Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-01
m11M,SI9T14iZz
VOLUME LY1l. NUMBER 81.

Mr. MAcFAHLASD-1f my ir;erd will suifsr
me for moment wish 10 say that rrfzrrcd
~ Rhode Island with some little satisfaction.
She has acquitted herself, recently, well, but
she is so geographically small, ard Sn l:trIc
known in the intercourse OF the world. that /
hardly supposed she would be called sovc;ti.n
Mr.. WlS.-Aye, sir, the gentleman alluded
to Rhode Island very kindly, and kno~ lie
always means kindness 70 tie, as do 10 him;
but ne alluGe 10 Rhode Island Us he did 10
HE. lie paid her some compliments over The
e.:' Laughter say Rhode Island is as
sovereign as Virginia o. New York, and say
It upon the authority Of the Constitution f
.!!a Unit9d States, which auih0riSrS her . nave
two Senators III the Sc::ate Of Tie United States,
when New Ic!k has bat t"o; which nut!:nr.
s2S Delaware to have two, for two iiom E.r.
gua. Pat New York and Virginia side b.
side with Delaware and Rhode Island ard tel
me. "ltcr you have compared their dinrn> lois
aaI their powers, :r,l me, gentlemen f YOU
wi why 1t was they Were made equal IN The
Senate? 1t was because the Constitution vi
the United States recognized all four, each ard
all, as sorcreicnS, and therefore made them
r4uliS.
But Ey friend from Richmond has taken
power, aud lrn SAYS it is the highest power
Of government. If thar be true Tie Federal
Government is sovereign, which he says is no,
sovereign for it has the highest powers Of
government. What is the highest power of
government under our system: /, !, any
power That the Federal GOvcrnmcn. has 30:
Is it the power Of war; is it the power
o. peace; Is it the power over inc m!Ll:c
domain IS 1t the power Of couln,lc cr: ,sit
the power Of treaty is it the power OF L:pIo.
macy? No, sir There is power greater
than all these The gentleman SAID. a,.,i lac is
Il sond Chrlst an, wi.gm Lcnor and re<rccr and
who knnw "ould not aude To The D>.v
irrcvcIcnly-he said that God was The SOW
creisn Of The universe. l msh, have sari
~ reply, that the great enemy Of Goi and
Gods people IS sovereign in the internal re.
g:onS-yet the devil is dependent after Al.
(Laushtcr) do not mean irIeyrrcncc liLt
Know he Is very potent being with far tic
greater portion Of luurkind, and am very sorry
that AIN yet under his d,lninlon-yct hr IS
drpc"d,nt. But wla, ID. y. will not tcu how
sovereign he Is over much Uf this world, and per.
haps. large part of the universe. Yet there !;
higher sovereign in The universe. God can
command him, and | hope he will command
him, III my heart and in yours. | give
you that instance, but refer tU il only because
lie Is the Author and Creator lie can create
aud ne destroy. But what power is there now
in the United States that is Gud like hat can,
like God. create and can DESTROY? Sir. II Is
tie Constitution. making power. The States,
each for themselves created the Federal Gov
crn;nent and by your Constitution the S.a!rS
and the States only, can destroy it. There is
;hc test of power; there is the power lhns
Is the most sovereign OF all sovereign
powers. Is that false logic? j. that !n-
genuity that imposes upon crcGulltyg |.
lha, an enormIty? Sir, came hrc Il
hcar,:lrss boy in 1888. You (Mr BnrcE)
did me the honor to audc TO it the "lEer day;
and, by the bye, now is as good Il time as any
20 Settle accounts with ny fiiend from Halifax
1t just comes into my head | came viii 4
long address in manuscript, which il had gwen
me the rheumatism in my right ann 20 w:i;c,
upon cold mahogany table. So absorbed h;d
| been i'll my LABOR, that hai suffered the fire
to 80 out, and myself 10 DC chilled with cold.
| came here with that sophomore address, ard
lad it printed for district which was lot yet
formed. When ! had got to this city | met my
friend from Frederick, not the Chairman u
the Committee of Twcnty-onc but my vcn,ra-
ble friend from Frederick (AIr. MAHsnALL)--E
roolncd with him had been somewhat undcr
his tuition when boy at the Winchester !aw
SCHOOL, had been often taken by my vcnera.
Die prccept07, the late amen;vd Henry s..
George Tucker-to hear the arguments of
that eminent lawyer upon the great and
high questions then dislractng tie public
mnd-l came to this city with that iir.t
address acknowledging the doctrine of States
rights; acknowledging that great truth pu!
forth by Madison, but maintaining tie doc
trine OF the Union against the doctrine Of null
litia,loa Of that day, but still opposed 10 the
Force bill, aid dcnouncinS it with as much
ehrncstneSs Us my venerable lIicnd, lie cX.rr-s.
ident Of the United States, (Nlr ,Lai;,J who
10 his immortal honor. be lt<a Il, was the only
Senator in his place voting against il. !! InS
cal!d will not put i, upon his tomb will putt
there, and if cannot pay the graver, will
scratch it there with point uf steel that Shall
b. touched with blood. ! WIS ready to br2.
tizc my faith III bood az rs: that Force b ],
though Union man at that time. | came bc!c
TO find Richmond at that moment, in January
1888, in Il state Of excitement such rs have
never seen. There was Jones, oi E!iz iucih
City, there was the lamentcl G.lmer there
was Bruce oi llalifax-all Richmond WAS alvo
with excitement. Men deberated with arms
at their sides. Men debated with their hands
upon their hts gentlemen were even wnk.
lng armed in TINS city. When | arrived here
the debate WAS waxing lot and strong, On
the other side, there WAS Moore, Of ltocknridpe,
| and Schcil. of the south slde-men StaudIngup
Tor the Union-t!rre thiy stood, Eye I"clr.
tuc 10 toe IN IT,. cu...lict oi debate. NJ inan
knew at that day ~ what moment blooGy
cortl.ct w0u be prccptated. went to the
1 Il -. 4
from Frederick, and We roomcd togelher-
With his kcen scrutinizing aud sitting ios,r,
he searched NE as r. wcll Stored, a>tu,e, eXyc.
ricrccd nan would search and sift school boy
II. did II, and drd it well, and when lIc Was
done with me, sir, ached all over lie u:a.
lne ashamed OF my address. vas alu 81
ready to 90 and take it out Of the hand, nf tic
printer, but it was too far gone. Of that aG-
dress believe my friend from Northampton,
lMr. FlsnEh) has the Only copy that is lett.
Mr. MoSTAcrE-I have one.
Mr. WlsE-IIavc you? Well, sir, hope
you will keep it. (Laughter) am Little
better prepared for my venerable friend row
than was then. lhayc gone through twenty
seven years exercises, but none moIc valuable
than the exercises he gave me on that occason.
Then, for the first time met my Ili:nd from
IIal,rax-fo he said the oth,r day that he &c.
sired t. call me his friend, aud can tell him TO
did not desire it more than do to recproca:o
the friendship.
lie did not wear grey or pcpper.anG salt
then. lie was strong, young, vigorous. Does
1t not make you sad sometimes, when you thlk
what you were then? How hopeful, how jubi.
liant we were, both Of US then! had not seen
the gentleman from that day-now twenty.
seven years ago-,i.l met him The other day,
and WAS introduced to hiu BY my ether lii,Hd
IRON llalifax-l mean my old opponrn. of
1856 (Mr FLorHNoY). very bTuSqueiy said
10 the gentleman from IIali(ax-pulllng Go"n
my spectaclrs-"I believe have ssen you ba.
fore. l need no introduction to you. Whtn
came here, twenty seven years ago. yUu werea
nullifer hone YOU are not SubmSslOnis.