The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1879-08-02
e,a,.a,.,sred sta;,.t, 2, :. J ~:

a COnQNeTeu StotSS SN'.,. ,,,.-;la
onered state, and so as to Georgia, o1'as'
Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee Arhaass.'
,nn Texas. What a lot OF conquered ia.
lions. to he sure. And IL the Parson IS ho'
,,is,aken al, OF these conquered nations saiA
,;ohtfn,,y demand that the United Suh' Is
.h,I, nav their public debts. Isn't u h.tie
singular that with all OF tne'i 'e"a n'"ts
none OF the profound lawyers IN ans %
those s,ates have had sufficient acqua'ne-
800 With the laws OF nations to enable
.har, n r.ach the conclusion at which our
Virginia parson has arrived "tnoue any
,e,rn,nrs Isn't It strange that VANCE, KAN
COW MERY,MoS, and all the rest OF the ersgh.
ornaments OF the North Carolina bar, shou, u
have left so grand discovery to fhs,n,a
-,,s,;c who knows no more about rue IL"
-ho, +e does about biology? LOOK 70 ooh1h
Icoro,;,,--tbe land OF lawyers; yet even tne
1,eouaIIed abilities OF her statesme" u:o
mot suffice to teach them what Fns'n'.
,,orSon learned outof his own head-evoiVed
mt NJ his inner consciousness BUTLER
and CONNER and all the rest oil them may
hang their heads with shame. Ihe peerless
1eoal t,,ents Of Georgia's foremost STATES
,n,n did not enable even Mr.. IooMBs 10
make the discovery so easily maze ny oui
uotutored and unknown fir@inian. sbut
WHY call roll OF the names OF tue southern
statesmen and lawyers, who fail 10: .dis:
tinpuisb themselves md relieve the'f'
States OF their public debts by iaiiins 70
light upon that principle OF the Ia" OF l,a'
tions which Parson MASSEY breaches to the
,ettered and unietiered throngs that attend
upon bis oratoricaI performances! me
failure will prove the everlasting disgrace
Of all the distinguished gentlemen asluded
to-when Parsou MASSEY finds his, sceemle
in favor at Washington. But not until
then. While he is waiting for the coming
OF that triumphant day, he will be the
1auehiny-stock OF oil well-informed people,
the butt OF many a joke amongst the law
yess. and the object of score on the part OF
the statesmen whose office as instructors OF
the eo2le the lpresumptuous parson is at
tempting 90 unsuccessfuily to assume,
But we have not yet touched the bottom
of this we'll of wisdom which Parson MAS
sEY has opened to his admirers. Not one
of the southern States named above ever
claimed to be nation after they all had
united to form the Government OF the Con-
fcderate States. But the Confederate States
did claim to be free and independent ma
ton, and their brave soldiers fought for
four years to establish their independence.
The reader sees at once what is coming. lie
Dcrccives at a glance that If Parson MASSEY
is not wolully mistaken the United-States
Government is bound by the law OF nations
TO pay the thousands Of millions OF dollars
which were owing by the Confederate
Government when its great commanders
surrendered their armies and returned to
the walks OF peace. We fear that the Par
son will stand appalled, when he realizes
the magnitude of the contract which he has
undertaken. For, il there be any truth at
all IN bis teaching, the debt OF the Contede-
rate States Government is the one which :
UNCLE SAM is to be compelled to pay. And
il UNCLE SAM concludes to ply it, tue Far
son may rest assured that the money to pay
it with will he collected, not from the peo-
pie Of the States which have never been con-
quered, but from the people OF conquered
States-from Virginia and the rest OIL
them.
One thing, at any rate, is certain-it can
not be true that the Confederate States was
the nation which was conquered by the
United States and also that Virginia was the
nation which the United States conquered.
Which was the nation? Need we answer ?
Does not every man know that 1t was the
Confederate States that claimed to DE IN in
dependent nation? Yes; and every man
knows that Virginia never claimed to be an
independent nation, either under the United
States or the Confederate States Constitu-
lion. She claimed the right to secede and
set up an independent government OF
her own. She claimed the right
to make of herself nation. And
nobody ever endorsed that claim more
heartily than we. And il she had remained
as she was at the moment of secession; il
she had refused to pass under the Constitu-
tion Of the Confederate States; il she bad
preserved her independence until con-
quered by the United States Government
she would have had according to the south
ern doctrine on the subject right to claim
that United States Government had BE-
come responsible for her debt; because we
OF the South held that she was an lndepen-
dent nation as soon as she seeded from the
Union. The northern people, however,
would never have acknowledged such oept
responsibility, because they claim that 'ir-
ginia had no right TO secedc and set up Us
an independent nation. But that does not
matter so fur as this discussion IS concerned.
Virginia did not set up for herseil. ehe
did not become nation. She sank her IN
dividuality, and became unit among the
Confederate States, which latter d1d claim
to be an independent nation. And II the
United States is bound to pay the debt OF
any conquered nation, she is bound to pay
the debt, not Of Virginia, but OF the Con-
,ederate States. To state this proposition
ia 10 establish its truth.
We will say no more on the subject just
now. We have already, we fear, devoted
too much space to doctrine which Is alb
surd and to man whom all that can be
said Of him cannot elevate to the dignity of
q leader for, let the press say what it will
OF MASSEY, another agitator will still be re.
cognized by the public as the commander
in-chief OF the repealers' forces.