Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-10-17

Of the Committee on Federal Relations as a oaSl
Of negotiation on which the unhappy oiSSeT
sions b,.tYren the North and the South nigh
be aulicably and honorably settled ana IN
prace Of the two sections placed upon a Slanl
foundation. Wuknow, rs every rejecting MAJ
unst know, that il hnstiiities once Commences
between the Federal Government and Coniede
rate Safes Virginia and the other border slave
hnldiup States could not and would not remain
neutral anal that, as these were oou'nerl
States, identified in interest, IN Ties OF aiec
ton and party association WIN lnc Con'ede
rate States, they would unite their fortune
with thcu,. Hrncc, it was oil inc deepcSt aoc
most vital importance that no stel, should b
taken either by one or the other "t''ct "ou''
be likely 10 initiate hoSllliticS ana mus III
augurate a long and bloody war. Under tir:
circumstances and actuatrd by these pa,rio,i
motives, the Union party voted t"r anu a"oP'e'
the following resolution:
The people OF Virginia will await any rea
SCRABBLE time to obtain answers from thc othcI
States to these propositions, aware Vi the en-
barrassmenIs that may produce delay; 6iit They
will cxpec,, As an Indispensable condition, Ina
q nacific nnlicy Should be adopted towards tho
seeded States, and that no attempt he made Il
subject them to the Federal authority, nor Il
reinforce the forts now IN posScssioh OF tiS
limited States. nor rccaptufc the arsenal oi
other property of the United States ~I'nir
their Limits. nor to exact the payment "l I'M
uorts uuon their commerce, nor any measure
resortei 70. Justly calculated to PROVOKE hostile
c~olIisi,n S1 We asked Of the Federal all,
thoriries at Washington was, Il pacific, Il con
c~iliatory unlicy. We did not demand Of them
anything drrrgalory from The character OF the
government, nor did We ask tAe'n 10 surrender
any right TO which they were justly entitled,
but We simply declared that We c"niu not con-
sent that the Federal power, which was III part
our power, should he eScrscd for the purpose
of subingating the people of any OF the States
to the Federal authority. 1t was announced
in the public press that the administration al
Washington, DESTROYS that an nd ~uStncnt should
nc speedily effected, would inauguratc no poll.
cy calculated to i~rritate the public mind iii the
Sultl, and thus precipita.e hostilitiesi that t'ie
forts in possession of the seeded States
should not be recapturcd, and that those
in the possession OF the Federal Government
should not be reinforced; but that tho status
of things should remain until Virginia, acting
in tie capacity Of mediator, but at the same
time asserting and maintaining her " rights,
should command the peace and present to The
consideration of the people North and South
sncl, propositions and amendments to the Con.
stltutlon, for their adoption, as would forever
settle this vcxcd question Of slavery, anu place
the Union Of the States upon mn enduring ba-
sin. Virginia had Il right to demand this. and
nothing less than this. She vas the first State
to take the initiatory steps that led TO the for.
nation OF the Federal Constitution, and she
sill he the last to surrender one solitary r:gh.
guaranteed to her by that Constitution. Her
people never did and never will consent to the
acknowledgment Of the power of the General
Government to cocrCr any seeded State back
into the Union. They declared in the Decla.
ration of Independence that, when a long
train Of abuses and usurpations, pursuing in
rariahly the same object, crinces 4 design TO
reduce them under absolute deSpotism. it is
their right, it is their duty to throw of such
and provide ncw guards for their
future security" They did not wait until the
King of Great Britain had rivctcd the Chains
around them and bound them 10 slavery ; but
they took up arms at the frs. r~iawning OF any
attempt at suhjugation. They accomplished
lilC va - 'N''SS tNt'ti' w 'S'l'
The Parliament Of Great britain asserted the
right to tax the Colonies in all casrs whatso,
ever, and it was precisely on this question
they made the revolution turn. The amount
Of taxation was trItling, but the claim itself
was inconsistent with liberty, ami that was
in their eyes enough. Ii was against the re.
cital Of IN act Of Parliament, rather than
against any suffering under lis enactment,
that they took up arms They went to war
against Il prearnblc-thcv tonight seven years
against a declaration. They poured our their
and their blood Ike water against an
assertion, which those, less sasacinus and not
50 we'll schooled in the principles Of civil
liberty. would have regarded as barren phrase
olngv or ulcrc parade Of words. They saw i'll
the claim of tile British Parliament, n semi.
nal principle Of mischicf-,he germ nf uni
power. They detected it; dragged it forth
irou underneath lis plausible disguises struck
a. it; nor lid il clude their steady eve or well
directed blow till thcy had cytirpatcd and de-
stroycd it to the smal:es; fibre. On this 0ucs.
ton of principle, while actual sniI-ring was
vet afar off, they raised their flag against n
to which, for purposes of foreign con-
quest, Rome, in the height Of hcr glory, is
to be cnlnpared--a power which was dotted
over the ear,i, with her possessions and mill
lary posts, wiusc morning drum hcn:, follow.
ing the sun, and Keeping company with the
hours, circles the earth with one cmntinunlS
and nnbrnkcn chain oi the national airs Of
England.
1t is, Mr.. President, this principle, held sa-
cred il the boSolns OF all true Virsinians, that
has aroused tho people of Virginia to arms,
to resist tn. lsurpaLion Of Abraham Lincoln,
un,i the dangerous doctrines cuntiancd in his
proclamation Of war against the seeded
They see in it IA seminal principle
Of mischief-the germ Of nrjast power" which,
if asscntcd to by them, Will result in the over
throw Of the Constitution, The destination Of
the liberties they now enjoy, and will bind
them hand and foot to the car Of Federal pow.
and they arc rising in their majesty and
to vlndicate, by an appeal to arms,
their rights and their homer. The trainers Of
the Federal Constitution never dreamed Of in.
cooperating into That Instruments provision au
thorizinr the Federal Government to exert
against n seeded State; for in n discus.
sion OF Il resolution offered ny Mr.. Randolph
in the Convention OF lIS7, 'auihnrizing an
cxcrlion OF the inrce Of the whole against a
delinquent State" Nj. Madison observed
'',bal the more he reflected on the use Of force,
the more he doubted the practicahility, the
Justice and the efficacy Of it, when applied to
a people collectively, and not Individually
a Union Of the States containing such an ir-
seemed to provide for its own destruc.
ton. Tho use Of force against II Stale would
look more like = declaration of war than an
i~rtliction Of punishment, and would probably
be considered by the party attacked AS 4 dis
Of AL previous compacts by which it
.ight DC hound. lie hoped that such a sys.
tenn would be framed as might render this re
unnecessary, and he moved that the
be postponed" This was carried unar-
and the vote upon it conclusivcly
proves that, by the unanimous sentiment Of
The Convention, the proposition to give the
General Government authority to coerce a Sc.
ceded State was regarded as impolitic and dam
scrdus.
The the 43d number of 1.-The Fcdcralist,"
NIr. Madison, in discussing what relation is
to SuhSiSt between the nine or more States