Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-05-07
SPEECH OF G. w. RICH AhDsoN, ESQ.

Nr. MONTAGUE 81 y SukASh |
do not think it necessary for me to
srcne th,. subiec.-hrst, because you have
discussed it ably; and, secondly, BECAUSE N.Y. \ w
go ~ secession lies in q nutshell, and can
49, d;sn,eoS Of practically, in a few sentences
y. S.T 90 in q whole volume. | have not
$3.50 .nr eent,emaa upon this floor dony the
- NJ Evolution. Every ono who has
.s,ter mere admits that if the expressions and
T~onrs Of a people are intolerabie, they have
40, 7i-ht. The practical question. then, Is,
An our wrongs justify resis:ance?-it not, We
nave not the .aoral right Of secession, though
tho technical right were 'Hnominated IN the
bond" written in the Constitution. Ihe h!n
ri my argument has been to show that our op-
nresS;ors do give US the right Of resistance
IN other words, of revolution. That we have not
exercised il, is because We choose not to 90 so.
We have 81 4ercd, not consented to our wrongs
What. then, is the right OF revolution! 1t is
the right of IN oppressed people, in unorgan-
;7,a bodies, to resist the Government II un-
a-caniEed bodies, in the existing state OF
.::iacs, have the right Of resistance, q Jortiori,
e,i. IS a conclusion CT both logic and common
sense. organized and sovereign Common:
xeaitss, free from anarchy, and with settled
institutions, have the same right
Il has been said. sir, that the South has sub
ni.,ed to, and sanctioned all the aggressions
Of the North. think that argument has been
we'll nigh annihilated, first By my distinguished
friend from Charles City, CIR. TYLER,) and
mex, By the gentleman who now p-esidcS over
this Committee, tMr. MoNTAGrE.) But even
SUPPOSE it were so, does anybody deny that
,nvss aggreSSions have been grievous wrongs :
If they have been submitted TO for the sake OF
peace, does tina, prove that they ought to be
endured for ever? So far from being an argu-
ment to be used against Us, it IS one OF the
strongest to justify our present resistance.
The eloquent gentleman from kanawhs,
fMr. SrMMEHs,) told US that he did not despair
Of the Republic, and argued TO show that we
,-ould get our rights from the North; that all
ths phases OF the argument in favor OF sla-
very. including the biblical argument, and its
efacts-noral, %socisl, political and ciyllIzlng-
upon the country, were better understood at
tie North THAI ever before.
Aad the gentleman from Augusta, {Ar.
BALnwIS,) told US that there were at this time
more pro.siarery men in the North than there
we.a ten years ago in the whole world. Now,
sr. ne answer to allthis is, that it is idle TO talk
Of tho great number Of pro-slavcry men there,
when they arc out.votcd in every election, and
when, in their hslls Of Legislation, they ere de-
:aa.ed in every measure looking to Southern
rights, and utterly poweriess TO stay the VAN
dal tide Of sectionalism. While the distin-
cuished gentleman from ksnawha is arguing
70 show the advancing enlightenment OF the
Northern mind on the subject OF our domestic
institution, the logic Of facts and figures, Rs
State after State increases her abolition mojo-
-itv, is utterly demolishlng his beautiful
theory. What use do tho Northern people
make other increased knowledge? Are they
any better for understanding the arguments
bv which the able and eloquent Statesmen sud
d;vines of all sections have demonstrated that
slavery is right, morally, socially, and political
lye that in their assaults on the institution they
are invading our rights and tranpling the Con-
stitutionin the dust? No, sir; their aggressions
advance with their increase Of light, in a sort
Of geometrical progression, until they threaten
70 o~7erwhelm the South nnd destroy her insti.
.a,ions. This is the way in which thoy respond
10 the argument. In 1910, the Abolitionists
cast 1908 votes. By 1874, they showed that
they had received crest light upon the subject
and were disposed to do perfect justice to the
South, b. increasing the vote Of 1000 up to
60, 40. In 1913, they show that they are still
further enlightened, still more benevolent, by
Increasing the last vote to loo, 600. In 1852,
.rey exhiLi, a still farther perception Of
cur rights b. polling l5T, 1913 votes; and in
1856, by polling S4l,sl2 votes; in lsSO, BY IN
overwhelming number Of votes, they possess
themselves Of taa Government and bring sl
lis patronage and power to bear against our
institutions.
Butt il has been repeatedly argued here, that
for all these things, the Federsl.G oyernurent is
not responsible; that it has made NO aggres-
sion on the South has taken no part in the
passage Of personal liberty bills, and mas re
claimed some fugitive siaves- Sir, | think Ii
mas been shown you, clearly And conclusively,
that the Federal Government has trespaSsec
,.con the rights OF the South By legislation
Thousands upon thousands Of fugitive slaves
have never been reclaimed. And, further, the
argumant resolves itself into this The Eede-
raj Government has or nas not power to secure
the recapture of fugitive slaves. II it has the
power, it has been ~iaithlesS, because, in count
less instances, it hiss nor exercised 1t; II /; has
aot the power, it is impotent, and powerless to
protect US in either case the result is the
same, and the Government IN default CT a
change for the better, is q nuisance, and ought
to be abated-
Sir, who can count the number Of slaves
which have not been reclaimed: Look at the
report OF the Committee appointed by the Gen
crat .i-.emoly Of Virginia, to investigate the
~:Ia-ncr's Ferry invasion. 1t shows the escape
Of numerous fugitive slaves, and, in some ca.
ses, The murder Of their masters cndearoring
10 reclaim them. The reclamation Of the 1ugi-
tive Anthony Burns, under one Of the late ad.
m;nis:rat!ors, required the entire military Or
caGization Of a State, with a large force of the
Fedora. troops; and though the slave was worth
oniv some 800 or $500, he cost the Trea-
sory OF the United States upwards Of 800, 600.
ua YOU tell me then, that this is 4 Government
Of which the South has no right to complain,
sad which secures protection to the South ?
Sir. if this is protection, God save US from in
justice and wrongl
have been struck, si-, with the many attempts
and ingenious arguments which have been
r:ndc upon this floor to apologize for the North;
70 underrase the cnormity Of Northern aggres-
sipns upon us; to prove that those Northern
people :.s-what they are not-just and true
10 taeir obligations TO the South. The gentle
from Prince George (Mr. RIvEs,) read you
.5e amounts Of subscriptions in Northern cities
10 the te~as OF Norfolk and Portsmouth du-
ring the prevalence of yellow fever a few years
ago. Well, sir, what does that show? Does
i; show anything but what everybody knows
and what we all are willing to acknowledge,
that there are some noble spirits and generous
people in the North? Sir, when the British
Government was pushing our ancestors to the
wall, depriving them of their rights and libsr-
ties, and driving them to revolution. how
many generous spirits, private individuals and
public orators, were there in the mother coun-
Try who protested against the whole system Of
oppression? But, though grateful for this
sympathy, our noble forefathers considered it
no reason for submitting to oppression and
wrong.
Again, sir, it is argued that the claim of the
South to equality Of rights in the Territories is
. mere s5s.rsction, that slavery cannot and will