Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-11-05

| ur pee QUDI Du " III ~
have become of the principles OF Jefferson,
W,5:soo and Washington as embodied in the
old Constitution long ago? WhateVor the
Iloi,ed States Government has done in ad-
vancsment of civiliz ltion, by solving the great
principles Of self-so7ernmont by. the people
,rhroush representatives clothed with delegated
movers, is due mainly to the South. lie
achievement has been by Southern statesmen.
The honor aod glory Of tho Western kepuosc'
70 which the eyes Of the world has been direct
ed for years, was the work mlinly OF Southern
men, and my judgment is, if you will pardon us
rx 2resslon, that just SO soon as inc sou,h y
entirely separated from tho Norta. ana tae
Government At Washington has no longer the
,dy,ce and counsel of your statesmen ana
tbs mea Of tbs South. they Will go into
confusion and anarchy speedily: 1t gives me
no pleasure 10 think Sc. 1t would DC 10 our hu'
rantare AZ well AZ theirs, for them. as we can no
lpng.r!iyc IN safely and peace under the SAGE
Constitution, to 50 OF and oe prosperous, ana
trag. u. to do thY SANE. Bat my eonV'cuon
Is that they will not. They % not understand
Constitutional liberty. Il is m exotic in their
elmo. Il is q plant Of Southern growth. |
h.v, however, no war 20 make on thoir insti'
t,,in,s. Tht- seen to think them better than
onrs and. not satisfied with Ibis, they war uPon
o1rs. Nor, the true policy OIL boto sidcs
sh,,,,ll DO to let each other alone. Let both
trv their systems not in war, but In friendly
riv.lsllip. Hence it is from no unkihd see'-
ings towards them or their institutions mat |
x,re7s the opinion do. believe thar our
institutions arc hy far the sesI. ~ judgment
il t!lat theirs will be q failure. | would give
them every opportunity 10 trT them lho
roughly b; themselves and fur themselves. !
simply give my view Of what ! believe 10 DC
the ]prrspact On both sides. ~ well rs the true
,oIicr Of both bu; | seriously doubt whether
the rivalry w.lca | would !c:gn indulge the
hoVo Of seeing carried ont, will he engaged III.
! War is what they arc hant On il The start
When this will tAll tins al1ne can Determine.
What | ha@a ~raalurel 10 say Of !l'c probable III
tlrc oC the North is founded n,,n the rxpcrirIlc.
and asscaiatiIn Of many years with the!r puAlIc
mon in Washington. They do nvt seem to IN
Jerstand the nature or workings nf ledcratlvc
system. They have but slender conceptions OF
| nilcl Iiowors. Th.ir ilcaiInl into c'E-
solidation.
Whilst [ m,s IN Congress | kacw Of bat
few men lh:r. from tn: North wha ever
made a constitutional argument Oh any qat:-
ton. They sclncd to cousidtr themselves as
clothed with unlimited power. Mr. Webster
was one cf;hese~ distinguished few. Though i-
generally differed sitii Sou!hern men on points
Of constitutional r1"er, yet he argued hla side
with great ability. Nj Djuglasis also a~l"','isr
distinguished exception t. the general rem iri;.
Ons or ;wU others hi sht DC named ~ cxccI'.
tions to the rule, but the great maJorlty. the
almost entire Representative from the North
in Congress, both in tho House and Senate,
seemed really to have 90 correct idea Of the ma.
ture 0f the Government they were engaged III
carrying on. They locked upon Il simply is
Government Of IMPURITIES.
They did hot S3rIu 10 IN ~!crStan.i that IL was
4 government that bound u.alorit!cS BY conStI.
t~l.i0na! rcsIr lin;S. Ms, nothing is more fixed
or certain lhiu that constitutional liberty cai
he maintained only by n rigid adherence 10 fun.
d1mengul principles. Government is a science
the Northern mind Seems disIncilncd to tina:
sort of study. Excuse this depression. 1t
may no., h~1"crtr, !:u altogether inappropriate
to tho cccasiun-aIl things being daily con-
sile.crl. |, springs from no disposition On my
part wantonly to ~hisparass Northern cflsrac.
ter. IT is intended rather 10 silo@ where our
lu urc sa'ctv and security lica. We have our
destiny under Prov dance in our own hands,
and wn must wmk it ont the hes. We cln.:-
All we ask of cur late confrdera,cS is to let us
aione. But. be this as it may, Nc shall, ]
trust, be equal TO the future and our mission,
whcthir they choose to pursue toward us o
peace or q war policy.
With nni0n, harmony, coiiccft d! action and
patriotism, our ultimate success IN establish.
ing or rather pefprlaaIing 7 stable and good
government on our ancient republican mm!cl,
need not he feared.
One gool nn,l w;su feature in our new or
revised Constitution il, that 1o have put 10
rest the yexel question of slaecry ~iore'c:, SO
FIR as tho Cualc'icr#tc halls ara conearned.-
On this ~suti.Ct. iro;a winch sprung The imine-
date cause vi rir iIs: troubles and Threatened
ii myers, you will irduise lac iii Il icw remarks
~ not irrelevant 10 Tie occasion. The "baal-
ton Of the negro rae: amongst ia, pro;rnt5 4
peculiar phase Of republican civilization and
constitutional liberty. 10 some, the pTphicln
seems har;i 10 understand. The dllhG:!ty Is
in theory, moi in practical demonstration That
wo, Ks we'll cnnugh-thenries in government,
as in all tsilags else, must yield to idc'h. no
truth is clearer than that the best form or sys'
TEN of government for my penplc or society is
that which secures The greatest amount OF hn2.
piness, nHt 10 the greatest number, but to all
the constituent ~eletnents Of that society, com
munily or State. II our system does not ac-
complish this; ii it is not the best Tor the
negro As well as iar the white man for the III
f:r1or MS we'll Us the superior race, it is
wrong in principle. But it it does, or is caPa-
bio of doing this, then it is right, and can never
be successfully assailed by reason or logic.
That tho Negroes with us, under masters who
care for, provide fur and protect them, are bet.
ter Of and crjoy mlrc Of tic blessings OF good
government than their race dues in any other
part Of tho worll, statistics abundantly prove.
As q race, the African is inferior to the white
man. Subordination 10 tie white man, is his
normal condition. lie is not his equal by ma.
:urc, and cannot BE- made so by human avs or
human institutions. Oar sy stem, therefore,
so far as regards this Inferior race, rests upon
this great lmmuLable law of nature. 1t is
founded not upon wrong or ii INJUSTICE, but upon
tho eternal fitness CT things. Hsnce, its har-
monious working for the benefit and advantage
Of both. Why one race was made inferior to
another, is not for us to inquire. The states.
man and the Christian, as we'll rs the philosC-
phrr, must take things rs they find them, and
do the best he can with them as he finds them.
The g,ca. truth, | repeat, upon which our
sGs,cm rests, is ;io in:ssiority Of the African.
The enemies Of cur institutions ignore this
truth. Thny set out with the assumption that
the race; are aQial; that the negro is equal
TO the white INN. # their premises were cor.
rect their conclusions would be legitimate
Blu: their premises hniug false, their conclusions
are false also. Nest of that ~fnnatical spirit at
the North on this subject, which in its zeal
without knowledge, would uptuTn our society
and lay waste our fair country, springs From
this false reasoning. Hence so much misap.
piled sympathy for fancied wrongs and suffer
logs. These wrongs and snffsrings exist only
in their heated imaginalions. There can
be no wrong where There is 10 violation OF
natures lass. Ho have heard much Of the
higher law. I balisve myself in the higher
law. We S'aai upon That higher law. |
would defend AMI support no Constitution that
Ii against The higher llw. ] mean by that the