Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-01-08

| cd position IN or out of the Union. Ii was
time for that State Which had in part furnish.
Ell the mart tor our slaves and appreciated their
value, to act for herself when she saw that Vir.
GINA hesltated to take decisive action in de-
ience ol her own property. 1t was time for her
with her property in the least danger, to act
| promptly when she had reason to apprehend
that Virginia, with most slave property and
most in danger, might not act at ali.
| The complaint Of our submlssioniSts, that
she had no business to act so rs to drive the
border States to take ground, without await
ing their motions is most dastardly absurd
Virginia is the largest slaveholdng State in
the Union she has upwards of 100000
slaves, worth short time back, at
very moderate estimate, nearly 5000, 100000.
She has the largest property at stake, and she
| is on the front Of the border, in the very pre-
sence Of the aggression. 1t has deprived her
OF most, and the most that has been taken has
been hers, and what has not been taken from
her is most in danger; and she has most popu.
ation, wealth, and strength, to resist, and most
cause to resist Is it not strange then, that
any Of her sons should complain that South
Carolina has driven her TO take poSition?-
Why did she not lead Soath Carolina? In the
front and presence Of the foe, and with most
to fight Tor, should we be heard TO mutter that
we are pressed on to our own defence by q
friend in the rear weaker than ourselves .
This plea does not copport with either the
justice or the chivalry Of the case. The Jcr-
der States ought 10 be in the lead Of resis
taaee-jdr ahead Of aug cotton or most er
trems Southern States.
On the contrary, we are urged 10 be the last
to act-to wait, wait wait until "something
shall turn up to save Us from the necessity
and the work Of saving ourselves. | tell you
that | have heard that cry for twenty tive
years. When battling almost alone in Cpn
greSs, with John Quincy Adams, in every form
Of assault and defence, from ls33-'34 to
1884, on the slavery question, was de-
nounccd even at home as an extremist and
ultra and told that Abolition was zone idea"
which would have its day and expire rs mad
ness and that was madly doing mischief in
treating it with serious resistance. wait,
acuit, 1cait!" was then the CRY, rs now. Again
and again it grew, and manifested its strength,
and resistance became weaker and weaker
Next it obtaine. majority in the free States,
and in the House OF Representatives, cncour
aged as it had been by appeasing concessions
and compromises and in 1856 il ran its can
didate for the Presidency approaching very
near success Still the cry was wait, wait,
wait for the overt act" At last i. has oG
tanned the power to attain the ends
it aims ut, and still we are ilnplorcd
to "wait, wait, wait!.' Wait until whcE !?
The reply is, for the overt act. What act can
be more overt than those rcitcratclly pcrpc-
trated? FovM abolition IF s|arery IN tbs
States be more orsrt repeat that they hare
already accomplished tiat act in part, in .futt
and deed. Could they insult Us more? Are
wc to wait for them 10 become still stronger
for ourselves to become still weakcr-for them
to late us more, or for suhrnissionists 10 multi
ply among US, by our inaction OF inability 10 dc
| fcnd ourselves?
! But we are told the election is constitution
al in form, and that the melr election OF \ man
is no cause in itself, for secession or revolution
or dissolution. | grant it; but who complains
| of the election itself? No one. On the contra
rv. it is but too true that the election, alas !.
was SO fair in form, so full, so overwhelming
and crushing III the section where 1t succeed
| ed, as to show that our Northern conlcdcIatcs
are verify and truly Black Rcpublican-that
| they arc what the election proves them ~ he.
our deadly foeS-lhat We know what they
have done heretofore, without the powers Of
| government; and we are forced to ask, Il
they have done these things in the green
tree, without the flush Of victory, without the
national power, tcAat .cW they not i0 uith
/ tie rsims Of government in their Ean0s' We
arc told that this Is "apprshension, not fact.
! | deny il; it is fact. They have done enough
already to cause hoslties thrice over bctwccn
any independent foreign powers
But we are told tina; iIr. Lincoln will bc
''coaserratire" We hare nothing to do with
Mr. Lincoln Has it come to tins, that oar
safety, our Gerry existence is to depend upon
,chether he acW be conservative or not?-
Such dependence is itself slavery. What do
men mean by 'conserratirc'' when they apply
it to a candidate Of the Chicago platIorm-to
n candidate Of Horace Greeley, advocated by
the GarriSons, and Phillipses, and Bcechers,
and John Brown, Jrs. of the North? Conser-
vative should mean what conscrvcs the public
cood-what saves, not destroys nations
peace and prosperity will protect
and defend the Constitution and pre-.
serve the Union with all rights under and in
both, Does anv submissonst really sup.
nose that tho President Of Black Republican,
ism will conserve the Constitution or save the
Union, or respect the rights of slave property
rs we claim them to exist? Will he execute
the fugitive slave law? viii he yield eGuali-
~ in the Territories? Will he suppress un.
derrround railroads Will he enable me or
YOU to hold slave safely, under Il quadruple
tier of laws, from the mouth Of San.
de to the tip end Of Panhandle on
the Ohio river in Virginia? Can he
be trusted to suppress another John Brown
raid ? Can he safely command our arms Mt
Uarper's Ferry, our ordnance at Fortress Mon
roe, or our ships and operatives at GoSport
Navy Yard? Can we rely on Inn to suppress,
ave, not to encourage the circulation OF In
cendiarism through our post otlccS! In n
word, what is not conservative, II TINS TIC COIL
i scrvative in fact or in apprehension either: !:
Suppose it to be apprehension; stu, Is not mp,
! prehension often, most often, tho best ground
| of nublic or private WARP A bad citizen has,
for twenty years, been doing yon serious
damage; YOU have patiently demonstrated ana
suffered; he has became more dangerous All"
powerful he has at last told you that he mcai'S
the destruction Of your property, even ~ lic
hazard Of life and everything else you hoio
dear; he threatens and docs secret ana h'a's'
nant mischief, and boasts Of 1t as G"a ser
vice; he defics all human laws ana appGalS
to his own sclfrighteous Judgment ior n'sher
law than Constitutions and statutes ana hhaiiy
is bold enough to declare the conflict irrepres
sibc, and gets all the power nc needs 10 make
it fatal to you; you see him coming INTO your
close fully armed, with his 'nreatenlnsS h't +
breathed simply, but written by nhlllons o.
hackers on bis platform ot avowcd intentions;
Van sce that if he crosses given line, lie will
ovcrpower YOU. His coming is n itseJ mrf"t; ;
w;Il that lessen your danger: Will you, in
snch q cnse, wait for him to crush you by an
ovcr, net which YOU will be powcrless 10 re-
s;cts If you do, say that you deserve TO he
he s,ovcs-he is born to be your master Is
,%,. DANGER not the greater when it Is bold
snonsh and strong enough 10 come IN at
~ oTcn door? Is oppression more totsra6ts be-
.anuse m it comes in due Jorm' Is jorm not the
sSnSom? Is the pcrvcrsion and misconstruc-
t;on of the powers Of the Constitution
| ''",' Lta,cs7 Il 1t ngt ;hen, the