, 1861-03-08
Speech of mr. Baylor. of Augusta, in
The Virginia Convention.
From the Richmond Enquirer, 2d.1

Sir, what has OCCURRED within the last two
or three months? What has occurred. I ask
you, sir, since the election Of Abraham Lincoln
to the Presidency sef the United statess You
you doa't-Q don's, know how it was il, your
county)--l,ut know how it ,s;a5 in my eonn.
ty, and everywhere. elRe that 1 was during the
Presidential campaign. AL parties declared
the Breckinrtdge party, the Bell party, aud
the Douglas pacty--an declared that the
election Of Lincoln, in itself, was no scauEc
for the dissolution. Of the Union. And, sir,
it 1t was not rcgga1 'del az the cause then, why
is 1t regarded as tile cause nov? What have
the Northern people done since that time.
against the rights Of the South? Sir, if your
rights have becou sc more insecure since that
election than they were before, how has that
fact been brought about? Not by anything
that the people Of the -slayeholding States
have done, but, am sorry to say, on account
OF the acts OF thu representatives of the cotton
States Why, Sir, it Was admitted on all
hands t'nnt, as Congress stood when Mr.. Lin
coin WIS elected, ha would have had no power;
that if be was the worst man in the world
hs cou Id hare no power to touch hair Of Cur
head. The power vas against him-Congress
was agaiust him, the Supreme Court Of the
United States was against him; and, I ask
you sir-pIaced as hc was in that position
if he would not have been more an object Of
pity than Of dread?
But it is said that we are noW ia danger;
that the Republican purity hos the ascendancy
in Congress. I am sorry to say that that is
true. But is that the fault Of Virginia. Is
Virginia to be blamed for that unhappy condi-
ton Of a1Eairse And must she. therefore, go
out Of the Union? No, sir! The fault is not
with her. The fault is with the seeded States.
When they had the power in their Own hands,
they surrendered it nnC placed it in the hands
Of their enemies; and now, sir, because they
did wrong, they ask us to do wrong also.
Ar. President, I can see no reason, US re-
. marked before, why Virginia should be in n
hurry to 60 ont Of the Union. If 1t ia consti-
Sntional measure for any State to secede at
pleasure, let the old commonwealth delay Il
out, then she will have nothing to do but to
just slide ont quietly But I am opposed to
h:r going out OF the Union at all, MIR. Presi-
dent. want Virginia to stand where she has
stood Tor more than hree-quarters Of cen
turE. want her to contend for her rights III
the Union, and not out Of 1t, Did you ever
know, Mr.. President, did you ever hear Of Il
nun getting his rights BY running away from
| thems I had thought that the best way, when
| you sought to secure your rights. was to look
| yonr adversary in the face md tell him what
| you wanted; to demand your rights aud not
| run away from them.
| Mr.. President, now want to say few
words On the question of secession. do not
believe, sir, in the doctrine Of secession I do
| not believe that it is q constitutional measure.
| know, sir, that much las been said upon
Tint subject, for and against. I know that the
! opinions OF our great statesmen, who have
| gone before US, have been quoted upon that
subject, fer and against; but I never have
been lble to satisfy myeelf that the doctrine OF
secession was 9 constitutional measure. I
looked for it in vain in the Constitution Of the
United States itself Think that the trainers
! Of that Constitution, if they had intended the
doctrine to be theru, would have put 1t in that
| instrument. repcAt, Mr. President, that do
net believe in the dor octrine ofsecessiou. Why,
sir, it is said that this Government is govern
ment of consent; that the States gare their
therefore, they have right to withdraw at
their owu will aud pleasure, I thiuk not, sir
| l think tue reason is the other way. think il
they had been forced into the federal compact
they might have some reason or some excuse
for secession. They then might say: " We
were forced into compact 10 which VIC never
consented, and therefore We ought to have the
right to 90 out Of it.h But that d compact
has been deliberately and understaudingly
entered into, is no ground That the aggricved
| party should have right to sccede from it at
their own will and pleasure.
/ Mr.. President, know very we'll that and
| those who occupy the position that do, have
been called su6missionists. Now, have to
say upon that point, that the very instinct ol
my nnturc reyolts against submission to any
. thing that know to be wrong. say that
while 7, and the people I represent, are op
posed to- war; yet, bir President, if to rally
around the stars and stripes Of our country
! if to contend for the honor Of that flag 1os
which Washington fought, and for which
many Of our soldiers gave up their lives il
the Revolutionary war, and again in the Wal
If f1S1a-if that constitutes submissionist,
| AN nne