Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-01-04
Public Meeting In Fauquier County.

Der, court day on motion Of Col. John I'm
nett Scruggs, who explained the object oil thu
! meeting, John II. Forbes, Esq. was unanl
mously called 10 the Chair, and Vim. f. Gas
kinS was appointed Secretary.
Col. ScruggS moved the appointment Of {
committee Of twelve, to consider and report re
ter sundry suggestions from several gentlemen,
the resolution was Withdrawn by the m.'er.
On motion of Col. Wm. Winter Payne, i;
was resolved, that the speeches be limited &c
thirty minutes duration. And all gentlemen
present who proposed to submit resolutions toI
the consideration Of the people, were requested
10 present them nil before Il vote should be II,
ken on any.
Whcrcupon, Capt. JOHN Scott presented tic
following resolutions:
l.. Resolved, That the Con(cdcracy Of the
United States, as it has heretofore existed, is
dissolved by the resumption hy South Carroll,
IA of her sovereign powers, and will be further
diSmcmbered by the speedy resumption by
what are known u the other Cotton States, OF
their sovereign powers.
}. Resolved, That. ut this jnncturc, It be.
CONES the people OF Virginia 10 meet in Con-
%vcntion, and in the exercise 81 unalicna;ed and
inaliciiable sovereignty, to take measures To
provide for their independence and safety.
>. Resolved, That Virginia is. and ought to
continue Il slavcholdlnS State, and ought to
| preserve. uuirnpaircl, her union with the other
slavclIolIin. States, and that we look upon any
! proposition tending to divide her from them,
with apprehension and dlStruSt.
/. Resolved, That not only is Virginia con
ncrted with the rest of the South by the strong
est moral and political syinpathlcS, growing
out Of her slave institutions, but That her
material interests are vitality conrcc!cd with
theirs.
;. Resolved, That VIC regard, with unIn'n-
lied aversion, the plan recently conceded al II
Middle or Third Conrcderlcr, TO be cotnPoSc'l
of the Border Slave States on the one lIaiid,
and the Northern ana Northwestern States on
the other, as but 4 mi>chicvOuS cOntrIvancc t"
divide the Soutl. in this hour Of peril, ant!
keen virginia hitchcd to the Black Republic
can States, where she will be p!undcrcd. insult.
ed and invaded in the future, AS she has been
Numbered, insu!ted and invaded in the past.
Is. Resolved. Convinced that the Union is
now Clis<ulrcd, We believe its reconstruction
10 be desirable, but its re construction under i
Constitution different from the present ConstI'
tuition. But we believe. in order TO attain that
result. the mcdiatorial agency OF Virginia anu
MARYLAND To be necessary; but tn enable them
TO act that character with success, that tNey
nnrht To scccdc FROM any union with the NORTH,
and ,,lacc. themselves III an independent am
neutral position.
: Resolved. That such Il course Is ad:lSa-
bile. Furthermore, to weaken the government oI
Lincoln, If lie should rashly undertake to force
back into the Union IL seeding State. anl rs
tending To hasten the d:slnc,nbcrlicnt oi the
Nnrthcrn Union and the iisilitegra.ion oi
Northern Society.
S. Resolved, That if that medium fail 10 re-
store the Union, that Virginia, Maryland, and
the other border States, should promptly enter
the Southern Coniedcracy.
9. Resolved, That We regard the lna!Erra'
ton of Lincoln 1T Washington City rs an
event sraught with extreme peril TO the safety,
of the South and the peace OF the country; ard
that the secession Of Maryland and Virginia,
carving with them the Federal capital, will
alone prevent 4 bloody collision i'll its streets,
which will b.. but the kindling of war. By
This uro,nut action. not only would san-llInarE
riots be prevented, but the fugitive government
Of the l;lack Republicans would lose ali aI'
t1DIllN bl TIC minus vi S'N lN'i''
regard this as the Slrcst mode TO attain 4 peace
,hi. settlement; of the national difficulties.
Col. Vim. ". Payne sustained Capt. Scots
proposition by some remarks, and offered I'M
following Us IL substitute for the first resort
ton, which was accepted by Capt. Scott:
J.. Resolved, That the Federal Union Is The
result I'll Il constitutional compact between the
States respectively, and as 4 consequence.
Al ..;,.,t u,ct.,pnti. and ,alt.Ii,. yIDli-
ton of that compact hy parties thereto. dis
solves that Union.
) Resolved, The Constitution Of the United
States. art. 18th. sec. 2ud, End and Bird ~clanSeS,D
provides for the rendition oi ~fngitivtS from JUS
lice and labor, and, As 4 consequence, these
States. which have refused to abide ly and eX-
rc,tc that provision Of the Constitution. have
p,rpoScly violated that instrument. and thereby
dissolved this Union.
=. Resolved, That the withdrawal Of Sonth
Carolina from the forms Of the Union now rX.
is,;nc. is neither Revolution, Treason, or Sc
ccsSiou from Z Constitutional Union, hut sim
ply an act declaring Il Forfeiture under the
broken covenant.
J. Resolved, That 10 Southern State Ought,
under any circumstances, to allow the C'ov.
.rpr,.nt II, Washington To use any species Of
cDtrC,nn, NlItIl ~ ilINlI S+t, " VI 49,
thority, in or over any slave State denying its
authority to 10 So.
Mr.. James V. Brooke then presented 4 pre-
aml,lc and resolutions, aud accompanied ms
resolutions with remarks in support Of his
views. These will be published hereafter
Thcrcupon, Mr.. Iobcr; T.. Scott offered the
following resolutions:
]. Resolved, That VI arc strongly attached 10
the Union of the States, and to the fedora! SIS
TEN On which it rests, and We shall be rcluc-
tant 10 believe that the association OF The pc'-
plc of the United States under a common gov
c%rrllncnt is incompatible with the safety oil any
part. -,
,. Resolved, We hold that the people Of The
States united together upon terms at perfect
equality, am, IT," powers granted to Tie co'il'
mon Government were conceded in the con!l'
dencc that they would he faithfully exercised
for the common good.
5. Resolved, We regard the recent election
Of Chief Magistrates for the country, upon an
issue iniuriously affecting the interests OF NJ
teen States. rs q departure from the principles
on which the Union was founded: and We
shall regard the Use Of the federal power to cX-
cludc slavery from The Territories, and corIlnc
il for the future to The limits Of the States III
which it now exists, to which the dominant
party stands pledged, rs an assault upon the
safety Of the people of those States, and i'll de.
,~ocation of rights tina, the government was d"
to protect.
(. Resolved, We claim for the interests '!'"l
spring from slave labor, the same consideration
and respect from the COMMON government tiia;
is accorded to the interests that spring ir1in
free labor, and if that equality canno; hc Oh.
tanned for lis under the Constitution and exist
ing laws, the Constitution and laws should bc
amended, and new provisions added thereto
adequate to that ena.
). Resolved, Without assuming to indicate
what special legislation or Constitutional
amendments are required hy the occasion. we
deem the events that surround us sufficiently
grave to demand consideration by the people
in Convention and VIC c"Gcur III tie cXIrdI-
ency Of assembling separate STATE Conventions
in the s~layc-hGllnn States. IT, which thr people