencer :
But If they hereafter to DO cmbodicc
in the peace Conference" propositions aut
should the non slaYctnhing States in resppns:
TO the demands of Virginia, send back here
the Peace Conference propositions, is it to be
said that these propositions are satisfactory re-
sponses to Virginia? Sir, trust that the
action Of this Convention is to be finality-
thst il is 10 lead to some final result 1T vas
surpassed that the Peace Conference PROPOSE,
tion vas to be q 6nallty But is it now so re.
gari;d and is it not time that it stCu!dl Are
&c 10 be left in the position hereafter, if the
n0nslarehodng States shall refuse 10 en-.
d0rse the Peace Conference propositions and
send them back 10 US to receive them US salts.
fuctory responses 10 Virginia's demands?
trust not, sir. trust that this Committee
will not be willing to take these propositions
as any response 10 sucE demands H. Virginia
has a right to make. .
Sir, the very fact that propositions have
been submitted to Us by gentlemen chosen to
represent the honor and the rights Of Virginia
in this Convention, called ut Washington to
settle those great questions, which are SO vague
and indefinite, and which do not come up TO
that point Of drectncsS rs tV our rights, as to
meet with the appreciation even Of u ius jurity
upon this floor say, The very fact that these
Propositions now rcpudialed by the very
geIlcH,eu who advocated them in the begin.
ming leaves no probability that any PROPOSE.
tions, any measures Of adjustment wlll ever be
given b. the North that cil b. acceptable to
| Virginia. These "Peace Conference" pr0posi-
tIous were tho result Of long ard labori
Gus deliberations on the part Of delegates
FROM twenty one States, in which our South.
ern delegates used their best efforts to procure
just measures Of protection and future guaran-
tee; and yet we find here to-day that they are
unacceptable 10 the very men who advocated
thcin in the beginning. What hope is there
then Of obtaining any satisfactory adjustment
Of our difficulties when this "Peace Conter-
eRce" failed None whatever.-Sr, none
Of the Norlhern States, 81 far as | u,
dcr>tand their proceedings, have condescended
10 initiate any proceedings towards All ADJUST.
ment VI orr difficulties. Here, Virginia, time
and again has been making efforts for an hon.
orab.e adjustment Of these difficultics-shc
has put loIth what was considered final effort
TO accomplish That purpose, hut the PROPOSE.
TONS which resulted from that effort have
born rrpudisttri by this Northern majority in
the Congress Of the United States. while you
find eii3rts being made everywhere in the North
for the purpose OF adjusting these difficulties.
And still We find FIrs,nIa occupying the posi-.
ton Of n snppliant TO the North TO grant
her some guarantee Of hrr rights. AS long as
she Keeps tina position, the propositions which
sllall be made TO her, if any are offered, will
br uf character which she cannot accept.
Sir, gentlemen have said in the progress Of
this discussion, that the action Of the Federal
| Government III the past, upon this question
Of slavery, has been such as xirginia uiti:
,n"taLcy .,m, :r.u;&:h q uHSSeu II, ihese set.
Elements because they were considered unhll-
lies On that questun-bccause they laid down
lines which it was supposed Northern nggres-
sion would not dare violate or infringe. lnas'
much as Virginia has acquesced in the psst
| from motives uf pesce gentlemen argue that
she should nOw acqnesce. Indeed, we have
the plea of precedent put forth 10 justify
this ncQniesence on the part OF Vrsln'a--a
plea winch las been Set up bei0re % jtstiiy
encruachmentl upon popular rights va,
astcnished TO hear The gentleman from Augusta
| (Mr. BALpwlN) refer 10 The vote which was
given upon the Oregon question, and the ap.
proval by Mr.. Polk oi the passage OF that bill.
| The gentleman referred to tho discussion IN
connL ction with that matter, in an mir oil irl
unuh. Ii seems to ne that there were but
two aspects in which the question could he
viewed d-ciiher as party triumph, because
Polk had signed the bill which contained
the W.Imot provisc, while the Democratic
uarry denounced it and disclaimed any agree.
ment in tha. course And then, sir, what was
the other aspect 4! The majorty uf the North
crn men in that Congress, when the Black
Republicans of the North affixed the "Imot
proylso to the Oregon blil, demonstrated
against 1t, because Oregon was north oil
thirty.six degrees thirty minutes and the Mis-
souri, Compromise principle applied 10 It, and
hence there was no necessity that the Wllnot
proyiso should DO annexed. But the Blacl;
Republican majority annexed the provlso not
yithstandinc TO show that they had the power
over this question Aud now the gentleman
from Augusta, (Mr. BAIDwlS,) refers to the
arentest outrage that the South hiss ever had
to submit to, to show that she should submit
further.
It's probable that at the meeting OF the next
Congress for the purrnsc OF settling these dill
ruI,;rs between the North and the South, the
very language Of this Pace Conference propo
silion will be used by the Northern !ncn-aye
sir. and bg some Southern men-to show that
Virginia having acquesced ought still to acqn'
csce in any other outrage of her rights that may
be perpetratcd upon her.
But, sir, gentlemen may say that they don
mean in my vote they give here, to cast anJ
T. 1cclion upon the prcc ed,ngs OF the Peace
Conference. Sir, the fact still slares them II
,hc face that they are unwilling to vote for TIT
+ uroposition of the Peace Conference, and tina
, these propositions have been exposed 10 th'
sca,l,ins criticism to which they have been sub
j iccted in this body, and it is consoiing to r.
! member, sir, To use The language OF The gent!e
. man FROM Augusta, that By the time We ha''
tsken vote upon tins question, ell that IS LET
CT ti.e Peace Conference proFositian can be car
! ried North in "dus.ous' even if the gentle
nan from Augusta (Mr. BALDWIN, }. act
r as the pilot in carrying it through TIT
clpcs Of Virginia. 1t was understood
sir, that the propositions which emanated from
2 this Peace Conference" were to come bach
$ here to this Convention, and that if they ~er'
such as Virginia ought to adopt, that this Con
, ventou would adopt them and say TO the Aortl
c here is our ultimatum. What do we find now
+. That this committee Of tweniy-one is engaged
! in making another ultiula!um entirely dinsr
o .nt and distinct from that which has e!nanatct
from this "Peace Conference" The pr"posl
e ton Of this committee is TO ctEanatc from TIL
$ body und is to 60 before i conference OF To
::r 4, ,,ta ND tho time tl1