The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-09-04

Congress During the debate Mr..
Quincy, OF Massachusetts, said, III
this bill PASSES 1t Is my deliberate
opinion that 1t is virtually a dIsso-
Luton OF the Union that il will free
the States from their moral obliga-
tions. and, as II will be the right OF
all. SO II will be the duty or some
definitely to prepare for a separation.
amicably IL they can. violently IL they
| must"
lie was called to order. The point
| OF order was sustained by the Speaker
OF tho House From this decision an
appeal was taken and the Speaker was
| overruled.
| Here was an open contention OF the
| right OF secession BY A Massachusetts
representative and decision by tho
House that 1t was lawful matter for
dLsrussion.
| The proceedings OF the Hartford
| Convention Of 1914 are familiar to
these school children here. ] need not
| recite their famous resolution.
| The New England States In 1874
threatened a dissolution of the Union.
In that year The Legislature OF Mas.
sachussetts adopted this resolution.
| "rhc Commonwealth of Massachus.
etts faithful to the compact between
| the people of the United states. ac-
cording to the plain meaning and IN
| tent in which 1t was understood by
them. Is sincerely anxious for Its pre-
servation: but that 1t Is determined,
as II doubts not that the other States
are, to submit to undelegated powers
Hin no body OF men on earth" 1t
further declared that the project OF
the apnexation OF Texas unless ar
rested on the threshold may tend to
drive these to a dissolution of the
Union.
! Prior to the Louisiana purchase, the
7 settlers on the Missfssissippi River who
/, were harassed by the spaniards, pc
titioned Congress- saying. II Congress
refuses us projections; IL It forsakes
| us, we will adopt the measures which
our safety requires, even II they en-.
danger the peace of the Union. and
our connection with the other States.
i No protection--no allegiance.
&. You see the right to secede was
advocated by the North and West, and
4 threats to avail themselves of this
I right were made by Northern Legis-
/ latures, leading statesmen and petit
lions to Congress.
4 Through fifty years of our history
this discussion continued and the elo-
quence of Webster and the trgic OF
Calhoun were exhausted. while no sat
lsfactiory conclusion was reached.
Finally. when the Southern States,
memories and far outweighed all the
fancied evils that New England suf-
fered, or all the trials the Mississippi
Valley settlers bore. withdrew from
1.-THE Union. and reasserted their SOW
ereignty. they were coerced by Federal
powers, and falsely represented. not
only to the world. but to our own
children as traitors and rebels.
The question OF the Justice of our
Ira, n a ,-fne
tablished why should our people admit
as we know they sometimes do. that
II was best after all that we failed In
the attempt TO establish a separate
government? Does the fact of failure
prove that we were wrong and our
/. enemies right IN the contention? Was
Providence on their side. and were we
. Almighty? II So why? Were religion
) and character on the side of the North?
. II America had TO suffer the penalty
OF violated law. were we of the South
, sinners above all others? In the con-
duct OF the war, which side exhibited
most of the Christian and least OF
the brutal character? To ask these
questions is but to answer them.
In the Confederate Secession,
: work by an Englishman, the author
e draws a deadly parallel between the
methods and the aims OF the two
r people, and sums up the matter with
r these Significant words: "All the good
!. qualities were on one side and all the
bad on the other.
Let US discuss the old superstition
that heaven Is revealed in the imme-
5 date results OF Trial by Combat"
, We know that the Christian ctviliza-
{ ton of the first centuries went down
| in the darkness of medieval times:
we know that Paul was beheaded and
: Nero crowned and Christ CRUSHED.
Our defeat was but another instance
, of" truth on the scaffold and wrong
on the throne"
The North succeeded because they
mustered over o.555.ooo men and had
while the South failed because she
only mustered 100000 and was con-
nned to her own territory for supplies.
Northern writer's and speakers have
attempted to show that the South
: plunged this country into desperate
war for the purpose of perpetuatng
slavery Do the facts of history sus-
tain this contention? Ths Colonies
protested time and again TO the King
OF England against sending slaves 10
these shores. The House OF Burgesses
enacted laws on twenty three different
occasions against the Importation OF
slaves. The King OF England vetoed
each act.
In 1882 the Legislature OF Virginia
came within one vote OF passing a
law OF emancipation
On page So. Vol. I. OF Henderson,s
Life of Stonewall Jackson you Will
find an interesting letter written by
General Robert e. Lee. showing what
: he thought of slavery before the war.
Lee set free his slaves before the war
began, while Grant retained his until
man in thirty of the Stonewall Brigade
owned slave. a Northern writer
saws "slavery was the cause OF the
war. Just as property is the cause Of
robbery"
If any man will read the debates
between Lincoln and Douglas Just
prior to the war. or the Emancipation
!. proclamation he will see that slavery
$ was not the cause of action or Its
{ abolition its intent Emancipation was
Q a war measure not affecting the border
!, States,