Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-16

, your demands upon declared rights and prin.
ciples, strike out any portion which is to be
| found in the report Of tho majority OF the
COMMITTEE I will proceed to enquire very
briefly whether these propositions are IN them.
selves Just and sound
pass ut once, Mr.. Chairman, to the eighth
resolution. That resolution, sir, is one which,
doubtless, at first view, will meet, might al
most say, with the unanimous disapprobation
of the Northern mind. 1t is utterly opposed
to their opinions OF principle and OF right, as
far as We have been enabled to gather from re-
cent declarations, and it finds, even among us,
many opponents when first presented. Sir,
the very objection which is made to this reso.
luton presents the strongest confirmation Of
the wisdom Of that advice to which referred
little while ago, as to the necessity of fire..
quent recurrence to fundamental principles
The Northern people, for the seventy years
during which our nation has existed, have pro-
badly attended scarcely in the slightest degree
to this question Of constitutional law and right
In Virginia, we have been much more in the
habit Of discussing and examining these ques.
tons. We, probably, should find in the North
an almost unanimous denial of this proposition;
and as have said, we find many who deny
it here. And yet Mr.. Chairman, undertake
to say that it is the very corner stone ofour
liberty and Of our institutions, for ali those
fundamental principles are 10 be found in every
State paper cotemporaneouS with the Auleri.
can revolution. 1t is affirmed almost in the
same words in the Bill of Rights of Virginia.
1t is affirmed in the declaration Of Amer
lean independence almost in the same terms
1t was a proposition maintained by Gen. Wash.
ington at the head Of the American army
at Boston, in correspondence with Gage. 1t
is this principle, that any people have right
to alter, reform, or abolish their Government
made only for their benefit by mere agencies,
excluding all the European ideas Of Divine
right Of legitimacy Of Government. or any
inherent power in Governmental agency to rule
people without their consent Let me advert
to the eighth section again. 1t is rs follows:
"The people Of Virginia recognize the Anne.
rican principle that Government is founded in
the consent of the governed, and they concedc
the right of the people Of the several States OF
this Union, for just causes, TO withdraw from
their association under the Federal Govern
ment with the people Of the other States, and
to erect new Governments for their better Sc
curity, and they will never consent that the
Federal power, which is in part their power,
shall DE exerted for the purpose of suhjugatng
the people Of such States to the Federal au.
thority.
Now, sir, the affirmation here is simply that
the people of the several States OF This Union,
for just causes, may withdraw from their assoc
citation under the Federal Government. That
is, may abolish, within the limits of their State
the federal authority, for just causes. Sir
permit me to say, if any gentleman upon this
floor is disposed to deny that as proposition
of American constitutional law, we have, in
my estimation, sadly degenerated since the
days of &c. At that time, sir, II was prln
ciple universally entertained in the American
mind. Unless it car be shown that the people
OF any one uf the original States OF this Union
are not now a people, Il community, then they
have the right which is announced in our Bill
of Rights, aud in the Declaration Of lndepen-
dence, to abolish their forms Of government at
their own pleasure Unless, repeat, it can
be shown that the people Of State OF this
Union no longer remain people at all--unless
their existence as community, as people,
has been utterly obliterated, destroyed, merged
in some other community, then they still retain
this right.
Sir, we have, in the State Of Virginia at So
velal different periods of our history, without
question, almost totally changed our organic
law. We have made greater changes within
the period of my life timo and recollection, in
the statutes of the State of Virginia, than have
been made in England in FIVE hundred years
No one questions our right upon that point
We the people Of Virginia, have Federal Go.
vernment We have the same right, for just
causes, TO change that Federal Government as
the people OF Virginia have TO change theirs.
II we have right to change our State
Government against the authorities constitu'
ted to carry on that Government We have
the same right TO change our Federal Go
vernment. | care not BY what name you call
it. should not even call it revolutions; be-
cause revolution implies, at least in ordinary
acceptation, revolt hold that the people
Of State, acting as State, acting unanimous
IL, therefore. so far as the rest of the world is
concerned, are neither in 4 condition necessa'
rily Of revolution, nor are they rebels, traitors
or insurgents, when they undertake, for just
causes, to Withdraw from this Federal authori-
ty. and yet, sir. l freely conccde that the
people Of the other States who are also interest.
ed in this common government have right to
take their redress from the people of Virginia
for any injury which may be done them by the
act of Virginia in disrupting this common Gov:
eminent. ! say, however, as Washington said
at Boston, that, as separate people, under an
organized Government, they were neither in
sureents nor rebels but had u right to be
treated as equals, provided the other parties
chose to make war upon them for this separa-
ton or Withdrawal.
Now, sir, submit that this proposition is
sound, is impregnable upon these American
principles, established at the period OF the
American revolution, and then entertained,
without dissent, by all citizens Of America
1t was, sir, all American principle. 1t over.
threw all the ideas Of Government which had
been previously entertained in Europe-all
ideas of divine right Of Legitimacy, OF inherent
power in governmental authority; and II put
the whole subject Of Government upon the
simple ground ola convenient agency OF the
people to carry on their affairs, leaving them
free ut any time, when necessary, to alter or
abolish that form of Government
And, Mr.. Chairman, allow Inc to say in pass
ing, that although this was originally an Amer
lean principle, strictly American, it has III re-
cent times ceased to bc so, for you find this
very principle recognised now both by England
and France, in reference to the late disturb
ances upon the European continent Ii mas
been affirmed almost in identical terms by the
people of France, that people have right to
change their form Of government, even wherc
connected in subordination with other govern
ments. If they can succeed as against that
government in effvctng such change, they
have perfect right to do it; it is not against
morals against any code Of nations, against
any other power, for people to exercise such
right
Perhaps, sir, it may no, be amiss, as have
stated. TINT both in the Declaration of indie
pendctce, and in the Bill of Rights Of Virginia,
this principle is affirmed, to call the attention
of the Convention to the language in which it
is affirmed. Here is the Declaration Of lnde-
pend.nce, familiar to US all, but which it is
never amiss, sir, to read over and over again:
1--WE hold these truths to be self:evident :;
that all men are created equal; that they are