Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-30

ueT nc CIRCUMSTANCES "ouie N
vote for any man Tor President or vice Pres''
dent, or member OF Congress, or my office
Whatever, who did not stand pledged never to
agita,s this dis!racting subject Of slavery.
That paper was signed By one, to mention
whose nnme is 10 call uu feelings OF love and
veneration in tho heart Of every man, no mat
ter what may ha his party associations. l re.
fer to Henry Clay. lie, together with Howell
Cobb, now one OF the officers of the Coniede'
rate States OF tho South, | believe Alexander
II. Stephens, Vice President, Robert Toomos,
and some twenty. five or thirty others, North and
South, gave the pledge, to which ! have called
attention. But, notwithstanding the hIgn po'
si,ion Of those men, and notwithstanding inc
Efforts made to carry out the pledge, The SUB
iect has continued to be agitated time alter
time. running Down to the present momen'.
| 1t djsturbs and distracts all the relations Of lie
and all the relations which this state las !"
the UuiDn OF which she Ia Il part, ana 10 all
| the other States. +: seems that nothing can
onell this incessant stream OF excitement WHICH
| rolls broadcast throughout the land. Virginia
has, by the votes Of large tuasses OIL hea people,
Of both parties, given her honest Efforts t"
olict this distracling agitation, when can oe
| traced back even to the beginning OF Inc Ioi'
arnment. As far back as lI9O, attached 10
the debates on the adoption oil inc feacral
Constitution. will DC found a speech mace oy
Mr. Smith, Of South Carolina, referring 10 th's
very Identical subject, which serves 70 Illus
,ra;c tho course that has been pursued oy ast-
rators III the North, who have pursued Il "ltti
-, unnrtite Is keen rs death, ana It step lis
steady a. TINE. -:
Tnere was Il petition presented by d society IN
| the State of Pennsylvania, virtually to repeal
tns Constitution permitting The importation OF
cl,vcs iii IN. wear 1908. DR.. franklin was
,ne of tho petitioners. ar. Smith SAID: III
was astonishing to see Dr.. franklin taking
tho lead in q business which locks so lDncn
.I;te e, ncrsecution Of the Southern inha6l.
/. tan,s when he recoliectcd the parable ne
" had written sUIuc time ago, with Il view OIL
showing the improperly OF one set o. meh
''persecutins others Tor Il Inference VI opui,
lion. The purable was 10 this eilest: AN olo
"traveier, hungry and weary, applied 10 inc
= patriarch i Abraham ior Z nights lodging. In
g conversation, Abraham discovered that the
:. stranger differed With him On religious
points, and turned him out OF doors. In the
"ojpht his Maker appeared unto Abraham, and
:. suid Where is the stranger? Abraham an
"swered: found that he did not worship the
..,ru. God. and so | turned him out OF doors.
"GyI said then unto him: Abraham, have l
mot borne with him three score and Ten
"yearsy and corldst thou not bear with him
'onc nigbt?"
nave referred to this 70 show you
thu. this very identical subject ~rs q cause
of complaint u lar back I.n0St Us the
time Of tho adoption Of the cnnstltu-
tion of the United States. And it has come
down TO the present t!uc, riding over
and overwhelming everything else. 1t has
now eliminated TO & point. IT, has reached
that point at which Mr.. Bell and Ar. Fillmore
said the South would not be true 10 herself if
she did not dissolve the connection existing
cen her and the North. | ask those who
supported either, or both Of those gentlemen,
whether they did not endorse that sentiment
then, and will they reject it now! Whether
they did not feel that there was truth in it5
Then let Inc ask them how, when the very
crisis is upon us, We are 10 he told to wait Till
measures can be taken TO bring back the
people OF the North to a sense of their duty :
[ trust that those who nave presented this
report Of the Committee o. Twenty one may be
able to accomplish snch Il result, If they bring
back the South ulso-the North TO a proper
sense OF its duty-the South 20 the Union. |
have an abiding faith in the rnen who
compose this Committee, not only because
Of their high position, but because |
know they have IN earnest desire, snch
l. desire as | have. 10 sec the Union
restored on the basis OH which it was designed
b. our fathers 10 stand. vii! never co.ope-
rate with a party that tell me that they haze
no desire 10 see the Union reconstructed |
will never co operate with 4 party that tell inc,
that ii the Stale s0rs out oil the Union, they
do ,ot desire To Sec il re.un!;cd with The
other States on sncn y hLsis % viii secure The
rights OF tho South. Somc who were SO ready
but a few weeks ago, IN the Louise oi Drll.
gs.es and il :!.e Senate Of Virginia, to endorse
tie plan of Mr.. CrltteEuen, I:ica sad that The?
would be satisfied with thai, but that if those
proposed amendments 10 the Constitution We're
not made, a dissul Ilion Of tbs Union vas IN
~cvitaDle. Those amendments, that plan, all
have failed. Bat these gcn!!slncn low get e
he.ter plan than thu, arh they are not sat!shed.
Tines baI. ch .:.:-d Line in has ltit down
bis 5rogravalne, d!s;sstfui rs it. IS, ~ the South.
Ye. every one must admit !ilat the re2nrt OF
tic Comlai;ter Of Twenty one is Is b"tier plan
thsn thai Of Mr.. Crittenden, CT than the Frank
lin proposition, go called AZ reported D. the
Peace Conference in Washington. al! InIS
goes TO show that there is n growing discoll-
tent OF The part Of the Senate, which nothing
CHI remove bat il restoration ii Iuutual respect
and mutual desire Tor harmony. THIS North
mist aDandGn is professions ~ caAtfoi our
institutions any and every where.
While l give credit TO rhose who have ca.
deavorad 10 effect these o iiects, yet | must tell
you in all caGGor, that do not oei!eve any
thing will ever bring back Inc States ol The
Sonih. unless VT here bold out 10 them some
token pt oar friendship aid athnity with them:
Tia, Is the proposition that / desire to stand
upon; but. sir, IL III endeIvoc 10 bring back
the scccdcd States, without hrst recognizing
their independence and nationality, an Tree
again 10 aaY, is no. likely L. be accomplished
hu, b. exterd;aG % thrim our own right fah',
and V.rginia'S own strong arm, If need he -
Whenever Virginia shall go, | would rndearor
t. carry with her the States Of Solt1 Carolina,
Tennessee nud Kentucky, is we'll is tie otter
border Stare States. We should 10 all we cin
to secure thsir co-op:r,tion but, nor ".;,
If they refuse to so with us, and say they pc
fer to remain in this Union, |, for one, would
be for placing the State Of Virginia with the
Confederate States Of the South. And, sir, Il
| could not secure q transit route across North
Carolina, if | could not get q route through
Tcri..Ssee, | would 80 and take the chances,
any flow, rather than remain in our condition
as one of,he Suites, when the bond OF Union is
no longer the bond of peace.
But, sir, | have already spent more time
upon this subject than | designed to d.. |
shall conclude what | have to say, with eX-
pressing a hope that lie plan OF the majority
report, the adoption @! which, III my oplnion,
il a f~oregone conclusion, MAJ meet tho
expectations OF gentlemen here. sinai! ihr"w
no obstacle in It's way. Shn'ha my proposition
be rejected shall mt feel constrained 10 vote
for any Ordinance Of Secession other than
some such qualified ordinance ns have pre-.
scented, looking TO a reconstruction OF the
Union in some form, and looking always 10 the
present condition II the sccrdcd States slso.
Having occupied 81 much Of the attention
Of this CONVENTION, ! shall not trtspass fur
II ,.., ~ ti,nn n, -. rhuI want tp tip