Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-02-22
VOLUME LVII.-NUMRER IT

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by the progress OF the government. have bt
come now necessary 10 the protection uf n
.. industry which furnishes TO Tie commerce G
. the Republic $3.50, ,000, 100 per annum. and o.
| which the very existence OF twelve millions @
people depends. In not one Of these seventies
! States can 2 citizen Of one Of the fifteen State
claim his main properly, and in many Of then
the persons Of the citizens o! these States hav
been violated, and in NUMEROUS cases the vic
icnce has resulted in murder.
Third. The citizens Of rot less than Eve q
; our corfederatcs Of the North have :rya led til,
territory Of their rnnlederates Of the slave
holding States, and proclaimed tine intention o
abolishing slavery by the annihliaton ot IN,
shareholders and two Of these State, nave &c
fused 10 surrender The convicted feions 70 t.,
demand Of tae invaded States; and one Of Ties.
one Of the MOS. iniiuentia! - one, pernars
recognized Us the representative Of what is
called American sentiment and civilization
has, in It's highest solemn form, approved o.
that Invasion; and numbers Of people, scattered
throughout tue whole exren. OF these seventeen
States, have mado votivr offerings to the men
org oG the invaders.
/ Fourth. The most populous, and hT tar, Tie
mos! potent of our late confede!a;cs, has 10;
years proclaimed, through the federal legs.
ture ard by he 0s.I Suverei,r act. that i.c
conflict between slavery and nun slavery is !
conflic. for life and death Now. there is l.Ir
calm, oft.rciteralcd decree Of n State coulain-
ing tilre: millions Of people. conducting four.
iiths of the commerce Of the Republic, with ad-
diliona millions ditfused through the whole OF
these II States And many of these States
themselves have decrecd tia; the inS;iu
ton OF slavery is an onrncc 10 God, ana, there.
fore, they are bound 10y the most sacred 1t
tributes which heiong TO human nature, 10 en-
terminate it. They have declared i'll their
most solemn form, that the institution oI
| slavery, as it exists IN the States Of their po
iitical coniederatcs. is an offence to their social
| institutions, and, therefore, that it should be
eStcrminatei. Finally, acting upon the i'm
pulse Of their duties of selfprotcclion and self
preservation, n!ajorlics, large majorlticS
| throughout the whole OF these II States have
| placed the executive power OF tho Federal
Government iii the hands Of those who arc
bound by the most sacred obligations, by Their
Obligations TO God, by their obligations TO the
social institutions OF nan, by their obligations
OF self protection and self preservation, 10 place
the system Of slavery rs it exists in Inc South
crn States upon a couTsc Of certain and tinal cN.
linction Twenty millions ui people, having in
their hands one Of the strongest Governments
On earth, and impelled by q perfect recognition
Gf the moSt powerful obligations Which fail
upon man. have declared that the vital into
rests Of eight millions Of people shall hc cX!er
minated In other words, the decree, tic re.
suit Of this cuuIulaton which have cn'rirorcd
10 show you, was inaugITated on The 9Th oi
November last, so far as the institution Of
slavery is concerned, in the coricdcratos of tic
Northern non.slayeholding States. Thst dc
cree Is annihialiun and yon can make nothing
shorter Of it.
Now, gentlemen, the people Of South Caro-.
lima, being j portion Of these eight millions OF
people, have only TO ask themselves, is ex;s
tcnce worth the struggle? Their answer to this
question, have submitted to you i'll the form
u their Ordinance of Secession.
Gentlemen, J see before me men who have
observed all the records of human life, and
many. perhaps, who have been chief actors IN
many Of lis graTcst scenes and ask such Incr
Il III all their love Of human society they can
oiler M example ike this? South Carolina has
$4,000 whites, and 4O0, 900 slaves. These
100000 whites depend for their whole system
ol cviztton on these 400, ,000 slaves Twenty
millions Of people. with one OF the strongest
Governments on the face OF the earth, decree
the determination: Of these 400, 600 slaves, and
l;!=it ask, Is homer, IS interest, is liberty, is
:is.t, Is Justice, Is lie, worth the struggle?
Gcnieni=u, | have thus very rapidly en-
,!"arored TO grouu before you the Causes which
have produced Tie action OF tbs people OF
Suuth Carolina. Had | ehdeavorcd 10 20 lu;o
detail of it, It would occupy half the history Of
thi; Republic. For iali the period ulits cXls
ience, from the days Of the younger Adams
10 this hour, the ur,iTing and urtlirching pur-
pose Uf the Northern representation III our ici.
eral legislation, anti cs the people Of lhe North.
crn States Inns Ueen first TO restrict and restrain
the pcaplc Q! the Southern States within the
Limitations which they have prescribed, then
10 aubsidsc, then 20 destroy. They wero haf-
fed, they were checked in one course Of this.
But with that untiring energy oi nature which
belongs 10 them, they soon turned 10 another.
Defeated in this, by the lingering and sturdy
rugments Of dying patriotism among them
seiYes, or the pointed resistance OF their vic
tims--they havr still held on with the fierce
grip Of avaricc, with the mad rage ol tana,i
cIsirl. until It has pleased God to curse thcm
with Il triumph which may plunge this CONT:
nent iato civil war, and destroy, perhaps iore"-
or, the iaireSt forms cf liberty that ever hu-
man philosophy grated upon the institutions Cf
men.
Now, gentlemen, for one moment look at the
other side Of the picture For thirty years, by
labor, by protest, by prayer, by warning, by
every attribute, b. every energy which she
could bring to bear, my State has cnd,avcr-
ed 10 avert this catastrophe. For this long
series Of years in the federal legislature what
,,,r hat h,. baa,, ~,
labor which she has performed? What has
been the purpose which she has avowcd? Has
she not given 10 this all her intelligence, all
her patriotism, all her virtue-and that she
had intelligence; that she had patrioIsm; that
she had virtue is in proof because that mar.
bic sits in the hall where the sovereignty OF
honor Of Virginia. (Applause.) All this she
did in the Federal Government. Failing in this
more Than n year ago, seeing the storm i'm.
pending scelog the waves rising she sends
to this great, this strong, this wise, this Illus
trious Republic Of ginia, grave commits.
sion, the purport OF which, with your pcrm!s-
sion. gentlemen, will venture to relate.
.whcrea, the State OF South Carolina by her ordinance
Of A. d. ls32 affirmed her right secee from the Comic
deracy whenever the occasion should arise Jaylrg her.
In her udg 10 tax ng that "TRIP aud In The reso.
the Immediate exercise OF that right, .ro eonsiera
, tiona OF cxptGirncy only:
AnI whereas, more seven years have elapsed since
tn Convention ad burned, aud In Tho intervening ''me
the assaults upon Institution Of slavery, and upon the
rights equ.y Of the Southern S.air have uhreang.
y ,niaued with increasing Violence AUD ~ Dew snG more
alarming furn, be IL therefore,
l. Resolved n1ously That tie State OF South Caro-
lima s def.rrrg her southern siacrs, nevertheless
snecfuy announces them, that Is the deliberate jutg
er Lhl. General Assembly tna the savchnlng state,
should Immediately EJECT together to concert measures for
uu;rh acIon
Resoved unanI nously, That the foregoing preamble
and resolution communicated by the Governor 10 all the
slsverldng states with the Irque, Of s State
:ha. they will appoint deputies and adopt tuch measures
ds 10 h cir judgment will pro noie the ,ad meeting.
g. Resolves unanimously, That special cUmD:-!nRsT
be appointed ny hs EXcr-ucy the Governor to commuhi
cat. the foregoing preamble and respu!ons the State o
Virginia. express to the authorities Of that Sa'e The
cordial sympathy the people Of South Csro!na with me
pro lie Virginia, and their earnest d.sirc 10 un's WIN
the u in uea VI common defecee."
This, gentlemen, was one year as7 and no
more Failing in that effort, the people OF
South Carolina, for the first time in over 20
l. 4. II = Al tInn ri