Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-06
The Virginia State Convention
FORTTTYJRD DAT.

I The Convention met pursuant to adjourn
ment at 10 o'clock. a. NJ.
Prayer by Rev j. L. JETEH, D. D. Of the
Baptist Church
! BASIS op TAXATION.
The PRESIDENT stated that the business be.
! fore the Convention was the resolution offered
BY Mr.. WILEY, on which Mr.. CHAPMAN j.
| stuart had the floor.
Mr.. SrrAEr then addressed the Convention
at some length { 4 report Of his remarks, in
connection with those made the day before, ap.
pears elscwhere.)
! FEDERAL RELATIONS.
The hour OF halfpa ten having arrived, the
! Convention resolved itself into Committee Of
the Whole. CHR. SorTuALL in tho Chair and
resumed the consideration of the report Of the
Committee on Federal Relations the question
being on the lth resolution, as follows:
The Territories Of the United States consti-
tute trust 10 be administered by the General
| Government, fur the common benefit Of the
| people Of the United States, and any policy in
respect TO such Territories calculated to confer
greater bcncEts on the people Of one part Of
tie Cnted States, than on the people Of an
other part, is contrary 10 equality ana preju-
dicia 70 the rights Of SOME for whose equal
| buurt the trust was created If the equal
admission Of slave labor and free labor into any
Territory, excites unfriendly coufict between
the SYSTEMS, fair partition Of the Territories
ought 10 bs made between them, and each
sysletu ought to be protected within the limits
assigned toit, by the laws necessary for lis
proper development"
Mr.. RICHARDSON resumed and concluded his
remarks. They vii! appear hereafter.
Mr.. MoEToN-lt had been my wish to ad'
dress the committee on topics discussed in the
general range Of debate; but in the very limit
ed time that will clapse before the hour arrives
when this debate is toSeYie-not more, | De-
lievr, than 80 ninutes-skshall contine my re.
marks to very few points, and desire the
attention Of the ina orty, rs we'll as OF the mi
nority; for, permit me ~ say, that while the
minority have generally been in their seats,
extending close attention TO gentlemen OF the
minority who have addressed them, yet when
Iu!Drrty man has occupied the floor, have
| found the seats on the other side Of the House
very generally vacant.
When presented myself to my fellow clti-
Eens rs u candidate for n seat III this C0nven-
ton, or rather when accepted al almost
unanimous invitation of the people OF the
county of G.eerc to become n candidate for a
seat III this Convention, to that invitation |
made q response, from which will read q
couple o. lines I said "the South should De
satisfied with nothing short Of equal rights,
and the political power to protect them" This
equality WAS the great principle which an
nounce,l 10 my constituents and il is principle
which has resounded irou every section OF
this Commonwealth. and every quarter Of this
hail, that we arc entitled to equal rights. But
when We co,ue to carry the principle into
practice, the very men who procluim il, in the
next breath tell YOU they are willing that
| there should be- division Of the common ter
riIory of the United States, by the line of 81
degrees 80 minutes, above which slavery SHALL
! he rXcludedy aud south Of which slavery u'ay
be permitted, and that, We are told, IL equan-
ty. Sir say that is not the equality Of the
present Constitution; it is not the equality de-
clared by the Supreme Court Of the United
States That tribunal has declared that ali the
| territory belonging 10 the common government,
| shall be occupied by the citizens OF the com.
mon government, with the right Of protection
Tor all their property. That deem TO be equal
| ity. Sir is il I'd b. said that it is degrada
tiun to the Northern man TO 80 South because
my son or my ncghbor may have p!anta.
tat:on nf slaves by his SIDE? Is the Northern
luan better or purer man than the slave
holder IRON the Southern States! think not.
|; is no more degradation for him TO settle
by planter, man his equal and generally
his superior than it is for the Southern man
TO 60 North of that line, and settle Ivy the
Northern man. say then, Mr.. Chairman,
that while this principle Of equality is pro-
claimed in our Constitution, Us construed BY
the Supreme Court of the United States, that
the Northern man and the Southern man
should GO to all the territories together upon
tarns OF perfect equality, the majority Of the
Committee Of Twcnty-une have agreed to u
compromise which is sacrifice OF Southern
rights if not Of Southern honor.
So much. Mr.. Chairman, for that branch Of
the subject For one say that if We come
together again We must come by are.conslruc-
ton, and | am never Tor constructing this
government unless it is done upon the founda'
ton stone Of equality and unless that equality
is carried to the very cap Of the Gd6ce.
Mr.. Chairman, the next great principle that
euunc;atcd TO my constituents MAS that the
South should have the political po1cer 10 pro-
teci herself. The South is in minority. We
have seen What is the efficacy Of paper guaran-
tees. The distinguished gentleman from Eau
QUEER, Mr. ScuTTJ who has been the AJAX o! the
Union party upon this floor, yesterday made
tEc unanly declaration, the manly concession,
th:. the eight slave States could not remain IN
Union with the Northern States even il the
free States permitted Virginia and the other
border States to write Constitution with all
the guarantees that we might consider neceS.
sary for cur protection. You cannot be safe,
write the Constitution as you will; cross every
~" and dot every 81" because of the hostility
existing between the nineteen free States
ard the slave Statss-because, | suppose OF
that lrrcpressiblc conflict between free iEstitu-
tons aud slave institutions With that conces-
sion, coming from any quarter, but especially
So distinguished quarter as 1t ernanated from
yesterday, ask if there should not be political
power to protect U.S. regretted very much
tina! lie gentlemanS indisposition deprived US
Of hearing hiSargument upon the very point to
shich | am how directing the attention of the
Committee, for, if he thinks, as think, know it
would come with more power and influence
from that gentleman than it will from me. But,
sir, / say HAT we ought 10 have political power
10 protect ourselves ; and at this point am
solicitous Of having the ear Of my distinguished
friend from Bedford, (Mr. GoGciN) for am
DESTROYS Of having his cooperation. desire
also the attention Of the gentleman from kama.
wha lAlr. SrNMEEs) Can we have these
guarantees ! If | can make it pal pable 10 my
distinguished friend from Montgomery, CHR.
Preston from the very principles which he
lnld down | Think he will concede it. Now,
sir, these guarantees have been Swallowed
forth by the Committee of Q in part, when
they propose that no laws shall he passed in
respect to the acquisition Of territory without T.
majority vote of each section. will illustrate
th. poiu, by the action of clerical and lay depu-
ties IN Episcopal conventions. Gentlemen who
haze puih any attention to our ecclesiastical
poli!y know that there have been discussions
and jcaou>ics existing between the clergy and
laity. We have house Of bishops Then we
have lower house, composed Of clergy and
laiiy. Whenever any question arises in the
lower House, as ~ whether the clergy are jcal.