Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1833-04-22
HISTORIC AL.
From he \. y. Jdafaat y Commci &C.
TIE VIRGINIA STATE. FLAG.

tory of the government have tern appealed TO- by
both parties, III support Of their doctrines iho
Richmond Wing, n strong and ably conducted
state Rights piper has oontrved Ia turn 10 very
good account Tie statement that the state Flag OF
Virginia, bearing the glorious motto OF Vrsl'
MA SIC Seniper t8raHai,,' was ii the ffS la
which waved for American liberty aud thnt = II
Ind marshuled the country 10 hbcrty and mdcrsn-
dcnce, before ihe fay Of ttc tHton lad et,4caee.'
" Who then cxclnns the Editor OF the Wing,
3" Is the traitor knnyc that would, rs Is threatened,
have dared 10 lay his sacrlleRloos hands nn
the flag that ioated over the old capitol nj VIII
liansburg, IN May, I77d, 10 nlct dishonof upon
1T
Further, IN the samo a,llcle, the Wing says, =
" We hope, since the matter has takon the turn
that II has, that on the 4th July-or, whht w"nln
be vet more approprInie-thc "9th May, the An
nvrrsary of the rrgiHia Declaration OF indcpen-
dence which preceded that by Congress -t'os
Floyd aeiH cansc the individual flag of the Old DO
mnon-thc first Republican Hag hat erff raefa
N tie Htfc aolid-to be lnated over the Capitol
not Va dtshonor of tie star spanscd banner, bat rs
lis comrad, rider and mothey. LIT the reefcanis
who vow allegiance la the Federal Government
hul dsca,m ITO tie land Of ,hor ara the'r fathers
birth, pull It down-h they can They will wish
they had never been born
The positive manner il which these historical
facts areasseftod by the Wing seems 10 have sIlen-
.cd al he elauor which was raised against GOV
Flovd 4 e and even The writer who FIRST brought
the mattel before The public IN letter published
III the National lntelIEenec,, b hls sleuee admits
that he stands corrected OF the tlon jHu1s who
hay, read the Article --and II has been cxtenslvely
circulated few hevo probably hcsltnIed 10 give
implicit credeucc 10 the historical statements and
II may have had No Uncomfortable influence IN ia
yer of the doctrines eoutendcd Tor by the Win
On tins subject SO lar ns 1t "a matter al taolhE,
we have nothing TO say. II GoNctnnt Floyd gives
hls banner to the brce1e, W trust II Viii be h"ie'
and honorod as the .nsgn OF II renowned ann pa
tllote state But IN the facts gwen 10y the Wing,
| rs history we hnve hll deep eoncrfn,lu aS ihaeh
| as they have strong bearing on Tia. Hteat''t l'o
ltcul question which ever agdatod tins country
! Having referred 10 authentic documents, wa "c II
bl, to assert and prove thu, The Virginia Ste,c
Tag WIS not Z" the first which waved tor American
liberty :" that il is not the elder and mother OF
the IA, Of Union - that the Stetc IA wns n" 'he
h,g that Hoetcd over the old Capitol at NliI'aipe-
burr. in MAY II Is. - aud lastly TINT lhero was u"
| i Virginia Declaration oi independence preceding
| that of Congress The fucls are bn'hy 'hehe
Tho General Congress had recommended htsl
10 the sttss of Massachusetts, New lihlnPshfs'
South Carolina and Nrsinin on account oil '''e'i
peculinr situation and finally 10 all tho States III
consequences Of the famous Act declaring the Colo.
mes 10 be out Of the protection oil The crown ~
| f1rm governments Tor the management on the'' 10
cal concerns The VWPinia Convention WINS held
| in Pursuance of this recommendation. btio'' 'h'
TIME the subject of Independence had hecn, for II
twclvcmunth, openly disguised The Assembly o'
North Carolina had by Resolutions, (paascd on
tn 18TH Of April l77G) instructed the delegates III
Compress from that State to move FOR Dcclhrotlon
of In1enendtnce several town meetings, IN uiiio
rent Sttcs had msmorlali2od Congress 1.-THE shmo
effect The COLONIES, rs United Colonies, were
! IN q state OF war with the mother country 'ene-
raj Washington had been appointed cohnn"oei
! IN chief of the armies the Brush troops had been
forced To eyacuate Boston the American navy, YIN.
! der the command Of Commodore Hopkins, w'a
| abroad on the ocean, annoying the brush com
mercc and by Act OF Parliament, the Colonies hao
bso declared m a state ofrcbcllion aud out of the
protection of the realm. The members OF the VII
einia Convention were, n m st instances, "Sf"e.
ird hy their constituents, when ,hcy were chosen,
| t. adopt Resolutions lnstrnetlng the Virginia dtle-
oatcs IN { onprcss to declare the Colonies lhdcI"n=
dent Accordingly, on the lJ'h Of May, LOO,
| (not the 29h) such Resolutions were reporter anu
| unanimously adopted. II was not 'H'esV
| virginia Declaration Of Independence, but an III.
| struction to the Virginia Delegates 10 propose 10
| Gongteys Z" 10 d.clare the United Colonies Tree and
| independent States 1t was not Substantive
and independent ael the State nbsolVlhS uh'
State from neg rance, but IN pursuance OF 'he gehe
raj sense md expressed wishes OF the people OF Tie
colonies il contemplated "A united ciioIt on me phfl
of the "nnlted Colonies, to assert aud maintain
tbei, independence. Here it may be remarked that
all the public acts Of the Colonies, from Tue stamp
Act Congress Of 1863, On which Virginia was not
represented J TO the Declaration oflndepcndence by
| the Congress OF l11G, contemplated uH"ta feS's-
| tancc and that such nm act as separate iec'ata
ration of lndependencc by an indiVidam o'h'e was
never dreamed Of II would indeed, have been an
act OF nconceivablc faulty for each state, single
handed. to contend for her liberty nganst the pow
| er of Great Britain, who would thereby haE' peo"
enabled to subduc the States IN detail. o"i "o'cn
word from the first was Union and Liberty. II Is
true that some States asserted thcIr rights "pp ''''
determination TO resist carlior than others But
| v;r,,;nia waa not the earliest The State of Rhode
Island. as far back as g. had, by act OF Assembly
nuiLfed the Stamp Act, and subsequently had re-
pealed the Act of Allegiance
The following i, the first and most important re-
solution of the Legislature Of Virginia
R,yolpcG, That the delegates appointed to repre-
,a,, ,b,s Colonv IN the General Congress, be IN
.,r,o,cd IN nronose To that respectable body to De-
| clare tbs tinted Cot9nies Free and Independent
| STATES absolved from all allegiance to, or n,peh-
dance upon the crown or Parliament Oh "tc "
Britain and that they give the assent oil ths No-
ony to such Declaration and to whatever measures
NAV be thought proper and necessary ny me Con
gress for forming foreign alliances ana IoH'e@e
Tal;, of he Coouies, at such time and in the man
ner as 10 them shall seem best, &c
| Tbe Resolutions were received with enthusiasm
v the people, aud the next day after their adoption
was celebrated by magnliiccntfcte, the cetempo'
rary accounts of which we have before US IN Inc
Williamsburg Gazette. twas at this celebration
,ha, ,ne anc TO which the Editor Of the Wing al