Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-02-26
I wilI NOW submit the report

Resolved, That the allowance to the Officers
of this Convention for their services uu''
It's sessions shall hc--to tho President; 10 "u'
diton to his mileage: as Inesnher ol '"I
yention, eight dollars per day; to the acrte,
tarv. including the pay for his assistant one
hundred dollars Der week 10 the Sergeant H.
Arms, thirty dollars per week Z; 10 caca Doo'
keener. twenty. eight dollars per week; anu 10
each of the pages, fourteen dollars per "etA
and that John d. Smith. Ter experimenting
| and keeping in order the Mechanics lhS''tute
during the session Of the Convention thefe'n'
and for employment of servants to aid him IN
doin. sn, be allowed iro dollars per day,
M,nMADrkE JOHNSON, Chm.
! The report was adopted. d..
/ Mr. AIoopr Of Rock bridge desire to oaer
certain resolutions. and 10 follow .helA Will
same remarks if can make myself hea'u.
They read as follows: Ill,
Resolved That the conduct OF the so-calea
free States, in resisting the execution "l ''e
Fugitive Slave law in refusing 10 give up 'rlihl'
nails fleeing from justice; III seeking 10 ueP''''
the Southern States Of ANY portion 0t .le co''.'
mon territory Of tie natiol; and Of tAe'r c't'-
zens, in circulating nceus!iary pamphlets among
ms. in furnishing arms TO bauiS Dt aNs'isa'hS "
invade our borders and murder our people WIN
other fragrant wrongs, is such n to require
| prompt PREPARATION ui the injuries lnnicte"' anu
| Justify Virginia in Demanding, rs She does Ie
| mand, full and ample security, that tn'se
wrongs shall not he repeated.
. Resolved, That Virginia can never con-
sent to BECOME member Of any conlederacy,
Ly the constitution of which, the re'opcninS
| of the African slave trade is not prohibited.
3. Resolved. That Virginia will not become
member 0, uny conteGeracy, the government
! of which, except under extraordinary CIR
cumstances, is to be supported by direct tnXa'
| ton.
+. Resolved That this Convention doth np.
prove of the amendments Of the Constitution
of the United States, proposed 10y the erltleh'
den resolutions; and declare its readiness 10 ac'
cept the same rs Il satisfactory adjustment oil
| existing contingencies between the Northern:
and Southern States.
| 3. Resolved That in the evcut oil the amend
,ncnts referred to, or other equivalent amend
| ments 10 the Constitution Of the Unltcd States
not being adopted, Virginia will be ready 10
| enter into Il compact with Sucn States rs VIII
agree to adopt SAID amendments, by when inc
| present government Of the United States snail
| he declared to he dissolved, as to tho States SO
agreeing, and that they will lhcnceiortfl constl-
| tue new confrdcrucy under The constitution,
| so amended, from winch all the States not SO
agreeing shall 6e excluded.
| Mr. MouRE Gf Rock bridge propose To Oh
fer some remarks upon the resolutions winch
have Just submitted ior the consideration OF
| the Convention, in connection with the SUD-
iects referred to by the ambassadors srnt here
| from the seeded States.
trust, sir, that in the ren.arks which shall
submit, whilst shall express my opinions
fully and freely, will give offence to no gentle.
man here or elsewhere At the same lime
do not EXPECT that shall cnttlc myself to any
Of Tine sni, sodrr which has been admins.
tered OF late ! desire that this Convention
shall duly consider what shall be the destiny
of Virginia IN The event Of Ill unfortunate con-
nc c,inn being formed between herself and The
seeded States.
The first resolution sc= forth sornc Of the
prominent grievances which the people OF Fir-
::inia ana OF the border States haze Il right to
complain Of in reference to the Northern States
imagine it is unnecessary for the to discuss
these things, because presume there Is per-
| feet uranilnlly IN lhi; House as to The exist
rDcc OF the grievances r.,rnp laucd oil, aud Of
the necessity Of demanding All immediate as-
suranre that they shalt not be repeated.
| offer that resolution sir, Iii order TO draw Il
| distinction between Cur GRIEVANCES aid the
grievances of the seeded States. say sir, that,
although the grievances which We complain vi
are well founded US 20 u.s. They are MATTEL oi en-
tire Indifference To the seeded States, and only
calculated to affect our interests They aic mere.
" assumed BY the >eccdsJ States as levers to OPP
crute UPON the border States, AND induce thcin
10 form connection with them. think, SIR,
an! Justified in thai opinion by the deciara.
lions of the Mercury the leading organ OF
those States | see i: here stated, sir, III these
words:
THE Union will he restored with Iow
States wait, but Witch nrc u no consequence
| TO the cotton States.
| ! say, sir, | believe that that IS the true
ground that thcy mean TO take, oHd thar they
care nothing nhoul the slaves which We
have lost They nave lost no slaves: there
has been no inrua,! made upon them, Tor we
alone have been the sufferers by uny loss re.
sulting from the carrying uT Of slaves Their
real ground OF dissatisfaction lies in The opera.
ton OF the tariff. They are for free trade and
direct taxation. and maintain that Cur inter
csts demand that we shall have revenue 10
support any new government that may Inc
| formed, and that that revenue shall arise froM
| duties on imports.
There is then direct conflict At once be-
| tween our interests and those Of the seeded
| States. That the causes from which We Suurr
and which are alleged by them Us provocations
for the course they have pursued, werc not the
| immediate causes which operated upon them,
is publicly apparent from the declarations made
! in the South Carolina Convention. The then
| governor Of South Carolina hes said that they
| have been ready Tor iurty years To demand q
divisit Of the Union and that they only want
ed pretext 70 make All ciirr! 10 dissolve il.
Then, sir, if they nave hcen 10 favor nt disso-
luton for the last forty years, they nave not
bt en- influenced in the course they have pur-
sued by the events which have happened with.
in the last fifteen Or twciity years. Oar chief
losses from the abduction and escape OF slaves
have occurred within this period, and iuasmuch
as they have been seeking n rrcteXt 10 90 out
OF the Union for he last TO years, these causes
cannot have operated upon them at this time.
The fugitive slave iaw nrd the personal liberty
bills have been passed since 1850, and while
the latter undoubtedly furnish u>t cause Of
complaint to tho citizens Of the border States,
they cannot te supposed 10 have led to the &c
cession OF the Cotton Suites, because these
States formeh that purpose forty years ago,
aud because, moreover, while they justly depre'
Gated this policy on The part Of the North, as Il
violation Of Constitutional right, they were
not materially affected hy that policy. The
border States were the sufferers by it, and they,
ii any, had cause To complain.
Nov, sir, what Is their real cause OF com.
plant: They are but two, and those stick out
out SO prominently that y9n cannot fail to sec
them
They are opposed to the collection Of any
duties on goods brought into the country, and
they want free trade and direct taxation Sir.
the election Of LiDcoln, vi which they now COIN
plain, and which they present US the chief
cause for their secession, is really not the true
cause. And even, if it was, they alone are
responsible for his election, for it was the Ma.
tu5al result OF the course which they had pur
sued in the Charleston Convention. AS proof
Of the fact that the election Of Lincoln was not