The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-04-04
Evening Session.

|
The Committee re sem bled t 1 O. o'clock and
Dir. SCoFT being unable to proceed in conse-
! qUrnce of hoarseness, yielded the floor, after
| thanking the Committee for the patience with
! which they had listened TO his remarks.
hir. RICHARDSON, of HOnoyer, then address
| ed the Committee. After some introdu nc ory
alinsion 10 the fact that he had not here etotore
! tres passed upon the time OF the body, he Went
| on 10 revert 10 the origin Of the Government,
| and TO the fra ternal feelings which had exist
ed on the part of the South towards the n or til,
/ until the Northern people broke up that
| friendly sentiment by their own aggressions
! showing that they, with England, were re-
! sponsibe for the e. tablishment of the institu
! tion OF slavery here, and after having forced
| 1t upon Us, now desired TO destroy our safety
and happiness. He demonstrated by facts
! occurring throughout the progress of the
! anti-slayery agitation, that a continuance
| Of the present T. Mon with the North was Il =
! terly imprac ticabie. Repubiicansm of mod
ern days, as lie showed from declarations of
their leading men, was the child of abolition
ism. The crisis now upon the country he
considered "A fearful one. Seven States had
left the Union, and others threa tened TO fol-
low. The question arose what is TO be the
destiny of Virginia Ii his Judgment the
destiny OF Virginia was with the South. lie
was for a Union OF the whole South, but If
this could not be obtained, he W ould have the
Union as strong as Virginia could make it
He had little hope OF any adjustment that
would bring the North into a position to do
justice 10 the South. 1t was IL forcible ar
gument in favor of immediate action.
that while We were waiting the whole
business OF the country was pros strate, under
the uncertainty of the future. He thought
the State should at once place herself in n
position Of security in the house of her
friends. lie did not agree with the gentle
man from Fauquier, that secession would be
a measure of war; for every movement that
strengthened the hands OF the South would
he ano .her barrier to any attempt at coercion.
The separation Of the Sou thern States, he
feared, was eternal; Tor unless the abolition
lists entirely abandoned their posi- ton, it
wonld not be difficult 10 demons trate the ut.
ter hopelessness OF Il reconstruction.
lie drew a contrast betWNen the Constitu-
tion of the Sout thern Com DAracy and the op-
pressive and odious legislation of the Federal
Government, and went on ~ criticise the re-
port Of the committee, deeming the guaran-
tees there demanded as utterly Insufficient
He would be satisfied with nothing short OF
perfect equality. He held that the Common
wealth OF Virginia should immediately resume
the powers which she delegated TO the Federal
Government, and place herself in u situation
To make absolute demands as q condition Of
any futuGe reconstruction of the Union.-
Inc report OF the committee he argued, con-
tanned declarations which Southern men
shonld never assent to. lie would not vote
iof anything that did not give our property
tue same protection in the Territories that
was given 10 the property OF Northern men
VINO einigfated thither. 1t held ont the idea
thial i!iefs was moral degradation la the In
sututioh OF slavery. After glance at the
eth resolution Of the report, which he did
iV' consider strong enough, the llth reso-