Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1830-08-12
T4aE VERGaNlAN.
-,-xC9RURG, AUGUST II. 1880.

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49,, Arena very happily turns INTO r'd'cu'e
,,.prac,ice of giving Public Dinners to every
10 has delivered Speech some halt
an hours in length-or, who has made up III
-. o,o,ber Of his speeches, or in hecIo'ing,
,ov deficiency in the length of time occu-f
..d in pouring forth the rich morsels OF his
po,c. When this evidence of public res
.., wss confined 10 men of acknowledged
.,;, and unquestioned ability, it vas an hon.
..,,s Distinction, of which the recipients may
h,vs been Justly proud, but IFS commonness,
.,,,,a wears. has brought it into wretched u
,;our; sod there are, we suspect,very few per-
.oos vho will no, agree With US that It has now
,scone practice "mofe honored in the
.,,o,b than in the obseTuance." Already, in
deed. has the distinction Ola Public Dinner
,os, en- much OF it's attraction, that invitations
IN accep, Of ,hem ore frequently decl'ned-a
aim. c.vsr heard of when invitations were as
.oorce are those who really deserve to be
,oooret With them. And really, il the men
uorshiprers 20 on, az there seems to be lair
,iksibood OF their doing, in detecting every
new objects upon whom to lavish these
,or,,able rewards Of vine and wa'sal, We
An,w not in what matter our really great men
,d,xhereaflsr be honored, except it be by O.
mi,,ing to proiFsr them the never-cloying feast.
Ry the way, we some time since heard it sug-
cestej. land we throw out the suggestion for
rha, i, is worth } that, in order to ascertain the
,aGbrs OF each gentleman intellect, and other
QUALITIES, qualifications and arpur,enances.
which make him worthy object upon whom
.obes,ow public dinner. the price ofthe bar.
ouet sha II bear, as nigh as may he, fair pro-
portion to the great mans claims. Say, for
instance, that dinner TO a President OF the
limited States would cost the subscribers So
each QUE Of his Secretaries should by no means
accent one, the cost of which should be more
than ga member OF Congress of the first
class, SO; the second class, S21 end SO on,
until, we get dowa 10 such small fry as kremer
and Weems. who should not be permitted TO
set down 10 u dinner which cost more than 50
cents head. By this means, we should never
be at a loss in estimating the true character and
CIVILIZATIONS Of man who had been honored
with this high mark of distinction. II would
0nly be necessary 10 ascertain the cost OF the
dinner, TO know in whs, rank to place him.
This would possibly avert the odiun into which
Public Dinners ara fast falling, and at the
same time prevent a moderate man from being
mistaken for a very great Statesmsa-and rlce
gCrsd.
The Fredericksburg writer imsgioes dinner
given by the convicts of a Peniientiary to Mr..
Le0HMGs Lighttnger, a celebrated Bank Rob
Der. on the OCCASION of his being incaI cerated
within ito walls, for the crime OF being detected
em6ezaling round sum of public money. and
apprOpiietihg il to hi. private uses. On being
toaSied, las is usual 10 Nlch cases. as a hero uf
most brilliant promise, Mr.. Light6nger Of
course makes speech. apparently flowing
EroW heart sarcharged with the generous
feelings inspired by the occasion, but which in
truth had been previously prepared, as all such
Th'ngs are, IN The Orators study" set down
IN a Notebook, and conn'd by rote"
This hero Of the Peniientiary festival OF
course advocates the right Of tninOriiies 10
throw off the yoke Of oppressive laws, enacted
BY myorifies-in other words, he shows, that
when the laws enacted by hoses, men, Tor the
mgor"y,) for the protection OF their property
against burg lars and thieves, (who are the mi
s"Hy become oppressive, (as they always are
"neh 'he rogues are nabbed) it is the solemn
uu'y OF The minority FIRST to protest agains,
muse laws, asan infringement of their natural
''gnl to distribute more equally the blessings
o''he earth and should their protea be of
40 avail then it is their unduubted right TO
""'gy 'he laws. And, in sober truth, the ar
g"menl' of MIR. Leonidas Lightfnger are as
sound IN favor OF the right of thieves to resist
'ne oppressive laws by which they are ncar-
ceraled in the walls of a Prison, merely be.
'du'e OF hankering they possess Tor other
mems goods and chat,els, as are the arguments
OF MesSs. Hayne, Hamilton and Chez yes. in ia
Vor OF the right of South Caroline, TO declare a
I'd" oil the Union TO he null and void which she
'nas'oes 10 be oppressive 10 her interests. Mr.. ,
Njn'hoger may speak for himself He says
;. Huntea from society by the despicahle
''"s VI inc law, tor no greater crime, Than the
,e"'si attempt to distribute more equally the
o'esSings OF the earth. improperly accumulated
=" '"e hands OF a few avaricious onopolists-
""u myself unexpectedly thrown into the
Nuns OF my friends and fellow laburers in the
great work OF Equalization. SINCE the courtesy
VI our keeper permits, ought we not to enquire
'o' h'ment by what authority il is, that
We are 10 be thus debarred the enjoyment Of
SPURIOUS liberty, the common inheritance of
""h I why tits that they have thus shut upon
Us " The tcindOus Of the sky" and " roGb'd Us of
SHtel natures grace be told that those
o''o''rary enac.ments, called laws, forbid the
" . ends We aim AT ? Who, lie, me ask, made
mose laws IAN aristocraticat and tyrannicat
AZ ri,