Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-28
Black Republican adro.

Jlc u u AA'h 'h~
WINS in the Peace Convention, which Of the two
propositiors he would taker l tell you that
If YOU adopt the Peace Conference proposition,
they will hold yon to the construction, that
YOU fix the status according to the Mexican
law which was free. soil law, and that ~freo.soil
law is not 10 be changed. But if you
will say, as the Committee have said,
tina, il shall exclude the operation Of all pre-
existing Mexican law and that the status as
now existing, independent Of that law, shall
not be changed, why, it exactly reverses the
proposition. | would like time TO enter into q
discussion Of This question.
Mr.. SPEED, OF Canpbell-Wil the gentleman
give way for one moment?
Mr.. WlSg-Ccrtainly.
Mr. SPEED propose to test the sense OF
the Convention upon the programme adopted
last Salurday-that this Convention hold ses.
eious in the morning ard in the afternoon. It
is nos past seven o'clock, and If it is the pur.
poss oi TIE Convention to hold night sessions
also, | will quite cLleerluliy agree to it Ii that
be not the Iur pysc, aud it iioT being past {
o'clock, I would move that -
Mr.. Wisr-I did not give way for any sGch
purpose as that. | will conclude in q few min.
utes.
The CnAlsMAS-Thc gentleman having given
way, the gentleman from Campbell, tMT.
| SrEEp) is entitled to the floor.
Mr.. WIsE-But ] would not lave yielded If
| | had known what lis purpose was. | do not
wish to place the gentleman FROM kanawha
(Mr. SUMMERS IN any Inconsistent position. 1t
mey be that ne differs lronl me Ill this con.
srruciior; I don't know. suppose nc dues.-
DE-. ~. ln n,,, "a IN. T,.pclrSIpD thar thern
is ilu d. difference in the propositions, which are
essentially contradictory to zach other. differ
from himiotn cole. | have bad TOO much in1cc,
trina:ion-roo much experience Of what the
| Northern men contend for, 10 doutt at all; and |
| AN informed that Mr.. Chase male himself per.
frc.ly understood in that Peace Confsrcice.-
When the word itgal was proposed to be al
fixed t. the word status, II was a matter Of in
difference to inn. That gentleman, now q
mr,uber Of the Cabinet, as am informed dis
;inc.ly stated that lie would take that prOpo'
sition because Of the Interpretation that Wus
PUT upon i, by him and his party.
Bat it is not only in that INSTANCE, sir, but
in almost every Section Of the report Of the
Peace Conference, that the Committee have
cCndsmued it. |. for uue, have fixed my gaze up
Oh i. with intensity. ard | tell you that if you
think there is no difference between the TWO,
you are grossly mistaken. There is a vital
essential, practical, constructive difference be
tween the two. the provision as 10 the pri'
vilcgcs Of the citizens OF the several States he:
been thrown out. AID there is one other vita
changc-lhat in respect to the right OF transit
with slavcS-the power to pass through the non
slavelIu!d;ng Stules. In that particular the one
proposition is wholly different from the other;
add there can be no difference Uf opinion a,
to the right Of the question itself. But, he
sides that, the other parts of the report Of th'
CGmmitWe q twenty.one, the preamble Of tlIs
report Of the Committee Of twe,ty.onc, the
resolutions and principles that they have
adopted, the adlcndUm to the Peace Confer
ence which they have adoptcl-all change il
substantially and utterly, and add to the com
p~lication Of the thing.
Mr.. SrMMEEs.-l restricted myself TO tn:
guarantecs-to the proposed amendments 10 tn:
Constitution.
Mr.. WisE.-l knew that, sir; Int the qnes
ton now SUBJECTED 10 your decision is not 81
restricted. The motion Is TO strike on
the whole Of the report, and adopt in lien OF i
tn. amendment You are called upon either Il
adopt the whole or reject the whole Of th'
report Of the Committee Of Twenty-unc, uI
substitute in It's place. or To reject, the prUrosi
tons vf the gentleman from Harrison, (Mr
CARLuE.)
Let us look nj this question narrowly
with a Virginia eye-tor there is a dri
ference between the eye Of Washington City
and the eye of Virginia. | attn very gla'
that the gentleman has thrown away the spec
tacles That tr louHrl through at Washington,
ard has, Il, last, taken The Old Virginia specta
c!rS. tell you, sir, there is an immense dIi
ference hctweer the two; when you get in the ut
,u1sphcrc Of Washington there ~ a haze
YOU See thIags double there there is q
mirage, there is q great deal Of malaria, too, a
Washington, that does not exist here; the hes
eve ard the pu-est heart that gees there is
obliged 10 see through u mehium different from
Virginia atmosphere. I nlm glad. too glad Il
know that whilst the crntlluan endorses til,
Peace Conference proposition, lie seems to hav'
II double vision; one vision is telescope una tn
other microscopic; and when he locks at 'ih'
tao with the Washington eye he can makea t.'
hours speech 10 persuade this Convention tina
the peac. Conference proposition is the brs
one tia, Virginia Gnght IN adapt. He move:
to have it referred To tie Ccrnmi:tee oGtwcnty
one, recommending it ty every endorsement
by every ARGUMENT, as if Virginia shoult
adopt it. Tcn he was acting | suppose il
the capacity Of his representative lnember
ship in this hcdy. We'll, Old Virginia 60
hold of il, and We say it in this atmosphere
through the Virginia glasses and it would no
do. ILaughicr.J l. was originally wrong ane
ambiguous.
.ind it vas not ambiguous merely. Th'
who'll thing WAS originally defective. 1t va:
handling us over body and soul-and givt
ne tic time and | will demonstrate it-taklni
trcm Us MI that was left after we had culuFro
miscd and compromised in vain.
Oh nv Cod, sir, I could weep! | cannot
Ioyk at YOU withou; seeing nca! you those twt
scuIptuird figures in contrast wis! | ccul,
speak oflIenry Clay IS ! want to spesk Of hin
ylh0u. bcing sii. understood. lkreI him MI:
kncw him WILL. he has gone. and | wnult
say nn,hing ri lin but What Is good. An'
there is on" GOOD thing / can say Of him, ant
when | look at that marble I an reminded o
it, He was game, he vas %indolnitablc, he wa'
ullifted, and his stepi,ings were stately step
pings. lie, that mighty man, tried conlro
| :u;sr. and compromise and compromise unit
he son exalted fame, and the name Of Tht
! Great P.ci.icator. Henry Clay, | invoke your
! SulUp II ltU I.iiu 'itS v e1N ~ SNe'
ing in this hall, On your native s9'l
Henry Clay I invoke your shade t
know what would be your Exclamation, your
apnstrophe Of cnmprmnisel Alas! Alas the
word has crnmllel into ruins Ike the Shll
Of State for which he lal.ured in vain.
And, in coatras! with that Of Henry Clay
another image rises before my mind. distinct anu
inlel;l,!c as marhle-the image Of John G. Cal
houn, of that nan "ho was ambitious above
other mcn-who sought the Presidency ~
Newton sought m ohservatOry-he did no
want it without his telescope; that man of whom
i Georgian has said that he vas like M:chac
Angeles dome in the Heavens without the scat
folding Of thought. The other day, when
South C2r"linian, who was pleading ut THU
bar, referred 10 that marble image, | looked a
the stern, severe, unbcnding, umyiclding cOuri
/ tcnancc, ard my manhood gave way, and
wcp, to think Of him. lie was a prophet. ant
more than IL prophet lie foretold the c7cnts
in liz. miirt vi which We are now TO live. II,