Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-03-05

[ know, sir, that Northern Governors and Le-
giSarures arc pledging their power to aid q Re-
publican Administration i'll the subiugation of
these States and all that may follow their
example; to aid in coercing them into sub.
mission to power that is to be welded but
for the destruction Of Southern Society: DOW.
or that would emancipate the slave Of the
Sonth even by the strong arm; and, having
done this, would compel the master to meet
him as social and political equal, or to be.
come an exile forever from the land of his
birth and the heritage of his fathers; power
that. for the accomplishment of this object,
would re-enact if needs be, upon Southern
soil, the bloody tragedy Of ST. Domingo. But,
Sir, have faith as fixed and abiding as
that repoSe in God, that u people battling
for their rights Of property for life, for honor,
for the sanctity of home and tire.side must and
will triumph. But be the result what it NAV,
cost what it may, these gallant States will
tread the path Of honor. And now, sir, in
this great extremity Of the country, in this
time of a common peril to the South, it is Tor
the mighty Commonwealth, whose representa-
tives We are, to determine what part she will
act Shall we, then, seek an snoble and short.
lived security beneath the banner of the Re-
publican party: Shall we look silently on,
while a Republican Administration Shall strike
down, perchancc, the power of State after State
in the South-until military power shall over.
throw the great doctrine Of State Rights and
State Sovereignty, which We have ever been
foremost to maintain and defendf or shall we
take our place beside our Southern sisters, and
if need be, amid the embattled Southern host,
where every Southern urn shall strike for all
that is sacred to the great Southern heart?
Sir, there is for Virginia no other path OF
safety, and honor The people Of the South
are ''bone Of our bone and flesh Of our flesh"
Thousands Of them are the descendants of mcu
who were reared upon Virginia soil. Thou
sands Of them went themselves from amongst
US. They have sat with US at the same social
board and knelt with US around the same fam-
lily affairs. They IRE bound to us BY com.
mon sentiment, by common institutions, espe-
cially are ne bound together i'll this hour Of
a common peril. Their destiny must and will
ultimately be our destiny. In union with
them alone can we find security. Should we
be Seduced into any other alliance it will be
unnatural, false and hollow, and Of short dura-
ton. If fifteen slave States could not main
tain their constitutional rights before the az.
gressive spirit Of the Republican party, what
reason is there for hope that half or perhaps
third or fourth OF the slave States can main.
tain them! But there are those who still
think that q portion of the Southern States
may obtain from the anti-slavery power con-
cessions and guarantees that it denied to the
whole. Upon what foundation rests such eX-
pectation may be seen by reference to the &C
ton Of the Republican; members Of Congress
in both Houses. The Republicans on the com
mittees refused TO acknowledge the right Of
property in slaves.
In the House of Representatives resolution,
giving pledge to sustain the President in u
resort to force agans, the Southern States, was
adopted by 4 large majority. In the Senate
Clarke's resolutions, offered as substitute for
the Crittenden proposition, received the vote Of
every Republ;can-those resolutions declaring
that no additional guarantees or amendments to
the Constitution were necessary, that tine RENE
dy for existing danger was the enforcement of
the existing laws \ force bill has now passed
to second reading in the House Of Representa-.
tiveS, upon T. test yote--and if anything more
were wanting to dispel the Illusion it may he
found in the plan Of adjustment proposed By
the Peace Conference That we may the better
understand the effect Of this proposition upon
the rights Vi the South, propose briefly to re-
fer to the state Of things existing prior 10 the
Inauguration OF this Conference. Under the
bred Scott decision, the slave went under the
guardianship and protection Of the Constitution
OF the United States into the common terrific
ries. The anti-slavery party repudiatcd that
decision In some Of the Territories the queS.
ton was submitted to the arbitrament Of
Sharpe's rifles and bowie knives
Ia the midst of a revolution, growing out Of
this aud other agitatng questions, Il Peace
Conference was convened at Washington, for
the purpose Of adopting a basis Of adjustment
that would restore peace to the country, now
and forever; that would settle clearly, explicitly
fully, finally and beyond dispute, the vcxcd
sectional questions which threatened to involve
the country in 4 common ruin. come now.
sir, to enquire whether the proposition OF the
Pesce Conference, in any sense, meets the just
expectations Of the South! The first section
provides that lin all the territory north of the
parallel Of thirty six degrees and thirty minutes
! Of north latitude. involuntary servitude, except
for crime, is prohibited Here all is explicit
and full. There is nothing left upon which to
found oubble But when it comes to define
the rights Of the South, south Of that line, We
| fad that all is vague and obscure. in all the
present teri i;ory south Of that line, the status
| Ct persons held to service OF labor, as it now
exists, shall NOT be changed; nor shall any
! law be passed by Congress or the Territorial
Legislature, to hinder or prevent the taking Of
such persons from any of the States Of this
Union to said Territory, nor to impair the
| rights arising from the said relation but the
same shall be subject to political cognizancc in
the Federal Courts, according to the course Of
the common law In the first place, then,
what is the status OF those SHIELD to inyolanta.
~ servtude:' The platform Of the Republi.
can party declares it to be that Of freedom.
Here then is a question at once for Fel..
raj Government, composed OF Republican
Judges, appointed by u Republican President,
to decide; what the decision of that question
by such Court would be, we Of the South
we'll know. But, admitting that no question
could arise with regard to the status OF per-
! sons held to service Sn,ith of the line, we are
10 look for the enforcement OF all our rights
As Shareholders, to the common law admins.
tered By the Federal Courts; and IN answer to
any appeal to such Courts for the enforcement
of our rights, We would be told by Republican
Judges that the common law did not recognize
the right of property III man, and that as con
sequence we had no right to be enforced
Thus, by the proposition OF the Peace Con
ference we are excluded from ali the territory
North Of thirty.Six thirty, ana South OF tnae
line our rights are to be at the mercy OF the
Federal Courts, whereas, prior to the Peace
Conference we had right, under the
bred Scott decision, 10 20 with our slaves
in.o the whole 9f the common territories IN
addition IL this, tie acquisition of any terrific
ry South of tie line is utterly excluded by the
provision of the I'd section. The 9Th section
provides that ut shall be- the duty OF Congress
to pass laws to prohibit the importation oil
slaves inio the Unl.ed States, f:om places Ie
yond the limits thereof" In the event. the"
that Virginia remains membcr Of The present
conf.deracy, ind the recognition Of the govern.
ucut of The seeded States, that government
will be- to Il. a iureisn government; and under
rhis 5,h s.,t,uu it will be the duty Of Congress