The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-03-25


Convention was called 10 order at half.
Tn. he.oS,cl,cs Prayer by the Rev. HENRY J.
Fss1nvky. Presby yterian,) of Brooklyn, NY.
EVENING SESSIONS.
-. caxxap, Of Frederick, offered the fol.
aslsr resolution
",',r,a. That on and after Monday next, aud
a a,s,sgve - G'D' ss into coaites ef The We
-, 80 the report. from the Committee on Federal
U1'o,;"ns. Al O'Clock said COMMITTEES of ths
Wet.shall take 4 recess until o'clock. when Il
NSSe' rs.uua its session,
-. psIcy. of dreenbrier, called the pre-.
.res ton, which was sustained and the
No,ntlon was then adopted.
EQUALITY OF TAXATION
81. ouven ton proceeded TO the consitera
N of unfinished business, namely, the reso-
V'p.o. of Mr.. WILEY, of Mononealia in re.
.ri 70 the subjects OF taxation and represen-
tstiop. ~. .,
sNrr addressed the Convention in favor of
Hrnaiiata action. He thought il due to those
10 desired a change in the organic law, that
,ss committees contemplated by the resoIu-
- shonld be appointed TO make the neces.
,s-y iuQ uiries. Ills people demanded that the
-sstion should be settled before action was
s5uron matters of National interest When
.ssv were thus placed upon an equality with
IKE reople OF other sections, they would ; tand
,soalder TO shoulder in defence of all our
nights.
yr BoIsssAr, of Dinwiddie asked and OBJ
.sirad leave TO present series OF resolutions
,son,ei BY the people of that county, in favor
II Immediate secession.
Referred TO the Committee on Federal Rela.
ions.
Mr MORTON, of Orange, asked and obtained
I've 10 present a series of resolutions of sim =
,l,T import, adopted by the people of Greene
-pnntv, on their last Court-day.
Referred 10 the Committee on Federal Re
Ntions
tsined leave to present a series of resolutions
adopted by a portion of the citizens Of that
county. urging the immediate secession of
Virginia, and opposing an adjournment of the
Coayantion until next fall.
Referred 10 the Committee on Federal Re-
h;ons.
yr BAKsouR, of Culpeper, presented reso-
lurons adopted by the people OF that county,
-,g1dsting the Peace Conference propositions
and iGstructng him to vote for an Ordinance
0fSetession. Mr. BARBOUR said he recognized
iae right OF instruction, and was prepared to
obey.
The resolutions were, on motion of Mr.
EAkBoCs, laid on the table and ordered to be
printed
RESOLUTION OF INQUIRY.
Mr MONTAGUE. of Middlesex, offered the
following resolution, which was adopted
F,.s'rci, That the Clerk OF this Convention in
qlirs iato' aud report why the speeches OF the
Commssio ers from South Caroiiua, Georgia and
A..s.ssiPpi have not been printed, as ordered by
the Convention.
COMMITTEE OF THE WHOLE.
The hour OF IL having arrived, the Conven-
t.on vent into Committee of the Whole, {Mr.
SgrraALL, of Albemarle, III the chair, ,land pro-
ce-ded to consider the reports from the Com
Tiltre on Federal Relations.
Mr. BALDWIN, of Augusta, being entitled TO
the door, proceeded to consider the Terri to-
rial question: to which he was aliudng at the
time of the adjournment on yesterday. He
NE ,l4r ha haf tlta 4
territory OF the United States was unsuited
10 slave labor, while there was in the South
such deficiency to lead to the serious
contemplation of re opening the African slave
trade. With regard 10 the apprehension OF
the South becoming oyerrun with slaves,
thus converting it into a second San Domingo,
h. argued thar the tendency was the other
way-that the demand always exceeded the
supply. 1t had been urged by the gen tleman
from A lbemarle, that in fifty years the South
would become Atricanixed. His own opinion
always had been that it would be hundreds
OF years before the South would require an
oatet for the surplus of her slave popula-
ton and 10 sus tain this view, he read from a
speech in the Senate of the United States, by
Mr. Hammond, of South Carolina, within the
pasryear, in reply TO Republican Senator,
iMr Doohttle, of Wisconsin, J in regard to this
very apprehension. Mr.. Hammond assumed
the position that the South capable,
within It's present limits, OF sustaining a slave
population OF 200, ,ooJ, 600, and utterly repudl-
atai the idea of a necessity for expansion in
thi. respect although he did not surrender
any Of the rights OF the South to future ac-
eustion.
He believed with Senator HAMMOND that the
South was fully able 10 take care of itself,
when the question arises. He conceived tina
4! would be for the interest of Virginia to stop
the drain of slaves to the cotton States, and
by the employment of more slave labor in the
West, secure homogenousness of interest
throughout the State. The cotton States were
quite As dependent upon US for their supply
Of slave labor as we were upon them for any
market Tor surplus of the produc tions oi
labor.
TWAS the duty of the North to speak ont
upon the subject; the time for settlement had
come, and he thought 1t should be a compre-
hen.iye settlement--theT Terri torial question
ought 10 bs settled at once and forever. He
was aware OF the apprehension at the South
that the doctrine of the Dred Scott decision
could not prevail permanently. The true
doctrine. he thought, was expressed in one
section Of the report of the Committee, that
1.-THE Territories OF the United States consti-
tus 4 trust, 10 be admins tered by the Gen
trdl Government, for the common benefit OF
The people of the United States, and any poll
ey in respect to such Territories calculated to
confer greater benefits on the people of one
part Of the United States than on the people
OF another part, is contrary 10 equality and
preJddicial 10 the rights of some for whose
equal benefit the trust was created. III the
equal admission of slave labor and free labor
into any Territory, eXcites unfriendly conflict
x
territories ought TO be made betweer them,
and each system ought to be protected within
the limits assigned to 1t, by the laws neces-
sary for It's proper development"
He contended that no species of property in
the United States should have more protection
than The peculiar property of Virginia. He
GAINED full and perfect equality with the
people of the North and would consent to no
restriction that was not applied TO the proper
~ OF citizens in every section. He would not
consent that a wolf IS head should be put upon
lhe institution of slavery, TO attract 10 IL the
opposition of mankind. These We're ms senti-
menIs, and they were such as he had always
entertained. He then Went into an argument
upon the amendments 10 the Federal Consti-
1ulion, proposed by the COMMITTEES, winch he
considered decided improvement upon the
Critpnden propositions, in so far as they al
ioTded 4 more certain protection 10 slavery IN
territory south of SO so. AlludiDg to the pro-
lection Of the common law, he declared as
lawyer that when the legal profession ceased
10 6e safe depository OF private right, Re-
publican liberty would no longer be worth
Preserving. Let fanaticism howl as it might
the rights Of the people would be secure
With regard to future acquisitions OF terrific
ry, he laid down the position that consutu-
lonal amendments were utterly valueless, for
treaties would have TO be made with people
living beyond the limits of our constitutional
law. We had an example of this in the acq nj
sion of Texas, during the Administration OF
The distinguished gentleman from Charles Ci-
~. He fMr. Ii. was perfectly satisfied to
trust all matters touching the acquisltion OF
new territory to the hands of Southern Sena.
tors. For himself, he did not incline TO any
further expansion. The third section, IN re-
gard 10 the protection of slavery in the Dis
trict Of Columbia, and the interstate slav
Trade, covered the whole subject completely.
irefused to the Black Republican party the
right ever to legislate upon the SUBJECT OF
slavery III the States or in the District OF 90
ienb!a 1t proposed to engraft upon the
oonstiintion perpetual prohibition against
me abolition Of slavery anywhere, except by
lhe unanimous consent of all the States