New-York tribune., 1879-01-20
THE RIGHTS or VIRGINIA.

A series of resolutions have been reported
IN the Legislature OF Virginia which may not
he worth much III themselves but are at least
significant as an indication Of the drift of pOlit-
ical sentiment i'll The reconstructed States and
of the policy which would certainly prevail in
tbc South if the Democracy should obtain full
control of the Government. The resolutions
beein with the declaration that Virginia. in
"reGntering the Union after the civil
"warT has resumed all her old powers
and retains all her political Independence
statement with which, in the abstract, nobody
is likely to quarrel but the practical conclu-
sion which the Virginia BourbOns draw from
it is another matter. They lay down the line
Of demarcation between Federal and State
authority with all the dogmatism of the old
school planters, and ont of a mass of high
sounding phrases we extract these positive
propositions;
/. That the United States can under no cir
cumstanccs assume the performance of any
dnty which it is incumbent upon the
State to perform. 2 That the State alone
j. entitled 10 protect every person within
its limits, in life, property liberty and the ex-
erclsc of rights. >. That the Civil Rights bill
and the Acts of Congress passed for the pur
nose of enforcing the Constitutional Amend
ments are null and void. A. That the most
the United States can ever do, i'll the case
of a conflict of jursdictOn is TO sag that
the acts of a State are unlawful: it can never
take executive action TO give effect to the de-
cisions OF the Judiciary. .. That interference
by the Federal Courts with the rights of the
state of Virginia must be prevented by ap
"propIiatc legislation"
Notification never went further than these
Richmond statesmen. They hold the State
70 be a sovereign and independent power, not
only in the control of its domestic affairs, but
in its relations with the other States of the
Union, and they would make 1T impossible for
the General Government to interfere with
any action the State hi ght take, however
revolutionary and unconstitutional. Virginia
might see fit TO reeStahhSh slavery, and the
United States could only declare through the
.Juoiclarv that such conduct was very wrong,
but it would have no power to enforce the
black citizens right to personal liberty.
The state ought to protect everybody within It's
borders in the endowment of all that belongs
TO him therefore, say the leaders of the new
rebellion, the United States shall protect
HODOuy III inc 'HJ"y iI'HI VI any IiSH', "c-
cause two authorities cannot have jurisdiction
over the same mattcr-Which is OF course rank
EOnsenSe.
A mcIciful Providence did not allow that
the Democratic party of the South which
chcrishcs principles and purposes 50 radically
hostile to the Constitution of the United
States aud 10 human liberty and equality.
should have the prudence and ability
to conceal its dangerous designs untll too late
to frustratc them. If the rebel statesmen who
"recnter the Union after the civil war r" could
have kept their secret a while longer. the re-
suls Of the terrible contest might have been
undOne by their votes, and after all our sac
Iifccs aud suicrings the men whom we de-
feated IN the field might have cheated us out
of the fruits of victory. We might sec the