Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-19
MIR. Conrad's Report.

tHe PieocHl. NC cIo-CullSLIuCllOH vi Tie Oulol
the preservation Of the peace, the interest of
the people, the honor of the State, all demand
plain and simple language, The refnngs Of
the majority report, the nice distinctions upon
the subject Of secession, its circumiocutior.s,
its utter failure to suggest my guarantees that
can reconstruct the Union, lis total inability
to protect the rights and interest Of the slave
States that still remain in the Union, all con.
delnn the report. and must cause its rejection
BY the people Of Virginia y piece Of political
mosaic SO GROSSLY iudcntel aud whiinSically
dove.tailed, is utterly unsafe to touch, and un-
sure to stand upon. Ii all its delna,ds were
granted if I'll its guarantees were yicl,icd, it
would neither reconstruct the Government,
nor give peace and security 10 Virginia.
1t is Il partial report" made up OF unntcl-
ligible generaltieS, which somc,iin:ayct unde-
ternined upon is designed 10 complete, but
which has not yet been suggested. That un-
determined something which is yet to be set:
tied upon, may or may not give completeness
to the partial report; hence it is uncertain and
indefinite, incomplete and imperfect; and yet
it is submitted 70 the Convention for adoption.
1t comes to the Convention without patron OF
| protector, III unrecognized, fatherlcss bant-
ling thrown upon the charities ol tho Conven-
ton, and trusting to the pity which its hrp.
lessness excitcs, for protection and lorbear-
ance.
The tenor aud langage oftbe report is not that
Of an aggrievcd and injured Commonwealth,
| Indignant ut the wrongs inflicted upon her by
fsithless coniederates aud determined to wrest
| from the wrong .doerS the power Of future in
jury. The spirit Of the report is not that Of
! great people who have burne and forLornc,
pleaded and cxpostulatcd with their equals un.
til forbeararco has ceased 10 bc virtue, and
! expostulatun regarded US an indication Of cow
ardice.
Virginia is represented as an imbec;la Com
,aonwealth, ''deeply dePlaring The present dis
tracted condition Of the couatry," anl as ia
tnenting the wrongs that have i.npelled some
of the States TO cast of oJedicnce 10 the Fcde-
raj Government" States owe obedience 10
| tho Federal Gorcrnment' From whence was
! that doctrine derived. Who Was the patron
and progenitor of this new philosophy Our
fathers taught that the United States Of .Amcri-
ca are not united upon tue principle Of unlim-
tied submission to their General Government"
that it was "a government whose organization
cannot he maintained without the cooperation
of the States" but they were never guilty OF
the folly Of making the creator owe obedience
to the creature. 1t may be that, as the mSjoii-
ty report has abandoned the noble spirit Of re.
sistance that actna,ed our forefathers, tney
have also ignored the principles Of government
upon which they framed the Constitution.
There is not principle announced in this
report that is not conlradic,ed or Impaired by
something that precedes OR follows. In one
section obedience 10 the Federal Government"
is asserted Us duty Of the States, which is
followed up by the rrcogul,om of the right ITO
cast Off" that obedience" with declaration
of purpose TO resist the Federal Government
should it attempt to enforce this duty Of obe-
| d!ence.
The Territories, recognized as trust tor
the whole people are proposed TO be divided
between the two sections-giTing to the North
urn man right to enter the Territory set
apart for the South with his propcrly-but dc
nying 10 the Southern nan tic right TO enter
with his property the Northern Territory. The
Dred Scott decision recognises tnd confirms
the Shareholders rightso carry his property into
any Territory; thus constitutional right has
been forever settled by the Supreme Court
which this Convention should provide guarar-
lees TO secure in the future against ell changes
that may Uc made upon the Supreme Gench.
Bu, Instead Of providing guarantees TO protect
this right this majority report has conc0cted Il
scheme which surrenders this right in one half
| Of the Territory, and wholly fails 10 intimate
any adequate protection in the Southern por-
ton Of the Territory. Instead of steadily
advancing in the demand Of Southern rights,
this report was made rctrograde motion to
policy forty years ago denounced by Mr. Jei.
| lerson.
| This "parlia report" wholly fails to settle
any branch OF the slavery question which now
agitatcs the country.
The border State Conference is mere dia'
,ury palliative, designed as the initiation ol
| National Convcntiou-Mr. Stewards zone, Two,
or three years hence scheme Virginia, in The
border State Conference, will he coerced into ii
National Convention just as she has been CO.
creed by Tennessee and North Carolina into
submission. Whatever that border State Con
ference may decide upon the subInissioniSts Of
the Virginia Convention will adopt, let It bs
emancipation direct Or consequential upon IL
National Convention. When once Virginia has
"walked" into the spiders parior," let her
shareholders take warning and ''tlre tho wrath
to come" with MI possible speed. The ""ho-
mination Of drsola,ion" will be FAST upon |,cr;
She will come out of the ''purlor' shorn oi
her honor, her dignity, her property, mise
rable and contemplate province Vi her lords
and masters Of the North.
Let her bondholders take warning, ana wleIl
This border State Conference, the nitiatory
stru to National Convention, has been adopt
ed We would advise them to part with every
me,pento of Virginia The exodus of I've hun
dred thousand slaTcs-,he deportation Of Two
hundred and ffty millions Of property, will leave
Virginia helpless and poVerty-strlcken The
shareholders Of Virginia are now making pre-
parations in large numbers to find future
home in the Southern ConlederacE4 and when
Virginia is made the sutservIeht tool oi Ten
nessee and North Caroius submission, they
will move oal as the Israelites did from Egypt
carrying with them their men servants and
III ,ba;, q nersous held to Seryi-