The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1861-03-18

psaSes q, KS command the Beedfui ply sical means
and that Of the laws made in mn rsu.
aoee OF 1t. over the Constitution aud laws of the
states, aud subject 10 the revolutionary rights Of
the people tn extreme cases that a political svs-
TEN that does not provide Tor peaceabie and an
thori,ative termination of existing controversies
would no, he more than the shadow Of a Gov.
efhmeat. the object and eud OF a real Government
eesng the substitution Of law and order for un-
certsf"ty, confusion and violence that In tho
event Of failure OF every constitutional resort,
and an accumulation OF as1rpauons aud abuses.
greater evil than resistance and revolution ere
can remain but one resoTt--the last Of allan APP
PEAL from the cancelled obligations OF the coosttu
tienai compact to the original rights and th law o
self preservation. This is the Hl;ind ratio of all
ora racompound of both. Itosnnot be doubted that
single member Of the uaion, in the extremity
supposed. but IN that only. would have the right,
a. an ultra and constitutional right, to make the
appeal
Resoirxd, That the forts, Notifications. armies,
srsenals, arms, ammunition. ships Of war. Gus
tom. h0uses mtnts, post -oices and other property
of the United States, Can by the Constitution be
disposed of only by Congress, and that no portion
OF The people have any interest in, or claim to-
any part thereof after they cease to be citizens OF
The United States, and when they no longer parti-
eipate in tho payment OF its debts or ia the defence
of the institutions of the country.
hesored, That while no doubt can exist on the
minds of this body OF the right aud the obligation
OF the Government TO execute all its laws fairly,
impartiatiy and promptly upon all its citizens,
the extraordinary condition of things as they
now exist, we earnestly and anxiousy urge UPON
the executive Department OF the Government the
poiicy OF abstainiag from the exercise Of such
power, a. any point where such attempt would be
hkely TO occasion collision, so long as there are
Efforts 10 be made by the other State-, or hopes TO
be indnlged of Il final and peaceful settlement OF
the difficulties with which the country is embar
rassed.
Issoired. That the right Of revolution, above re-
cOgnized, can be exercised well by portion Of
the citizens OF State against their state Govern
ment, as it can be exercised by the whole people
of State against their Federal Government, aud
when the powers Of "A State Government are used
4
portion of the citizens particular section OF
the State. in imposing upon one portion sec
ton an undue proportion of the burdens OF the
state Government. and in exempting from taxa
ton peculiar species of property, belonging to a
great extent to another portion of the citizens,
aud located mostly in another section of the state
thus increasing taxation upon ali other interests
IN order to favor 'pecu liar interest the people
thns oppressed, after having exhausted ail con-
sutntion2i efforts to obtain redress, would be JUS
titled in resisting the collection Of all revenue
from them until the injustice aforesaid was re-
moved. And that any change of the relation Fir-
gina now sustsins TO the Federal Government,
against the wishes OF even a respectable minority
of her people, would be such an act of injustice,
perpetrated upon the rights of that minority, as
To Justify them in chang Ing their relation to the
State Government, by separating themselves from
that section of the State that had thus wantonIy
dlsregarded their interests and defed their will,
particularly when the cause assigned for the
change OF NlrglniaS relation to the said Federal
Government is the alleged insecurity, in the said
last mentioned Government, of the peculiar spe-
| c.es of property thus protected by the organic
law OF the State from contributing its due share
10 the support OF tne SAID STATE Government, by
| prohibiting the taxing OF large portion of said
property, and limiting the portion subject to tax
| alton to Il specific tax far less than that imposed
| upon every other species OF property.
| HOUR OF MEETING CHANGED.
| Mr.. SUTHERLAND, OF Pittsylvania, offered a
| resolution changing the hour of meeting from
| Il to IL o'clock.
| Mr.. ARMSTRONG, of Hampshire, moved TO
| amend by fixing the hour of 10 instead of II
| Mr.. PATRICK, OF KanaWha, called the at
| tention OF the Chair to the fact that similar
AilIf
ago; whereupon the President said mo-
| ton To take up would be necessary.
| Mr.. SUTHERLAND then moved that the reso-
luton alluded to be taken up, which was car
ried in the affirmative.
| A motion TO amend by subs tituting the hour
of 10 o'clock was voted down by a large ma
| iority.
MI HALL, of Marion, moved to amend by
| this motion Mr.. ARMSTRONG demanded the
yeas and nays.
The roll was thereupon called, and the vote
| resulted-yeas 10, nays 40.
So the ques tiOn on the amendment was car
ried in the affirmative.
Messrs. johnson, Macfarland and Ran
| dolph, of Richmond city, voted for the amend
| ment.
The resolution, amended, was then
adopted. So the Convention will meet at
| half past 10 A. NJ until further ordered.
| Mr.. ARMSTRONG moved that the hour for
| going into Committee OF the Whole be changed
10 IL O'Clock.
After some debate, the motion was with
| drawn.
ORDER OF THE DAY.
The Convention then resolved itself into
| Committee of the Whole, (Mr. SourHALL, OF
Albemarle, in the Chair,) and proceeded TO
| consider the report OF the Committee on Fed
| eral Relations.
| Mr. RANDOLPH, of Richmond city, said that
| he had secured the floor at the adjournment
| on Yesterday, with the view of rendering il
this morning to Mr. HoLcoMBE, of Aibemarle;
but the sickness of that gentleman having
! prevented his attendance, he was compelled
| TO offer himself as he conceived, Il most un-
| worthy substitute. The question before the
country, he proceeded to say, presen ted itself
| in a social and in a commercial view, and as he
| represent ted in part the chief commercial city
| OF the Commonwealth, he proposed TO address
| himself mainly TO the latter With regard to the
| Peace Conference propositions he differed en-
| trely with the gen ntlelnan from kanaWha
| (Mr. SUMMERs.) A basis of adjustment ought
to settle forever the agitation OF the slavery
| question, which this failed 10 do. All agreed
| that the State was no longer safe under the
| Cons of our fathers, and only differed
| on the amendments proposed to be lncorpo-
| rated. Ii was sufficient to render change
necessary, to know that the forms OF the Con
| stitutiOn We're observed in the election on the
| 9th of November last, which has resulted IN
| the Inauguration OF party avowedly hostile
| to our interests, and permitted that party to
| seize all the power of Government, and tc
| WELD 1t to our oppression. The Constitution
| that we require must be a shield TO protect
| not only in the territories, forts, dock yards
| &c, but must give us equality in all the pur-
poses of Government The first section o1
| the Peace Propositions comedies to the Blach
| Republican party ali that they had ever ask
/ ed for. The very language used, which the
| gentleman from kanawha relied upon TO pro
| tect our property, was that used by Republi-
| can Judges and Senators 10 snow tndt thert
was no property in slaves; because the WORD
persons is used, and there cannot, as they
| contend, be property in persons. He quoted
| from the language OF Fessenden ana COLA
mer in the United States Senate, TO sustain
/ this position. He then quoted the words OF
the propositions, that 1.-The present status ol
| persons held 10 SerUice South OF SO deg 80 min
| should remain the same;'' While Norm ol
| that line taUOtuntary Seruitude was forever
prohibited. The latter clearly meant African
slavery, while in the former, the apprentice
| system might be regarded as equally plain. -
He contended that such protection" amount
| ed TO nothing, and made an able argument 10
connection herewith.
! He asked by what standard the status
| would be tried whether by the law as it now
| exists, or by laws hereafter to be enacted. The
| Republicans, he maintained, recognized nc
| status OF very i'll any Territory OF the United
| States. This was apparent from all their
| platforms. The anti-slayery dogma was the
| creed OF the party, and they had manifested a
determination TO abrogate the slave code OF
| New Mexico, which the gentleman from Ka-
nawha had SO much relied upon.
the second section, he said, had been mos.
elaborately defended, and proceeded to reply
to the arguments advanced by Mr.. SUMMERS
on the partition OF territory. The question
was proposed to be transferred 10 the floor OF
the Senate, and whichever party holding the
majority should SO manage as TO seduce a lie w
votes TO their side, would seize upon the Whole
of the territory. He contended that 1t iur-
uished no guarantee to the South, While II
would eventually bring in all the provinces OF
Kansas against us. The Republicans had all
the power of patronage on their SIDE. While