Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-01-29
VA. LEGISLATURE.

H0 - (. ~ ] ~ - ~ ~
In the House of Delegates, on Saturday
the 20th, the resolutions of MIR. Conway,
being under consideration, Mr. CLAIBORNE
Of Franklin, rose aud said
Mr.. Speaker
II is not my purpose to tresPass upon
.he already exhausted patience Of this
House. | wish only to make a few scat
teriny remarks. | remarked early in this
discussion-in fact before i, was regularly
commenced-that had studied in school
which inculcated the doctrae that the ques-
aion of Slavery was not debateablc. Born
upon the soil Of Virginia. soil consecra-
ted by the blood of our fathers; reared in
she midst of domestic slavery, and having
spent the earlier and better portion OF my
life meath the blue skies ofthe sunny South,
/ will freely acknowledge that have listen
ed with astonishment and alarm, TO MEM
bers of this House, who have acquiesced
in, aye, who have supported the doctrine
of Wimot and the doctrine of the Free
Sellers This House presents strange
scene to the gaze Of this country. The
representatives. of shareholders are advoca-
tiny doctrine that is ruinous to the inter-
.ests oftheir constituents. | shall not fol-
low in the footsteps Of other gentlemen
who have addressed this House ia their
ihgh wrough, enlogies on oar friend OF
Free Soil. In the language ofthe Roman
orator, Mark Anthony come to bury
Cesar, not TO praise him. am willing to
bow al the shrine of genius, bat to arro-
pance and vanity, so bel me God I will
lsl. rs
from the position that | occupy upon the
question now before the House, you mus,
do il by reason and sound argument, not
BY violent denunciations bitter sarcasm, or
low insnua,ions & uncourteous inuenndoes
with regard TO the material Of which this
body is composed. Sir, ] should like to
know upon what meat our Caesar feeds
ahat he should grow so great, as, by sim
gle glance, to Judge the materials of which
,the friends of the South on this floor arc
composed. have followed in the foot
steps Of my illuslrious predecessor, and a
glance at the materials that occupy these
Legislative seats, convinces me that the
ihonor Of the State that graded Washing
ton, Henry. and Jefferson, is safe in
uhe hands Of her representatives. The
gentleman from Fauquier in his opening
remarks declared that he expected to stand
alone in his opposition TO the Conway
Resolutions. Al THAT time, it was believed
that he was right, and that he alone Of all
the members Of the Legislature, would be
found willing to plunge dagger into the
blossom Of the State that gave him BIRTH
But it is an old saying. and begin to think
"A very true one, that evil communications
corrupt good manners-and 10! directly
after the mountain groaned there was more
mice. The gentleman from Fauquier de-
,mands to know by what authority we dare
ito pass the resolutions, and to pledge Vir.
GINA to redeem the promise there made
In answering that demand, speak for my
self and no one else. will answer as
-one Of the representatives Of county
whose population is something more than
sixteen thousand. Politically that county
has been debateable for many yeras and in
the last canvass gave majority for-General
Taylor-bnt shrink from no responsible
.,y, and am willing thatthat answer should
go to my people. Draw your resolutions
in the strongest language that human
tongue has ever invented, condemn the
spirit Of fanaticism that is now breathed on
the floor of our National Congress, and by
way Of making your resolutions little
more spicy, engrave upon their face the
Goddess of Liberty standing on Mason and
Dixon's line, with the scales of justice in
one hand and the sword in the other, and
4 will record my vote in the affirmative in
letters of blood, if that be necessary, send
.ihem to Franklin in April. and | will come
ihere next winter to convince you that l
represent Shareholders, Virginians, and
sSoulherners on this floor. The friends OF
the resolutions are calledupon by the gen.
,leman from Fauquer to meet him on com
mon ground. Yes sir, an overwhelming
majority Of ,he members of this House are
told that il they want harmonious action
If they want the support Of the gentleman
from Fauquier. they must give up the res
.oIutions unanimously passed by the Legls-
lature of Virginia in 1847, basely shrink
sfrom the position then taken-and declare
suppose that the abolition Of slavery in
.,he Distric. Of Columbia would be a mere
abstraction, and the passage of the Wahnsot
Proviso simply constitutional quib6le.-
What would you have US do? Give up
the resolutions Of AZ ?-acknowledge the
constitu,ionality Of the Wilmut Proviso 2
throw ourselves upon the mercy of the fan
atics ?-stoop to conquer. and humbly ask
protection a, the hands Of the friends Of
Stree soil Ifthis is the alternative, in the
ilanguage Of the patriotic poet:-
81 would curse the thought; the lips
That breathed; the hand that penned 1t;
The South never shall be bought,
Or conquered, whilst we can defend it.
As bears the storm, the mountain rock,
As clears the cloud the eagles plnlon,