Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-27

eating this subject, now gravely come to
the conclusions that the best thing they can
do is TO sit, with folded arms in the midst
Of great revolution, and see if something
will not turn up After sitting here for
this great length Of time, engaged gravcly
in discussing and considering the subject be-
fore them, they come TO the conclusion that
Virginia is living under Government ut
terly unsafe. After this they come to the
farther conclusion, that the best thing for
us to do is to live on under it for six months
more, and see if somebody will not como o
our help in the meantime. If such be the
conduct Of this Convention, the future his
torian, in recording the events Of this day,
may we'll borrow the language of this Com
mittce, and declare that it is 0 course OF
public action, for "which history has no
parallel and the experience of govern
ment no precedent" You find your coun-
trvmen. with all their property in danger,
under system Of government utterly uu-
trustworthy and yet this Committee pro-
pose that you shall djourn for six months
or so, until next October or some other in
definite time. Is that wise and patriotic /?
have said that history has no parallel or
experience Of government no precedent
for such conduct. But, if you vii! go into
the realms Of fancy, you may be furnished
with precedent. The genius of Shake
spesre has created in the Constable Dog
berry fair model Of the political charac-
ter Of this Committee. Dogberry charges
his watchman, ''if you meet with one OF the
Princes Of the blood, bid him stand; if be
won't stand call the watch together, and
thank G cd the case is no worSc, and go TO
bed" Laughtcr.) Virginia announced her
will through the voice Of her representa-
.i7es at that Capitol, and challenged the
Black Republicans. Princes Of the blood.
She bid them stand; they WON'T stand, and
Virginia. picked men come together, thank
God the case is no worse, and so 10 bed for
six months. That is the Dogberry policy
now urged upon this Convention. Merci-
ful Father-what melancholy contrast will
the record of history present between the
Virginia of this day and the Virginia Of
l1I6, if this Convention act as You Com
mttce counsel you to act. Well may
her sons bow their heads in deep hu-
initiation at such spectacle. In the
meantime, what is our condition You
tell the people that they are without Gov
ernment; that the Government that pre-
sides over them is in the hands Of party
hostile TO them, and that two hundred mil
lions Of their property is rendered insecure
and unsafe.
Mr.. Chairman, il has been one Of the most
remarkable incidents oflhis remarkable rev.
olution which is now going on. tha, the non
slaveholdipg, the laboring classes, have
been the most excited and determined IN
favor of the secession movement. Any per-
son who has been much among the people
knows this 10 be the case. How is this tc
be accounted for? 1t is very easily ac-
counted for. Every class Of society in the
veholding parts Of the State is dependent
upon the prosperity Of the farming and
slavehoIding class for its own prosperity.
because that is the great interest Of the
The lawyer, the physician,
the mechanjc and the day laborer all derive
their support from the owner of lands and
negi ocs; and when you dcpress the inter-
est Of the owner OF lands and negroes, the
interests Of all other classes in the commu-
mtg nrn alec es-r-s,~-I"sl. uepreSSeu-
The slave owner can stand up against the
depression for L while. lie can repair his
losses by sending negro occasionally TO
the South for sale; but the mechanic anu
the laborer, in the interval Of delay, sus-
,ains the most serious injury, because his
employment stops, and he is deprived of
the means Of getting bread for himself and
family. The Shareholder can stand it, but
the other classes Of society in the slave
holding communities cannot. Just look at
what YOU propose 20 do with those classes.
7 most highly respect the members Of the
Committee on Federal Relations, and dis
claim any illusions Of an offensive character
towards any gentleman of that Committee,
in any remarks may make with regard TO
the action of that Committee. Some Of
them arc warm, personal friends Of mine !;
one op two Of them I respect as highly as
anv men in the universe, outside OF my
own family. But, sir, just mark the com
cidence between the action proposed by
these gentlemen and the action proposed
by that arch-cnemy Of the institution Of
slavery, William II. Seward. What is his
policy?. he has announced it. II is "to
wait one, two, three years for these eccen-
,ric movements Of secession to have run
their ccursc,'' and then he will do some-
thing. What Call q National Conren-
ton. Does not this report bear precisely
the marks of the same manufacture! Nalt
one. two, three years, and then call Ma
tional Convention. These gentlemen are
protesting to protect and preserve the IN
stitution Of slavery, and yet they walk IN
the same line of policy recommended by
William II. Seward, and that is to wait,
uiddle and diddle away, one, two and three
wears. and then get National Convention.
You are to have Border State Conference.
That will take time; but still you are not
done, for YOU finally wind up with q pro-
nosition in Difference to the opinion OF the
present Administration, 10 create some ne"
agency 20 deal with these questions.
That is Mr.. Seward's policy - 10
whit sometime; it may be, he says, one
TWO, or three years, until these eccentric
a. the South are over-that IS,
until the South is broken down or conquers.'
and after that time he proposes, like TINS
proposes, to call Z National Con-
rention 10 deal with these matters.
Well, sir, suppose you send iofto your
yhi,natum 10 the North, tel! me, as sensl-
BILE man, whilst you are waiting lor tue
response, where is it best TO be! "here
arc YOU most likely to get satisfactory re-
;ponse? Where must you stand during
hose one, two or three years: Under
bitterly hostile to you; gov
ernm.nt so hostile to you thut your own
;cllow-c;tizcns consider it disgrace to SEQ
,nc Of his rcighbors going 10 the polls to
vote for any one in ;hat government M'!i
r on stand under government organized
upon principle of war, hostility, eSter-
.ination Of your interests, during thiS pro-
.ractcd period, when you are waiting lo5
his response from the voters OF the Norm ,i,.
WHY? You caanot say you are not willing
10 take any other course because YOU don I
want to break up tho Union. As all must
agree the Union is broken up, the Union IS
dissolved to-day, and you don't render
dissolution of the Union any less fact by
ieclining to acknowledge it. You cannot s,la9
.hsnce The fact that the Union is dissolved,
nv refusing to look at it. There it stands as
he distinguished gentleman from HaNtax'
~ F.orryoY,) said short time ago, It