The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-02-27

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sHonStbie duty as one Of those who had been |
eiothed with the sovereign power of his M |
i've State. He had not heretofore occupied |
one moment of the time and attention OF the |
bodE, ana now entered upon the performance |
OF 4 duty with many misgiyings OF his capa- |
city 10 say anything shat would reflect even |
ine simplest light upon subjects so ino.nen- !
fohS as those which agitated not only the |
Slate, mt the Union, from one extreme to the |
other.
He came here 10 do as he thought proper,
without pledges and without a platform
f3rty measures had no connec. ion with this |
deliberative body. Be did, however, come |
with one pledge, so far as his past life could
give it-and that was That he wonid eEdeaEor
10 save his country, and the whole country.
He had felt ardent attachment TO the
I mont had conferred blessings on the
bravest, freest and mightiest people on the
face Of the earth. 1t was his wish that those
blessings should ne transmitted 10 his chill
drcu and his chlldicns children. He had al
ways felt that il ii were To fall, he must pc
rlsh with it. Bat that Union WAS now dissolY-
ed. six or seven States had united and formed
Inion az the South, while Virginia continued
with the Union NJ the North. The question
then was, what position shall Virginia assume?
is she To remain in that MON which was
lest. and he feared lost forever. or unite W it'll
her sisters Of the South or is she 10 form an
independent Sovereignty, unConnected with
any other state He had long felt that danger
was coming nlcou us. and had looked around
10 find If there vas no healing balm In that
Constitution which, on other occasions, he
had sworn to main tain. Although it was an
Oll-t1shioned argument to refer to the santi
ments of the Father of mis- Country, he nigh
be excused for saving that he had more faith
III GEORGE WASHiNGT0S than in any living
statesman He must still be permitted to go
TO him for counsel. He had looked TO the Con
stituiion, and found that il provided Il remedy
for any evil that might be brought upon the
country. IN Washington 5 Farewell Address
is the following language:
To the efficacy aud ,perlnanency of your
Cnipu. q Government for the whale i iuaspcnsa-
be. No alliance, however $iric' between the
parts. can b" an adequate substitute; they must
inevitably experience The attractions aud inter
ruptions which al alliances, III all time nay" Elk
perienced. Sensible of this m9mentUuS truth, you
La we improved upon your 5rst essay, Gy The adnp-
tion Of a Constitution Of Cove rrmen better calcu-
lated than Your former for an intimate njon auC
for the "iicac"us management OF your common
concerns. This government, the offspring Of cur
own choice. uniriuenCcd and uIGtwed, adt pied
upon fun Investigation and mature deiibora-
tion. completely free il it, principles. IN IN"
distribution ot It. powers, uni ing security with
onerEy, and containing within Itself pro
claim to vdar confidence aud your support
Respect for its authority. compliance W :th its
ioiacd nv The fundamental maxims Of true lib
erv. The bases of our political systems Is the
RICH, Of The people to maxi and 70 alter Leir Con
which al any time exists, till changed b. an eX-
pici and authentic act Of The whole people, i
the power and the right If the people to e>tabi III
6oFernmeqt, presupPoSes the duty Of every indi-
This was the doctrine taught him by the
language of the Father of his Country He
might therefore be l'ardoned II he had faith in
IT, in preference to those statesmen Of the
present dav, who had shattered the tlrest
temple of Government ever erected by human
wisdom.
lie proceeded to read the following resolu-
lions, which he intended 10 offer The basis
Of sQrte portion Of what lie would have to
say:
Reso',ed. That in view of the provisions Of the
9Th a ticIe of the Constitution of the United States
II was c'piuenhy wise and proper that the South
ern States should, in concert, have proposed
amendments TO the same, so as to have etfec.uaily
secured = Sittlem@nt of the present unhappy dill
cGtIas which disturb the peace Of the country.
Reso'rri, That it is the duty Of Virginia nov to
invite the corporation Of all the siavthold'ng
states, upon the border, a. to provide measures
for their concurrent action hereafter.
Resoired, That Virginia is attached to the Union
as il was but that ii does protect her rights
it is-that it becomes her people in Convention
embed to look u every remedy for relief; and
then TO provide, also, in the event Of a failure,
flr the future relations she is 70 occupy, having
due regard To her position As one OF the States of
the South.
In connection with these resolutions, he
said il was his earnest dpSigp, when the con-
troversy first commenced, that an appeal
should have been made BY the Legislatures
of the Southern States to the Legislatures Of
the Northern States, and 10 the representa-
tives in Congress assembled, to see if some
method could not have been adopted 10 bring
peace and quiet TO the country, as stlgges ted
| by the fifth article Of the Constitution, viz:
- The Congress. whenever two-thirds NJ both
! Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose
! amendments to this Constitution an the applca
flnu of the Legislatures of birds of the seve
! raj states, shall cali a Convention for proposing
amendments. which. il either case shah be wand
TO al intsnts ana purposes a. part Of this ConS-
tuton. when ratified by III" legislatures OF three
! ftnrhs of the several States, or by Conventions
IN three-fourths thereof, as the one or the other
| mode of Cidcation may be proposed by Congress
/ PJ0rifcd. that no amendment which may be made
| prior 10 the year one 'usand eight hundred aud
! eight, shall in any manner affect the first and
! fourth ciase, il the ninth section eff the first
! arcie and thai state without It's consent shall
ba deprived Of It's equal suffrage in the Senate
Here then, is the method pointed out by that
| great instrument TO cement every : tate III the
| bonds of brotherhood. Here are the direc-
| tons pointed ont by the Father of bis Couu-
| try i'll his last moments. He (Mr. q. had
loved the Union, and if he could make ii as it
! was designed To be, he would this day fling to
| the breeze the banner of the stars and stripes,
and let it float from the Aroostook 10 the Rio
! Crande, from the Atlantic TO the Pacific. But
| the Union is dissolved, and how Not by a
/ trial Of the remedy the fathers prescTibed not
! by the rule 10 which he had called the at
/ tention of the ConVen ton. They had been
! disregarded, and without any resort 10 the
/ Constitution, Il portion OF the States had
seeded and assumed 10 set mp govern
inent He would say, with all respect to
| the opinions of others, i'll whatever posi-
ton he might assume, that there was no
! warrant i'll the Cons Tuition by which Il Stale
| had the right to secede from the Union al all.
ready at the proper time 10 coop. rate wi tn
! those who differed with him. III the event OF
! the failure of the constitutional rem coy,
there could remain but one resort and tina
| was an appeal from the compact 70 the law OF
| self preservation. In this connection he quo
! ted from the writings of james Madison.
| The speaker went on to say that lie believed
in the doc trine OF self preservation-the RICH
| 10 defend life, liberty and property-to defend
| wife and children. That right had never been
| taken from us, bat II was an extraordinary
/ rieht reserved 10 operate when the constitu-
| tion fails He believed that secessionists
would have no better protection than the
/ right of revolution; and when the time ar
| rived for its exercise, he would stand side by
| side with them in indicating the honor OF
virginia and the South. But lac desired lhaC
! every constitutional remedy should be eA-
/ haus ted first.
The speaker proceeded 10 allude to the Slo-
rjes of the past to the feelings derived there
| from which enabled him TO take by the hand
| citizens in every portion of the country and
| call them brothers; and to the patriotism OF
The women of all sections which prompted
| thnm preserve the shrine a. Mount vernon
/ where he hoped they might always come ant
| pour ont their united prayers for the protec-
| lion of the Union.
In reference to the causes which produced
| the present state OF affairs, he said lie might
/ call up many, but appealed to his hearers
rather TO act the part OF the wise men in tho
temple, who took care of the Jewels without
! stopping To ask VINO applied the torch,
In proceeding, he spoke OF Abraham Lin
| coin, W hom he knew in Congress, ana his ac-
auaintance had led him to anticipate better
things than had lately been developed. lie
thought since his recent speeches, that there
was no hope for the future through him
| With regard 10 the collec ton OF Federal troops
| at Washington. he said IL was unfortunate
| that (fen Scott was called there. lie could
pledge his right hand to Abraham Lincoln
sl.aF n