Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-12


Secession is treason and if it were motif II
we're legitimate and rightful exercise Of pow
err, it would be 3 virtual dissolution Of tn,
Union. For ifono State can secede, every Sta,
may secede, and how long in such state o
things could we be kept together? Suppose Ken
lucky were to sccede Could the rest Of thu
Union tolerate foreign power within their
very bssoms There are those who think the
Union must be preserved and kept together by
an exclusive reliance upon love and reason
This is not my opinion. have some confidenc,
in this. fundamentally; but depend upon it
that no human government can exist without
the power Of applying force, and the actual up
plication Of it in extreme cases. My belief is
that If it should be applied to South Carolina
in the event Of her secession, she would he
sneedily reduced to obedience and that the
Union instead Of being weakened, would &C
quire additional strength.
"Writing,as you perceive, by m amanuensiS,
must be brief, and conclude with assurances
Of my constant regard"
Upon this point Mr.. Clay was very expl!cii
in his speech in the Senate on the day after
the defeat of the ominous compromise bill
July, 1850:
Mr. Clay said Nov, Mr.. President,
stand here in my place, meaning to be unawcd
by any threats, whether they come from indi-
| viduals or from States. I should deplore, as
much as any man, living or dead, that armies
should be raised against the authority Of the
Union, either by individuals or States. But,
after all that has occurred, if any one State or
a portion Of the people OF any State, choose To
place themselves in military array against the
government Of the Usion, am for trying the
strength Of the government. Applause in the
galleries. ! am for ascertaning whether We
have government or not, practical efficient,
capable of maintaining its authority and up
holding the powers and interests which belong
to the government Nor, sir. am to be ellay.
cd or dissuaded from any such course by in,i-
nations Of the spling Of blood II blood
must be split, by whose fault will it be ? Upon
the suppoSiton maintain, il will be the fault
Of those who raise the standard Of DiSunion,
aud erdcaror to PROSTATE this government;
and. sir when this is DONE 50 long Us it please'i
Guti to give me voice tn express my senti-
.nent. and an arm-weak and enieebed Us i;
iuav be By age--ttas voice and that arm will
ba o., TIC side of me country, for the support
OF the general Authority, and for the mainiaia.
ancc uf The powers of this Union" Applause
| in the galleries
There is where H.nry Clay stood. But, Mr..
President, | have been driven froin the porI
that was abou! to lnuke, into notice ni this
Yankee notion OF secession, and now rsturn
IT, it. | gsvs you the true reason why South
Carolina desired separation from the Federal
Government and the Federal Unun She tells
Yu,l that she believes in this doctrine Of ll.c
i:ir,rcssble conflict. NnT' that Seward has
ahantinu.d i. ard the Black Republican party
i afraid IL maintain it, the South takes 1t ard
We heard the Commissioner from the State oi
South Caroline. proclaim il here III our Wil:st
TIE otter day
Mr. Spratt sent from South Carolina as Com
missioner to the State Convention Of Florida,
while the question OF secession was pending;
; before that body, and again in IL letter which
he addressed to z delegate from Louisiana 10
the Montgomery Congress, uses tie following
. language:
The South iE nov in the formation oi ::
Stare Republic This, pcrhap., is not admit
ted generally. There are many contented I"
believe that the South, as geograi 'hical sec.
ton, is in mere assertion Of its independence
that, il is instinct with no especial truth-rrtg
nant OF no distinct social nature; that for :oIn'
! unaccuuntablc reason the TWO sections lave ne
equally insufficient, there is disagreement he
tween the peoples thar direct h.tu; AID That
from no everything necessity, nu imposs!biiti
Of co.ex!e.rucr, but aS mere nater OF policy. !:
has Leen considered hcSt for the South ,,rikc
OUT for herself and establish al independents,
of her own This, I fear, is ali inadequate
conception of the controversy.
''r;.s Contest is not between the North at!
!, 4 L.i.-
S.j"i! .:!,,,S .l.r.ly !i,err c,tn 'v nu contest
~: !,.,".an ''e l,";' 81 tbs .!"it; a"G ~"
n.,:r ~ tie innlt, tor eur relations hare brei
IL .,i,'; ;.H'i ~. nl.;:ra! grounds there j. "''li
.i.a.n.rs 10 ..-tr.n., u, W. e.; Together
r:ric together, en-! practice, get, III inter
,rur-e. Hritn gict respect, tie c9rttsirs "i tGrn'
mni LIE. Eat irr rral Contest Us between tr
AKA i'.rn, o: society which have become cStab'
.Sh.t;, The one al the North an- the other at
/ The South Snceiy il essentially different from
, observation-disclosures different IL the nut from
the Lur. or ti.e nrrvouS BODY Of The shell.tSi:
! from the ben: structure which surrounds II ;
aud within this Government two societies ia.
; become Developed rs variant in structure AK;
; distinct IN fvfm a. ans two beings in sn'a
tel l:2tLra. The one is society composer "i
! one race, the other CT Two races. The Gle ir
! bound together hut by thu two great social ~.
/ l,';nn: # h.l:.iGud and wifi, and parent nnd
c:.d; lnc other Is the three relations ni
; Husband and wife, and parent and child,
AMI master ard SLAVE. T;le nhe cmbcdl"s
! in lis political structure Tie principle That
| equality is the right Of wan; the uti:er i!'aI
| it is the right of equals only. Tie one en-
bodying the principle that equality is the right
| Of man, expands upon the horizontal plane Of
pure Democracy; the other, embodylng tn"
principle that it is not tie right Of man, but o!
equals only, hss taken 10 itself the round d
! form Of s"cia! aristocracy. In the one there
is hrelIng labor, in the 0ti.er slave labor; in
the oar, thtlei,re, in theory at least, labor Ii
voluntary; in the o,her involuntary III ;!''
labar Of liz: ono there Is lhe elective ill.c'!Sc,
il the other there is not ard, rs lab"r l.,
always ia EXCESS Vi direction, i'll the "Iie ~;
np.:rr ct Govcr:,:ii:nt is ohly with the i"%er
.:::;>sr:; ~ lac "t::"f the upper. In the ":it.
therefore. la. rrir,- rf Government come G''l'
,!,a :r.."- ii Ia: other frcIG tho head "f !h's
:,:,c.rGr: ~ ~. j, is guided b. the ~Jr-i,
y: b.. either J." H.. I.;sl intelligence; in III.
.",. ii IL !r.,tn those who have The least, in til"
. ir,.t.: l!,s.. who have lhr greatest s!a:,'.
ia lie Continuance ri existing order Ia th;.
;..:'. t% :.4u,.rr :i.irr has H.. power 10 ii,'.
al.': M'!:'irr''c ny i"" IN" G""uS rrotfclE" u,
i:- >ia.,' III III, irc.-ilrg "uincs, rs cue II
.uu>t i:s,.lc sill te ~. motive 10 exert lt-anu
.u- Tie SHY NJ state tiiI III bottom lkBds.
IL tho other lH"Ir IS 80 raupcr i"H ill
power ri rising the ship Gt Slate has Ni<1 IT,
las. OF Il DISTINGUISHED cia:s; there is no pos
Sbility Of puli,icel uph.aval, therefore, and it
is reasonably certain that 50 steadied, it viii
sail erect and onward to an indefinitely distant
period.
! Mr. Commissioner Preston, in his speech It-
fore this body, winds up rhapsody OF the same
character as follows: "None but subject
race will labor at the South"
There il is in nutshell. That il it-that
is the feast to which the people Of Virginia
ure Invited; that is the Government to be pro-
vided for the people have the honor to re-
present here; for my children, for your child.
rcn and the children of the people VI this goo'i