Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-02-28

W
flint bone that he has EXPRESSED in the conclu.
sim shall hive died away at the inauguration
Of Mr.. Lincoln-we must all come ut last
Mr., President: come from my mountain
home in the beautiful South West, where dockS
and herds are let into green pastures, and lie
dawn by the still waters. There. cotton Is not
king. We have no king, sir; and there tobacco,
the great interest at heart in the bosom OF my
friend, and Of those whom Inc represents, mas
not vet made Of her virgin soil and grass ciao
hills. Il barren waste Of pine forests ana ilei'S
Of broom scdgr There, sir OH the Thousand
hills to which no has so eloquently alluded, We
hocks and herds form no small part % cur sta
ule. Those beautiful plains to the East, from
the sea. board to the Blue mountains, may be
laid waSle, this proud capital and all the cities
Of the Eastern plain, may fall before the desc
Iatinr trend of the conqucror; but he will be
bold and rash invader, who will dare TO cross
our mountain barriers and passes. Fortified
by mountains, rising up on every side, with
towers Of strength, and iortrcsseS OF defence,
frs may, and We will, sir, maintain ourselves
and our liberties when all are lost elsewhere.
But. Mr.. President, there are no people IN
Virginia more true and loyal TO the State
none who will Stand hy her with their lives, !!
need BE-; who will stand by her sister States o.
The South with their lircs, il need be; who vii
stand by Virginia upon her border and heI
sruboard, and b: the States CT the Soats:, upon
the border Of Virginia. 10 roll Lucl; lhc coming
tide with more decision, with more firm
ness with more resolution, and with hctt'r
and a truer heart. than tie people Of South
Western Virginia We, sir, might maintain
Il, ;,,v,;,ptinru rf tbh STATE
were swept away; if there Were 10 Govern
ment, TO liEance, no hunks. no railroads, nc
foreign commerce.
But, sir, dstrust rs not. We will BE- true,
as in the Revelation, and in The war of lSl2.-
We. too. sir, have record It is written upon
Kings Mountain 1t is written in bloody
characters upon the SaHds Of Norfolk.
Mr.. President We have been carried back
in strains of Thrilling cloqncnce TO the great
and glorious past. Virginia also has past.
She has present and future, too The past
of Virginia is written in history. Her history
is marked throughout, from her first statesmen
along this historic and romantic Stream to the
present hour b. prominent events, all cvinc'ng
The spri. Of Il bold and brave people, ready al
wavs 20 assert, ard daring always 10 maintain
her rights. But her future is uDwrittcn. 1t
NAV be written in blood May it be written
in enduring mernuriais Of peace and prosperl'
'y:
Her present. sir, is certainly the most event
ful and most moment0llS period CT her exist
cnce; for upon her action uow-now and here
depends her future destiny. With her dcs.
tiny is intmate would / could say with you,
sir, Cunning 10 Mr. GoGGIS, inseparab!y con
nccted the des;inits Of the other States Uf the
Union The members of this Convention are
the III biters Of thai destiny. This Contention
IS the embodiment Of the supreme power Of
the State, invested with the highest power OF
sovereignty which State can eIcit-the pow
er TO determine the future OF Inc Suite, and its
relation not only to her sister States, but 10
the world Then let us, who are charged with
these responsible duliss. invested with this
awful power, trusting in Hila who presides
over and guides tie destini.s Of nations, emu
late the spirit oil oar fathers, AID seek to raise
our beloved country from the pail and gloom
which hangs over il, to u lofty and prosperous
future.
Mr. Observation-Disclosures has been censlr-
ed ave, even deridcd by sonrc, for her delay in
taking action whilst CONFUSION and revolution,
North and South, have ragged around her. For,
bold sir, that every act OF every State CT tie
Norti. and ii the pcOl Il. Of the Ncrth--every
yi5!sti0n OF. and resistance 70, the Constitution
and laws uI tie Union, * as lnucn re,Oiu!lnn
rs the ordinances OF Secession oil the seeded
States. But |, with the gentlemen who pre-
,ycd mt would ylndicate the lloror the cour-
agr aud Inc patriotism Of EirS ina from such
rchuke Slow, she may be, s!r-Slow 10 an
ger and to action; slow TO move anu TO be NOV;
ed: slow 10 lead and to follow the column Of
seeding States; slow 10 iupeli the form Of
government under whic!. We so long ll:ei and
prospered; slow to abandon the hope Of restor'
ing and preserving the Union; slow TO cnconn-
ter the hazards Of revolution, rc CONSTRUCTION
and civil war; but, sir, let not her uacIion be
mistaken for apathy, nor her deIiberaton for
submission Virginia ne:cr has submitted,
Virginia never will submit to outrage upon
her rights; Virginia never has submitted ard
Virginia never will submit to coercion against
herself or her sister States ii the South in any
form come from what source Ii may.
But when Virginia acts, she will act from
principle moi passion from patriotism. not
precipi;ancy from n just appreciation Ct her
own sovereignty and tl'e rights of her sister
States, as well as Of the inestmablc value Of
the Union. Her vcrv fprbearance inns directed
and does this day direct nil eyes to her as Inc
great mediator und paciGcator of tLis family
strife She would have been untrue to herself
and to the noble position assigned her by COM
mon and BY general consent, as the mother Of
States and If statesmen ifShe did not, like true
mother try to CALM the passions and reconcile
the differences Of the sister States. The wis
dom and Justice Of Solomon ure renowned Tor
his Judgment in the memorable contest be-
tween the true and the false mother Of the liv-
ing child. Bring me sword, and will di.
vide it." said the king. Spare, oh spare my
child" was the simple and touching appeal Of
her whose heart ycarncd with mothers love-
Let it be neither mine nor thine, said the
false ore, "but let It be divided" Need say,
sir TINT she who would save it from divi-
sion, vas the true and noble mother: Now
tho sword OF coercion, il not raised 10 day, at
all events, if the hope, which my friend so
fatally indulg cd in Mt the last shall have faded
away in the ueXt lew days the sword OF coer
cion will be raised over our beloved Union The
darling OF the tusptr q Virginia, &c divide it,
and To divide it forever. As ti.at noble mother
Of old would have inIcrpos.d her own boJy
between the uplilted sword ard her darling
so will Virginia when the sword OF
coercion is raised by the Federal arm to divide
this Union, ana to divide it forever, stand in
the breach and intcrpose her own body, and
the bodies Of her noble sons, and sir. if need
be, of her fair daughters, 10 sarcil from eternal
destruction.
Mr.. Presiden!-Tc Virgins. has been pro-
pcily committed the mission Of peace, oil re.
conc!liation. The most agg,ieved Of al! the
States. her soil icsccratci by The feet Of tie lit
vader and the blood Of her citizcns her pro-
perty decoyed from her and denied TO her, end
her pence disturbed by an agitation scarcely
less disastrous than war she has yet stood,
amid the tulnnlt and passion around her, ele
waited fur above ii; calm, digrificd. serene and
firm, spectacle Of moral sublimity worthy Of
her ancient rcnown. She stands to-day the
observed of all observers, looked 10 as the pa.
cifcator aad Us the mediator in this, | had 81.
most said fratricidal contest. With the sword
in one hand, she stands pledged and ready To
defend her own rights and to stand by her sis