Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-08

docs not IN the least ueSrce, IN my JuoSuleh',
tho obligation Of the General Govern
mcnt to render the aid necessary to suppress
any instruction which may arise, and which
the State feels unable to suppress. Why, SIT,
the militia Of the country, the military power
Of the country are left as SUBJECT to the con-
troll and direction of the General Government,
as perfectly, for all the purposes Of aiding the
State, as they can possibly be under the Con
stitution, after this clause is stricken out; Tor
this has no reference 10 the military power Of
the Government as q military power; 1t has no
reference to the duty of the Government in re-
gard to the militia but alone to the forts that
are established, and to the purpose Of their
establishment in the States in which they exist
How can we ascertain better the purposes Tor
which these forts are established, than by .ooS-
ing at the act of the State which coded the
territory, and which declares the purposes ior
which they were established? And when YOU
look at thai, you will find it declares, tina! It "as
coded solely for purposes Of national defence
and when diverted CT applied 20 any ether puf'
pose, that the territory retrocedes 10 the State;
80 that the very moment, under a Strict ION
struction of the language Of the ect granting
this territory, ut the very moment that these
forts are used for any other purpose thsn ma
tional defence, they belong again TO me oia'e
Of Virginia, and are forfeited by the General
Government.
Sir, q copy Of the "Force Bill" is just band
ed to me, in which | find this Language:
"Be it enacted by the Senate and House q
Representatives Of the United States o. Amer
lea in Congress assembled. That the provisions
Of an act approved the 2sth Gay Of FEBRUARY,
in the year one Thousand seven hundreu ana
ninety-6ve, entitled 'an act 10 PROVIDE 1or
calling forth tho militia to execute the q OF
the Union, suppress insurTcctio!', ana rcpci IN
%vasions, and to repeal The act now IN force Tor
these purposes; and Of the act approved the
third day Of March in the year one inousa'id
eight hundred and seven, entitled an act eu
thorisiug the employment Of The land and land
forces Of the United States in cases Of lnsurrsc'
tons are hereby extended 10 the case OF in,
surreclions against the authority OF the United
States"
Now, sir, suppose that we rcsist-snppose
Virginia makes resistsnco-ior ] DO no: under
stand that the Federal Gorern'aert coacedes
the right of 8 State 70 seceGo OF resume her
delegated powsrs-suFpose Virginia snail make
resistance, is she not then, il the estimation o!
this Government, Ell insurgent against the
authority OF the United S;ates3 And the
very forts established here by her authority,
solely for the purpose Of national defence, be-
come the common arm Of power OF the Gene
raj Government, 20 suppress lns'lrrection
against that Government which may be com
mi.ted By the State OF Virginia.
But if | an not right III that, 1t Is humllIa'
ting to Yirginia-moitiiying TO her PRIDE It
is lowering her proud crest for her to assert
that she coded to the General Government, and
procured the establishment Of forts within her
borders to protect her against Q serv'ie lnsur:
rection that may occur within her borders.
regard the amendment as az Important one. l
will not further occupy the tune OF the Gom'
mittee ia discussing it, but will leave It with
the Committee to act upon 1t as IN their ludS'
ment they shall deem best.
The question being on the amendment oHer'
ed by Mr.. FLorgNoY,
Mr.. GooDE, Of Bedford called for the yeas
and nays upon lis adoption.
The call was sustained, and the question be-
ing put resulted, yeas IS. M! S t3, as follows:
Bo!sseau, Borst, Buul3in, Boyd, Branch, Bruce, Cecil, Chap
man, CuGmsn, Coma, Il. II. Cox. Ecaols, Fisher, ilaurnoy,
French, fug1,s, GarI%pa, G T; G'I i1.T , ' : HI'
Harvie, tiolc"moe, fiunton, lsbeli, Peter Z. johnston,
ksut, Kilhy, Kindred, Lawson, Leahe,J J. b. Mallory, MARI
Marye, Montague, Morris, Morton, Moore. Neoleti, rGrHs'
Randolph, Richardson, SsSw-i, Shelley, Slaughter, South
all, Speed, Strange, %SrlherliE, Treiwdy, X. u Turner, :.
P. Turner. T, ler, Waller, Whitfield, Williams, Wi.on, Wise,
~NA1s-Mes,r.. John Janney, (pre iden,,) Armstrong;, A.
VI. Barbour. Baylor, Bogges., brent, Brown, bu;dei', Eu''
rad, Robert !. Conrat, C"ach, Critehsr, Cus,is, Deskins,
Dorman. Early, Gray, GUggtn, E. u. Hall, Hammond, hay
moad, Roge, Hubbard, iiugh-s, Jackson, Marmaduss john
son. Lewis, McCvlpss, McGrew, Mcneil, Mcfarland, Mar
shai:, Masters, Monstt, Nelson, Orrick, osburn, Patrick,
pendlesOn, Porter, ptsciOn, Price; pIgh: l.. Z: scott Sh.Ip'
Summers, TAR, Tasloe, MicShsn, w'llry-ts.
SO the amendment was agreed to.
Mr.. FLoCRSVY.-The amendment just a9op'
ted makes it necessary TO strike Gu: also the
10Th line which reads:
land when no symptoms Of domestic IN
surrec.ion appear"
Mr.. BoIsssAU.-I would suggest to the gen.
tleman that it will read better BY striking ouI
all after the word land" and to substitute the
word ''and' for the word "bur."
To render these amendments inteiiigiole, We
annex the section
'tThe Sizes Of the federal forts, a~rsenals, g.,
within the limits Of the States Of this Union,
we're acquired by the Federal Government, and
Jurisdiction over them celed by the States, Us
trusts, for the common purposes Of the Union,
uuFlnH L continuance, ailu uPO' S"S %Nt"N
ton Of the States, such jurisdiction reTerls oil
right to the States, respectively, by which ;he
jurisdiction was coded. Whilst d State re-
mains 10 the Union, the legitimate use OF such
forts, &C., is to protect tho Country against
foreign force, and to aid in supprcssing dolnes.
tic instruction. To use, or prepare them to
BE- used to ~inti,nidats a State, CT Corstraln It's
free action, is a perrsrslon OF the purposes Tor
which they were obtained; they were not in
tended to be used against the States, in whose
limits they are found, il the event Of civil var.
In L time Of profound peace with foreign ma
tions-and when no symptoms OF domestic IN
su-rection appcar-but whilst irritating 9nes.
ions of the deepest Importance are pending be-
tSeen the Sta;es-to accumulate within The lin
its Of q State, interested in such questions, m
unusual amount o. troops aud munitions VI var,
no: required for any legitimate purpose, is IN
wise, impolitic md offensive"
Mr.. W.SE-i hope the gentleman from I1ali-
fax (Mr. FLo2RSoY) will Withdraw that amend
ment. | think his lasi motion is not consistent
with his first l hope he will withdraw it.
Mr.. FLouRSor-it occurs to me that | am
right; but, as there is a different opinion about
it; if it affects the force Of the amendment, l
will not insist upon it. withdraw il, sir.
Mr.. SPEED propose to amend this section
in the Goth line by striking gu, the words
"unwise. impolitic and" and adding to the
section after the closing word defensive" these
words, land ought not to be tolerated by o
free people"
It seems to me when the Committee read the
S.h section, which, if adopted, would pledge the
people of this Commonwealth to resist every
attempt on the part of the General Government
to exert its power for the purpose of subjuga-
ting such States as may chooss to exercise its
sovereignty by seeding from the Union,
say. sir, it seems to ne, in view OF tine Language
Of that section, that these words, in the 9Th
section, IRE no. so expressive ~ they ough. TO
be. We should, 10 my opinion, substitute for
them q declaration, that if such al attempt Is
made tina. i. ought 10 be resisted BY q free
people.
Ipresume the point Of tho amendment IS
fully understood and do not, therefore, deem
il necessary to elaborate it