Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-09


annoyance and Injury, and against our repeat
ed circumstances, and our entrcatlcs that these
unfriendly acts should be forborne.
They have prostituted the mail service OF
the United States, designed to facilitate friend
IL, social and commercial correspondence TO
the unhol7 purpose of distributing incendiary
publications among our people, thereby dis
turbing our peace, rendering our slaves dlscon-
tented and unhappy, and melting them to III
surrect,on and rebellion against their masters.
They have, for the same unholy purposes,
sent c1nssarirs and ncendiarles among US
They have encouraged and promoted the IN.
vasion Of our soil by lawless men, armed
against our peace, our property and our lives,
and have, by public ovations, converted into
heroes and luartyrs the murderers OF our peo'
pie.
\ majority Of these States have pcrsistently
refused to comply with the provisions oil the
Federal Constitution for the rendition OF luigi
tivcs from labor, and have by legislative enact
ments impcded, hindered aud prevented the
execution 0! the fugitive slave Law, made in pur.
suance Of this provision; und several OF said
States have refused to surrender fugit!yes from
justice in cases where the crime imputed 20 the
fugitive consisted in violation OF our ghts
with respect To slaves.
These States bare, with one voice, denied Lo
this and the other slaycholdng States IN equal
participation in the common territory OF the
United States, with the avowed object Of con-
iinlng slavery within its present limits, and oi
"placing il in the course of ultimate cxtinc.
ton"
And, finally, they have set up over US an ao,
solute despotisln, consisting in the unchecked
will of mere sectional aud numerical maJ'rl-
| ty, which has seized upon the powers OF the
government and holds them for our present In
| Jury and ultimate destruction.
BY these means, the powers granted oy the
| Constitution have been perverted to our injury
and oppression, and foreign rule has been
established for the central Of our interests, the
| subverSion OF our rights, and Our complete
subsection to absolute power.
And whereas, when the people Of Virginia,
in Convention assembled, assented to and ratl-
ted the Constitution Of the United States, they
did declare and make known THAT the powers
granted under the Constitution, being derived
| from the people Of the United States, may oe
resumed by them whatsoever the same shall
DC perverted to their injury or oppression, and
that every power not granted thereby remains
with them, and at their will"
Now, therefore, we, the people Of the State
Of Virginia, conscious Of the right, and hoping,
under God, tu maintain il, do declare and Or
d.in. and il is hereby declared and ordained,
tina, the ordinance adopted by US in Convention,
on the twenty fifth day Of June, in the year oi
our Lord one thousand seven hundred and
lightweight whereby the Constitution OF the
United SIutes OF America MSS ratified, and also
ali acts and parts Of acts OF the General AS
,eubv Of this State, rstitying amendments ui
the said Constitution, are hereby repealed, re-
scinded aud abrogated.
We do further declare and ordain that the
Union now subsisting between the State Oh
Virginia and other States, under the name ol
the United States Of America, Is hereby dis
solved: and that the State Of Virginia is IN the
full possession aud exercise OF all those rights
Of sovereignty which belong aud apPertain
TO free md independent State.
We 10 further declare and ordain that Tie
effect Of the foregoing ordinance shall be to
absolve each and every citizen .! this Com
nonwealth, wherever residing, from all duty
Of obedience to the authority OF tho Federal
Government, whether civil Or military.
We DO further declare and OrdaIn that the
Governor, by and with the advice AMI consent
OF the LisutenantG oyrrnor and Attorney Geii-
erul, Shall have power i'll addition 10 The pur.
poses for which ne may now emoOdy the mill
tia Of the Commonwealth, 10 cInbody them to
repcl any and every attempt by force to n'lmi-
date VI coricc the people oi this State to SUBJ
init, against their will! 10 the authority q! tic
Federal Government.
Provided, That Lie foregoing ordinance shall
not take effect Or be vi any force until the Same
shall have been submitted " and ratified by the
votes o. u majority vi the people Of this State,
at POLL therein, ~ 6e taken Oh the - day
-, in the year 1851, in pursuance oi L
schedule hereafter TO he enacted
Referred to the Committee Oh Federal Rsla
; tions.
gentleman from siaxahdrs, e j'i
will, in compliance with the request OF some o
the citizens Of Washington county, present tC
this Convention series Of resolutions, adopted
on the 9Th Of February. would have simply
| asked for their reading BY the Clerk without
accompanying them wllh any remarks but lol
the fact vi tee motley character VI this meeting
vi citizens Of Goodson, Washington county
Gu. u The four speakers who addressed III,
| meeting only two y! them are citizens OF tht
State OF Virginia; one Of them is u Tennesscan
another, il ne halls from anywhere, come:
from The city OF New York. | shall Away
take pleasure in presenting to this Convention
any comMunlcat!un respectful IN lis ttri:
which may be addressed TO me with the TT
quest shall so present it, when it comes IRON
my constituents or from other portions Of tAt
State of Virginia, who may not from any cause
be represented upon this floor. But, sir, wheI
a yankee advcnturer, 4 man who, to hear hill
, talk, holds close communion with Seward uno
all that class Of persons, and who, presume
i he were talking with Black Republican.
, would impress you with the idea that he was
The especial friend Of Abraham Lincoln, takes
part III :, meellng-I do rise up and denouncc the
attempt OF such Il person as that TO thrust his
views upon the people Of Virginia. ct this tine.
Gould nsoicnce 80 further ind ehrontcry as
sumo more despicable character
do hot want 10 dignity these resolutions
with the notice think they deserve, because,
so far as any citizens of Washington county
are concerned, they have right to hold meet.
Jugs, pass resolutions, and ask their rcpreset-
tallves here 70 lay them before this body. In
tins precinct of GoodSon, at town meeting
on the 4th Of February last Is citizens voted
against me, ard recorded, ut the polls, their
opposition to Virginia remaining longer in the
Union. But there happened to be 1850 men
III Washington county who differed with them
and hence happen to have q seat here.
send the resolutions to the Clerk, and ask that
they may be read.
The ,esolutions were then read, as follows:
lEErISG IN eoopsoS.
At Il meeting of the citizens Of Goodsou,
Washington County, Va, held on Wednesday,
| March i, 1861, to have all expression OF seHtl-
mcnt il regard TO the views set forth in the III.
sugural address Of Abraham Lincoln.
Col. S. +. Goodson was called to the CHAIR,
ard wn,. T. Moon, ESQ.,, WAS requested to act
rs secretary.
On motion, the chuir appointed committee
OF three, consisting OF John S. Mosby, A. II.
App!;ng and John \. Bosang TO draft reso'u-
.ions expressive Of the sense Of this meeting
Brief addresses were made by Col. GooGs1n,
A. Il. Dorr, L. F. johnson and J. S. Mostly.
The committee reported the following reso-