Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-04-02
3HIETESElETTU D4i !.
THURSDAY, MAkcu 2S, 1861.
EEENIcG SLSSION

THURSDAY, MARCH 2S, 1861.
EVENING SESSION.
The Convention rc-assemblrd at 1 p. H., aut
resumed the considcga,ian IN Commute Of In,
Whole of the report ol tie Committee OH Fe
deral Relations.
ME rIsnEK-Thr COMMITTEE This morning
passed on the ain, ntuieut offered by tie gen
ile,nan from MGdieSex. lN.r. MONTAGUE to tho
amendment Gltcrrd Gy tho gentleman from
re"hatan, (Mr. wv. Z. SCoTT,) and suppose
ti.ei that hist section is now open 10 allic'ld.
mcnt. | propose IL amend il by striking out
alter the word "lliStrunenL' the words: ''thc
people ul each State agreed - associate With
Tie people OF the ether States, upon footing oi
exact cquality;" aud inserting, in lieu thereof,
the following: each State acccdcd as Il State
and as al inTrgrhl parts with It's coSlaieS, form.
Ing Us TO itself the other party 80 that it will
rcad
"Illat the States which composed the Uni
ted States Of America, when tho Federal Con-
stiution was formed, were independent sove.
re!gntcS, und in adopting that Instrument
each Stale acccicd " &c
One of the objects, Mr. Chairman, that
have in Offering that amendment, is TO rlnd-
Gale the truth ot history Another Of my 0b-
JtSts - mat tGe u ut laSL dS " Liz Iut udlO vi
The Fedora! Constitution VAS, that it was not
adopted Iy the people AZ an aggregate mass,
consolidated lnasS, but that each State, acting
il lis character Us Il State and in the exercise
Vi lis highest attribute Of sovereignty, adopted
1t for ilsclt, and became party Wit. its CO.
States III the formation Of the present Federal
Government
know, Nr. Chairman, that there has been
z Grge and very respectable, intelligent aud ill.,
te!eclcal class vi people i'll the United States,
who DO not agree TO tte truth o! ;lc position
embodied in ;hc amendment which | hayc Of
tcred know lilGL Mr. Daniel Webster, that
Judge Story, that Chancel!or Kent never
y'ei-cd to the truth Of this position. But Oh
tic other side, no Statesman long in public
tie III flrg'nia has ever maintained another or
dhereut doctrine from that That was tue
doctrine and language Of Mr. Jefferson; that
Is the language aIluvst precisely Of Mr.. AIadi-
sYn. |. las been tile language, in past days,
vi Mr. Giles, u Mr.. Randolph, vi MIR. Taylor,
And Oi VI. VIM. &. Nircs. IL lias been the
language End pErascolosy ui all tic statesmen
OF Virginia who claIIuti tu Uclous to tho State
rights purity OF tic State. But a. Lns period
IA our History, when Virginia is in the very
hiii W. VI 'Shoi'SiSiit u AOSbIiiS !ltSOIolSkCIl
with I!.aL winch our fathers have maintained,
must hVl DC Incorporated III i declaration vi
principles and ol Iacls.
ii the COmnlttcc docs not mean 10 indoc.
triuate the State Vi Virginia with new prlEci.
pies, why have tnly Incorporated III tns trst
section u prHcIp.r which hIs bcrn the subject
Of controversy from 1883 10 tue present day !?
/; could Scarcely be anticipated that those On
tins door WHO have ever maintained the con-
trary doctrine, would allow II 10 pass sub si-
iGnlt0; aud | think that my States Ri sLts
lrIclIds GU this floor will Scarcely be able to
relieve themselves irom The necessity Of coming
UP TO the marx, and facing the music boldly,
Is 10 this proposition.
II never was true that the people of the
Sia;ce oi this CoHleGrracy associated with
each other as people. Never. Ii Was wholly
imposslU:elu lur .iicln ever 10 have done so. The
people OF cach State, Is constituting Il separate
auG distinct political community, acting or IL
SELF III lis sovereign cal acty through the NE
dtuIn Vi u Cun.rhtiUii could become parties 10
cJmpacL Ike that which Was formed and
which Is how known and understood ns tue
Constitution oi the United StaLes
DoyOu no. know, Mr. Chairman, und is there
geutlrluau VII this uJUr who docs hot know il ss
y I.istoEtca! iact, luat the people, Us people,
never lid auopt the Constitution Of the United
States. i. waS hot submitted to ,ne people tor
ratification. Ii was suuirll,cd by ilc Federal
Convention !or Ratification, to each Of tue sepa-
rate sovereign aud Instinct Sintcs. and if I'D
diiIou.i evidence were wanting Of the fact, it is
~ bc !uunu 10 Lie Constitution u The United
States Itself, III another provision. IhaL Con
Il. ,i,
rLtli:d by MAC OF Tie States it should, as tu
them, becJine their Constitution. Then, sir,
il was Iio. submitted TO the people Of the United
Statrs, but II WAS submitted lur ratification lu
each State as Il State.
fit mad been submitted to the people of the
United States Us one people, whenever u majority
OF The whole people vi the United States, or ol
the sovereign Suites constituting the United
States, had ratified that instrument, it w.uld
naNu b4cou,c Tie Constitution uf the whole
t:lrtecn States, although the other four States
hi shL have given unali!nUus vote against It
Lut, .urtiiertuure: UJ We not know the fact
that tihude Island was not represented in that
Federal Convention? And do We not know
the other TACT that neither Rhode Island nor
North Caroliua adopted that Constitution or
ratified II, until nearly Two years alter it had
gone into operation as 10 the other eleven
States! Then how Is It true, end how can the
declaration be- made, that the States were sove-
rcIsu and independent at lt:e time OF its adop-
tim, anu that tie people OF each State agreed
" associate with the people ui the other Statcs:
Did tile people Of Rhode Island which had no
representative there, agree 10 associate with
the people vi Virginia IN any foruf No, sir.
Did the people uf North Carolina, although
their Stale Has represented in the Federal Con.
yention, agree, in adopting the Federal Consti-
tuition, to associate with the people Of the other
Statcs2 No. sir. The action of the several
States took place at different tines
Svlne were separated hy months and some
BY years, in this act OF adoption and ratItica.
ton. can conceive IF social association Of
individuals, but cannot, for the life Of me,
comprehend row the people of the State of
Georgia could have associated with the people
OF the Stale OF Massachusetts in any other
way than as separute and distinct political
c,;nmuinty. undertake to say that what
ever may be the ingenuity Of gentlemen,
hox ever gifted they may be, it is not IN the pow
rr Of any man 10 SHOW how such an association
could take place otherwise than in the manner
which have Indicated. Ii this principle be
true, us was remarked by gentleman this
morning, iMr ". G. SyoTT,) then, indeed, We
are this day traitors and rebels against the
common government Of the common people,
because We are here to-day inauguraiing
secession and dissolution ut this government,
which, it is said, we have instituted as one
great consolidated mass CT people. And. s:,
hold that il this proposition be trrle, We are
subject and liable every hour, to be arrested
bv His Majesty, Abraham the First if he
can procure sny officer to come into the Old
Dominion f.r th-purpose OF arrestiug lis. And
maintain, further that if this doctrine be
tue, the sth resolution in this partial report is
unouestiouahIy not true, because there are
many gentlemen on this foor, Of the highest
intelligence, VINO lock on tina; slh section as
maintaining the doctrine Of the right cf seces-
sion, and should like to know If the people
are 10 seceds from themselves. Then, indeed,
we will have TO adopt the doctrine Of ny friend
from Frederick, tMr. MARsuALl) as under.
stood hiiu TO assert tits morning, thst the doc