Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-07

to almost every conceivable insult and in
jury have We been subjected. | will hot
weary the Convention by reading the innu-
mcrablc assaults upon US by the North.
could read page after pnge to show that our
| oft repeated complaints are true. That
| from the press, the pulpit, the school-house,
conventions, Legislative bodies, the masses,
whether III cities or rural districts, from the
leader of Senates to the lowest cross-road
| politician, who like former Indiana Sena-
| tor, plays steamboat for the amusement of
rowdies and scoundrels at grog Shops
there is one wicked, common, deadly and
dcep-scated hatred to the South and her IN
stitutionS. AS early as 1850 the war upon
us began in the shape Of petitions to Com
gress to Interfere with our domestic ins,i-
tuiionS. These have besn in every form
to abolish slavery in the District OF Column
bia--in the forts, dock-yarls and other
places, under the jurisdiction Of the Fcdc-
raj Govcrnment-to exclude it from the
! Territories, the common property Of both
scctions--to prohibit the slave trade be-
tween the Statcs-to abolish it in the
States-and TO dissolve the Union because
Of slaTcry-many Of these petitions being
! couchc1 in terms Of the grosscst insult ~
| tllC SOulll ulIO JlCl liStll0lltiIS- ilS pitl-
| form on which the abolitioniStS went into
| the presidential contest in 1910, demanded
| the abolition Of slavery III the District o.
Columbia-in the rerritorics-of the slave
| trade between the States, and announced
un opposition to slavery every where, ITO
The full extent Of constitutional power"
In Isis, that portion Of the party Which
| did not support the buffalo nominees, went
IS l,,l u, b,t ~
| General Government. The Buffalo and
! Utica platforms themselves Claiming to be
! Republican, not abolition,) took the strong
est ground for what they call "(reedom,"
in opposition To slavery. For the 'relef:H y
(as they called it,) of the Federal Govern
ment from all responsibility for slavery
wherever that government had jurisdiction.
For the absolute prohibition by act of Con-
gress Of slavery i'll the Territories, and Of
more slave States; and they Haunted i'll oar
faces the inscriptions Oh their banner Of
''free soil, free speech, free labor and free
men," declaring slavery to be "a great mo-
raj, social and political evil, and relic Of
barbarism. In 1852 the independent De-
mocrats, (aS they called thcmselvcs.l who
supported John T. Hale for the presidency,
declared that their organization was u
Union "of freedom against slavery
!. slave Tcrritory"- '.Slavc States" -
and any legislation for the reclamation offu-
I sitivc slaves; ''thut slavery was sin against
Cod" IN crime against man. and that
''no human power could make it right. p
In 1856, the Republican platform denied
the right Of CoMgrrsS-ot Territorial Lc-
sislatures-of any individual, or associa-
ton of individuals, to give legal existence
to slavery in any territory Of the United
States, and claimed that it was the duty of
| Congress &c prohibit it. Added to all this,
we have not the mere billinSgatc Of the
Five Points, and the fish market eloQucnce
with which we have been bcspatlercd by
strong minded women and obscure male
traitors but countless declarations Of lead
ing men, politicians and divincS, that re-
publicanisln is not only the ally, "but the
progeny Of abolitionism.' That they are
for the logic Of Sharpc's rifles to oppose
siavcry-"higher law judges, an anti
slavery Constitution, an anti-slaycry bible,
an snti-slavcry Cod" 'rhat the time
shall come when the sun shall! no. rise on
| n raastcr or Sc: OH q slayr' slavery shall
! 20 out in fire and blood and IN It's cEtln-
gilishmcnt the streets Of our cities ''shall
run blood to the horses brides shall be
abolished at the price "of the Constitution,
the Union, and tho country"-because Of
its existence the Union is "a sham, Il lie,
and imposture''- covenant with death,
and al agreement with hcll''--'.insurrec-
tions are justitiabie'' "a fugitive slave Is
right to kill his master if he attempts to re-
claim him "-''scrrile war or anything IS
better than the extension OF slavery TO the
territories land that Jurors are justified
in violating their oaths in acIuittlng per-
sons who effect the escape Of fugitive
slaves" us are States in violating the law
for their rendition. Their repeated lcsi'-
lative resolutions have declared against
any more slave States. Chase procailns
that the clause in the Constitution for the
rendition Of fugitive slaves is null and
void, and forms no part Of an oath when 1t
is taken to support that instrument. Sc
ward, besides his higher law and irrcpres-
sibIe conflict doctrines, rroclaims ''that
slavery has no constitutional guarantee
which NAV not be released" pitts ultimate
extinction. is certain; Sumner, besides
holding similar doctrines, declares the fu-
gi,ive slave law should not he executed
Webb is for preventing the extension o:
slavery, sword in hand. Wade is not only
in favor of aboli5hing it in the District Of
Columbia, and excluding it from the terri
tories, and everywhere, where the General
Government has jurisdiction, but declares
that agitation shall continue 50 long as the
foot Of q slave presses American soil. TO
the same purport are the declarations OF
Wilson. And the great splitter, who now
occupies the Presidential chair. who seems
as good at splitting the Union as he for
Incrly was at splitting rails, who is as much
out Of place in his present position rs q
child or monkey passing with lighted
match in the midst OF open kegs OF gun
powder, also proclaimS the "irrcpressibie
! conflict" That the Federal Government
has the power, and should exercise ii, OF
prohibiting slavery in all the territories; is
not even certain that the abolition oil the
slave trade between the States is unconsu-
| tutioDal, and declares that men who own
slaves do not deserve to be free. More
over, as far back as 1858, there were twcntr
abolition United States Senators, and luO
abolition representatives, since that time,
sirty-eight members of Congress endorSch
the work Of Helper, an Infamous incendIary
publication, recommending fire and sword
! for the South, and the alarming spread OF
whose vile doctrines is shown by the boast
ing haunting OH lis title page OF the sale OF
one hundred thousand copies. The statutes
Of no less than fifteen States nulli!y the
fugitive slave law. Myriads in the Aort!
claim the crown Of Inartyrdom for the
thieves, bandits and assaSsinS who, under
the lead of John Brown, invaded our soil
and murdered our citizens. Last, though
not least, sectional party has ':scized the
government" with the ayowed purpose Of
Sarring with its thousand weapons of pa
tronage and power on our Institutions.
Thus, through every channel of communl-
cation, speaks the stolit, relentless, move
Icss North. Thus arc heard the dcnurciG-
tons and thrcatcnings, not Of foreign
nnmar without weight or INFLUENCE IN our