Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1861-01-25
VIRGINIA LEGISLATURE.

In the Senate on the 10Th, the bill providing for
authorizing the County Courts to arm the militia,
and providing means for that purpose, was passed
The report Of the committee on FEEDER al relations
was passed las follows. by the house:
Whereas, tits the deliberate opinion OF the Cen
eral Assembly of Virginia. that unless the unhap-.
pv controversy which now divides the States OF
this c. nfederacv shall be satisfactorily adjusted a
permanent dissolution of the Union is inevitable,
and the General Assembly, representing the wish
es of the people Of the Commonwealth, is DESTROYS
of employing everv re&sonable means to avert so
dire a calamity, and determined to make q final
effort to restore the Union and the CONSTITUTIONS
in the spirit in which .theywere establishedby the
fathers of tie Republic: Therefore,
/. Resoloed. That on behalf ofthe Commonwealth
Of Virginia, an invitation is hereby extended to all
such States, whether saveholding or non slave
holding. as are willing to unite with Virginia IL
ali earnest effort to adjust the present unhappy con-
troyersies, in the spirit in which the Constitution
was originally formed, and consistently with its
principles. so as to afford to the people Of the slave
holding States adequate guarantees for the secu-
rity of their rights, to appoint commissioners, to
meet-on the 4th day of February next, IN the city
of Washington-similar Commissioners appointed
by Virginia, to consider, and, ifpracticable, agree
upon some suitable adjustment.
2. Resolccd, That Ex-President JoHN TYLER,
WIN. G. RIyEs, Judge JOHN W. BRocKENBRoUGH,
GEORGE W. SUMMERS, and JAMES A. Seldom. be
appointed Commissioners, whose duty it shall be
to repair to the city of Washington, on the day
designated in the foregoing resolution, to meet
SUCI v ulSSlOICIo tH ina NC dppOiubCo " ' any vi
the said States, in accordance with the foregoing
resolution.
3. Resolred, That if said Commissioners, after
full and free inference shall agree upon any plan
of ad% justment requiring amendments of the Fed
erai Constitution, for the further security of the
rights of the people Of the slaveholding States.
they be requested to communicate the proposed a.
m%endment to Congress, for the purpose of having
the same subn tilted by that body, according to the
forms of the Constitution; to the several States for
ratification.
a. RcsolUed, That if said Commissioners cannot
agree on such adjustment, or if agreeing, Congress
shall refuse to submit for ratification such amend
ments as may be proposed, then the Commission
ers of this State shall Immediately communicate
the result to the Executive Of this Commonwealth,
to be by him laid before the Convention of the Peo-
pie of Virginia and the General Assembly Proui-
! ded, That the said Commissioners be subject at all
times to the control of the General Assembly, or,
if in session: to that Of the State Convention.
5. Re4o(ued, That in the opinion of the General
Assembly OF Virginia, the propositions embraced
in the resolutions presented to the Senate of the
United States by the Hon. John j. Crittenden, so
modified as that the first article proposed as an
amendment to the Constitution of the United States
shall apply to all territory Of the United States
now held or hereafter acquired south of latitude
&c deg. 80 min. and provide that slavery Of the
African race shall be effect ally protected as prop
eTty therein during the continuance of the terrific
rial government. and the fourth article shall secure
to the owners of slaves the right of transit with
their slaves between and through the non-slave-
holding States and Territories, constitute the basis
Of such an adius ment Of the uni Apply controversy
which now divides the States of this Coniederacy
as would be accepted by the people of this Com
mOnWealth.
6. Resotcea, That Ex-Pres;dent JOHN TYLER be
appointed by the concurrent vote of both Houses
OF the General Assembly, a Commissioner to the
Pi esident OF the United States, and judge JOHN
ROBERTSON be appointed in similar manner Com
missioner to the State of South Carolina and the
other States that have seeded or shall secede,
vii h instructions respectfully to request the Pres
ident OF the United States and the authorities of
such States to agree to abstain, pending the pro-
ceedlngs contemplated by the action Of the General
Assembly, from any and ali acts calculated to pro-
duce a collision of arms between the States and
tbs Government OF the United States.
Z. Resoired, That copies of the foregoing rcso-
buttons be forthwith t legraphed TO the President
OF the United States, and tho Executives If the sew
eral States, and that the Governor be requested,
without delay To inform the Commissioner Of their
Al pointa.ent.
The report having been completed, the yeas and
nays were called Oh its adoption, with the follow
ing result.
YRAs-Messrs. Armstrong, Brannon, Bruce.
Carson, Carravav, Garter, Christian, Claibol ne,
Coghill, Critchcr, Day, John Dickinson Asa D..
Dickinson, Douglass, French, G%atewood, Grecve",
Hubbard, lsbell. johnson, Larne, Logan, Lynch,
Marshall, Mckenilay,. Nash, Neal, Necsoh, New
'moLd, Hiyes, Stuart, Henry W. Thomas. Christie
pher \. Thomas, Townes and Wickham.-40.
NAYs.-Messrs. Angusst, Early, Finney, Penny
hacker and Thompson-5.
A bill was reported to Incorporate tie Vail ey
Rail- Dad Company also q bill authorizing the
Winchester and Pctonac Railroad COMPANY to ey-
tend their road to intcrsect with the M&Gas5a road
at Strausburg a bill to incorporate the Virginia
Arms Manufacturing Company5
Mr.. Bruce offered the following resolution
Rssoiced. That if all efforts to reconcile the un-
happy differences exiting between the two sec
lions Of the country shall. prove to be a~bortive,
then, III the opinion of the General Assembly,,
every consideration of hVE0r and interest demands
that Virginia shall unite Der dest;nies with her
sister slaveh0lding States OF the South.
The resolution was adopted unanimously.
Mi. Stuart offered tue following resolution which
was ordered to be printed
ResotUed, That, in the opinion of the General
Assembly ot Virginia, the following would consti-
tute a satisfactory basis Of ad iustlnenJ OF the un-
happy controversies which now distract ana tai ca
ten to destroy the peace OF the United States:
The Territories having been acquired by the
common efforts. blood and treasure of all the
States, are OF right the common property of all the
States, and neither the sla1eholding or non-slaye-
holding States have any just claim to appropriate
all OF them to their exclusive use
By existing provisions Of the Constitution Of the
United States, Congress is the trustee of all the
States in regard to tho Territories. Experience,
however, has siiown that in consequence of irrecop-
cilab!e differences of opinion between members of
Congress representing the slaveholding and non
slaveholding States, the common property cannot
be 50 regulated and administered by that BODY as
70 do full justice to all the beneficiaries Of the com
mon property, it is necessary there fore to provide
new agencies Tor It's regulation and adminlstra-
ton.
TO this end The Constitution Of the United States
should be so amended, so as to withdraw the trust
vi regard to the Territories entirely from the hands
Of Congress-, and to provide for an equitable par
tition OF the Territories between Tie sla vehoIding
and non-slayeholdiiig States, by assigning to til e
former, as an outlet tor its increasing population,
all that portion CT the comlnon territory, now held
or hereafter to be acquired, situated south Of the
parallel Of IS 80 north latitude, and assigning to
the latter, as an outlet for its Increasing popula-
ton, all that part of the common territory, now
held OF hereafter to be acquired, situated north of
said parallel.
1t should BE- further provided, by a similar a
m~endment, that the slay choking States should be
constituted trustees in regard to the territory south
of 3G 30, with full power, through their respective
legislatures Or delegations IN Congress. to deter
mine and regulate the status in regard to slavery
of such territory, and that the non-slavehoiding
States shall be constituted in like manner, trustees
OF the territory north OF said line, with like power,
through their respective Legislatures or delegates
in Congress-, to determine and regulate tae status
Of said territory.
States created out Of territory north or south of
the parallel OF SO 80 shall be admitted into the
Union with or " ithout slavery as their respective
constitutions may Ordarn.
In the House, on the 10th, a resolution inquiring
into the expediency of reporting a bill fer the pur-
pose of preventing the hunting Of deer with co IS
in the county of Pendleton, at any season of the
wear, except when wounded in still hunting by
Mr.. Walker, requiring all property sold under ex-
ecution to realize two-thirds Of its value. A petit
ton was presented by Mr.. Carpenter in behalf of