Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-23

III ulllCullI III
comes sensation articles, sensation appeais ana
those other various efforts to arouse their pre-,
iudices and produce revolution, bloodsheed ana
civil var. Look into it, poor people OF flrgl'
mia, and see who it is that will not let you resi-
who is disturbing your peace; who were they
that refused TO yield to you IN oPporain'-
Is to give an expression 10 your will at the
ballot box-who were they that hushed every
demonstration in favor Of the Unlon-ttat
Union which our revolutionary fathers won
Tor us bv their yalGr and cemented With their
blood? Who were they that worry you in the
o meetings end Cross road meetings that
they may Bend forth the ra7inss of their mad.
ness and Of their hatred TO the government Sc
cured 70 Us by Washington and his colrpa-
triols at = cost OF a seven years wa--be.
oueathcd 70 us.by the great statesmen who
formed it rs the richest Inheritance ever be.
slowed upon man? There arc many who spit
UPON and trample under foot the glorious Gag,
be.rinS upon its ample folks the stars and
stripss-the amblems Of our Union, Of our
greatness and OUR power.
Mr. Chairman, the border slave States with
fourteen. CT The non.slaveholiing States res.
bonded to the call of our Legislature for a
Peace Conferences That Conference after
weeks of luxurious investigation and ANXIOUS
elaboration agreed upon measures that ought
20 be accepted, ard will be, | have no doubt,
By the people, if you will but allow them an
opportunity to give expression to their wishes,
rs u iust and fair and honoEa5le adjustment o!
all Our ~na;ionul difficulties. Ii We desire peace
ana he restoration Of i~rnterhsl l%srlinss, We
should accept the recommendations OF that
Conference. | feel conhdrnt, sir, anu IL this
am strengthened by q letter which was read
before this body from one cf tie Ca!nniss'on-
ers OF that peace Conference" who does not
synpa,hise with NE, and rs | believe, with the
preat body Of the people OF this State. a!iude,
sir, TO the one presented 10 this. body from
judge Brockcabrpugh, in which he says:
IT WIS supposed that. as T. matter Of course.
the vote would he taken upon the scheme as un
entirety, aEd then announced to one Of you
that after the most anxious deiibeIation l had
come 10 the conclusion that, dl1tasteiul a5 The
scheme Vas to me, | iel. it 10 &c my duty 10
cast L re2rcs sntative vote anu sustain the inca
surs as 2 whole. vas Convinced that West
ern Virginia. which / in part represented,
would so have voted Ly IN lmIEcnsc majority, IT
her voice could he heard within thar hall; and,
acting under that strong conviction. | wcu'd
have done homage 10 the; great principle Of
representative government w:i:cii demands that
the representative Yield bis Individual seu'i-
uents and give ut:eraac3 70 these Of his con-
slituerta. Bat no vote way taken on The pian
AZ a Shole, tue Chair having ruled ;hat each
section being successfully adopted, tho entire
plan was ~eioptsl, and no further vote Ess re.
cessary VI admissible under the parliamentary
rule"
Sir, the proposition which ha7. offered as
u substitute provides for bringing before the
people Of this Commensurate these pro2osi'
tions, and taking their SENSE upon them at the
polls. Aud, sir, I have confidence TINT our
constituents from TIE seq shore to The banks Of
the Ohio, from the Maryland and Pennsylva-
MIA line to the North Carolina and Tennessee
border, will, if you only allow them All oppor.
tunitY in Il constitutional way 10 pass upon
them, accept these measures rs al adj uStment
CT our national difficulties. If We desire the
perpetuity Of the Union, why not accsp. them :
We should take that settlement which the pub
Is: mind is prepared 20 accept. and to which
i, is, TO 2 certain e1tent, pledged ny the action
Of The Peace Conference" Why refuse to
The people the privilege Of giving expression
to their will upon these measures, a. the polls!
Their voice should be heard-thsir will. not
ours, should DC done. Why ask to substitute
for them tho Crittcnden resolutions? These
have boon abandoned for the resolutions
reported from sour Committee on FeJe-
cral Relations. The Crittendcn resolutions
we're before that conference, and, for one, |
greutIy preferred, as u citizen of a slavehold-
ing State, the measures Of adjustment as re-
h., that i1nofnraorn W tho rpaOiu.
ton Of Mr.. Crittenden; and I understand the
old patriot hns declared his preference for
tneul over his own resolut ons.' We cannot
shat our eyes to tho fact that all the gurs Of
tie disuninaisti are lcTcl.d against the work
of that Conference, and if thsg express u pre-.
.erence for tina Crittenden, or uny other plan
of adjustment, it is for the purpose Of Conceal.
ing their real designs, which IS a deterMlna-
t!on TO oppose any and every settlement that
mas be proposed; and it is because they fear
tia, the measures Of the Peace Conference"
will be accepted By the people that they op
poe this measure with 80 much perseverance
End zsai. The;r opposition should be 10 US
the highest evidence and the best reason why
we should accept these measures. To oil men
who place party success and personal advance.
ment above The interests Of their country, OF
course the Peace Conference recommenca.
! tons are distastsful. The effort with them is
10 destroy the Government that has, for The
| gren,er part Of u century, protected US in the
f.ll, free and absolute enjoyment Of all our
rights, civil. political and religious, ms no Go.
vsrnmcnt ever protected 4 people before.
Mr.. Chairman, there is away down in the
bottom Of every mans heart whose nature has
net been perverted, p daep.seated attachment
for his country. The patriotic throbbings Of
,hat heart are fel., md its beatings are heard
every where to. day Among the honest masses
If this land. This is evidenced by the fact
thnt wherever tine voice OF the peopla has
hecn heard, it has spoken in favor Of the Cnion,
and they have manifested q strong determine
| lion to protect II from an internal. as they
| wonid deicn; II against an external enemy.
Virginia, il tie opportunity had been allowed
her. would, as North Carolina. Tennessee md
; Kentucky have done, have voted down the pro-
position for d State Convention. There are
! higher and weiehtirr considerations Of public
! uoi.cy end ofinGiviLual interest that call aloud
| upon Virginia to pronounce, aud pronounce
/ nov in favor Of peace, State credit, corpora
| ton credit, individual credit is PROSTATE; every
Industrial interest ia paral yzcd, and bankrupt
cy is staring Us in the face. Confidence IN the
stability ofcur Government is fast giving way,
end the melancholy truth is pressing tho Patri-
OTIS mind and weighing down the patriots
heart, that this Government is fast drifting to-
wards destruction, and that another Govern.
,ucnt challenging, as this mas done. the aimi-
ration Of the world, will never be reared upon
IT'D ruins. Let Virginia's clarion voice go forth
this day from this Hail In favor Of the work OF
that peace Conference )" let the people be as,
sured that the opportunity will be afforded them
Of passing upon the work smsrating from the
representatives. of twsaty-oae of the States OF
the Union; and let them not be KEEP. in further
doubt hy hooking forward t" the ASSEM- bling OF
other bodies whose Recommendations will pro
baby he regarded with as little favor and trea'
tod with As little respect az seems to be shown
Oh their part 10 sou,e Of the recommendations oil
that P-ao. Conference. Let IFS do this this
day. II is cruel, nye is it not criminal, tc
continue the present excitement, to keep the
..,,t.- -, Jo,,h, nc 20 a-h,t .h.n ho irg ulr;,