Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-11-19
SPEECH OLE MIR SINNERS

DELIVERED AT THE AFRICAN CHURCH IN Rich.
MoND, ON THURSDAY EVENING, NOVEMBER 18TH,
1851.
In the following report we avail ourselves Of
the sketch furnished by the Wing of Mr.. Sum-
mers' remarks on general topics. The portion of
his speech relative TO Slavery we have amplified
and corrected from our own notes.-Ed. Times. |
Mr.. Summers said that he was not candidate by
his choice but for the reason that he considered
it the duty Of every citizen, under republican form Of
government, to shrink from no task that might be i'm
posed upon him by the people He stood in this atti
tude to indulge in no commentator OF himselt-he
came TO pledge every effort of which he capable,
the devotion OF Virginia heart beating in every pulse
with affection Tor is native SOIL TO the promotion oil
the best interests Of the Commonwealth. He should
say word Of his competitor who was not pre-
sent-rom the first time he had spoken in this can
be had scrupulously avoided any alluon 10 him.
in his absence 1t was Virginia custom, which he was
glad to observe, to maintain silence concerning ABB
sent opponent But what expected from him on
this occasion With regard to his opinions, he had
nothing TO conceal. 1t had indeed been said that he
manifested dlspostlor TO carry on the canvass upon
the no-pary principle. Asfor this charge, be begg
the at enton OF those present to passage in his let
ter Of acceptance. 1t was this:
in reference to general politics. have decided opn.
ions, not now to be made up for the first time and
suit the occasion But it strikes me, that the Chief
Magistrate of Virginia, now to be elected, will find
other work to DO, more important and profitable to
the State, than nditing essays on Tariffs and Cur.
rency aiding in the contests OF party, for Federal
Offices
Now, fellow citizens said Mr.. Summers. if this
fairly subects me 10 the charge of N Partysn, am
wiling to abide by il. But he. would ask OF his De-
mocrac friends fin the event OF his election they de-
sired him couduct himself in the Guberuational Of
flee, as mere parzan He was free to avow that
he had always been Whig-he believed X5hig prin-
ciples identified with the prosperity of his country-at
the same time he conceded that the two parties EN-.
braced equal amount of intelligence and honesty:
their great and important difference wasin their opinions
80 to the means OF obtaining common END. He did
not'desgn to discuss the question of Bank but he
would say that he had voted for Bank while in Con-
gress, because he believed it necessary as a fiscal
agent and entirely in accordance with the Constitution
The first Bank OF the United States had been incor-
poraed during the Administration of Washington,
and had received the sanction of those who had them.
selves framed the Constitution. 1t was approved by
Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Hamton-lt had
been sustained by the great Republican Party of the
cOuntryand Calhoun and Crawford had given it their
direct But while the naked question of
Bank was fortified by such illustious Names he would
say that an experiment was now in progress whether
not the financial affairs OF the nation could be con
Quoted properly without such agent: the progress
Of this experiment he not willing to interrupt and
he would therefore be reluctant to propose the rection
Bank, which he certainly did not desire if we could
get along without it.
As for the Tariff he had always been in favor ofbe
Protective Policy, and thought it necessary; but he
W"o "ii'"5 '0S, ''i0 p'Gecht os5ieH OF
duties He had no question whatever Of the proprety
OF Keeping III view Inc oohoe OBJECT oil Protection and
Revenue but he would not make the duties prohib-
tory The Distribution Of the proceeds OF The Public
Lands was not matter OF present lmportsnce-the
debt resulting from the war with Mexico would pro-
badly render it quite unlikely that we should have
much quarrel about but it might be said in passing,
that Democratic leaders, high in the confidence of
their party, had sanctioned both the Tariff and dstri-
button. Mr. Calhoun had gone so far as to propose
entire cession ofthe public lands to the States wh-
in whose boundaries they lie. But all the old party
issues were foreign altogether to the present
1.-The were candidate for federal office Mr.. Sum.
mers would feel himself bound to discuss them; but he
stood before this meeting candidate for State office
alone The fifth section of the third article Of the
amended Constitution prescribed all the duties Of the
Governor which were merely domestic and referred AL
became candidate, he hid determined to dwell mon
This tsct he did NOT think necessary tn On to Wash
inpon or to come to Rict nond to be instructed az to
the course he should adop he did OF desire to take
his cue from auv BODY. Now. when we We're about
entering upon A new era having thrown off the oId
constitution, the time had arrived. in his iudoment
when Virginia should look more TO her own condition
and her own aft irstoo lone accustomed "a che had
been To he absorbed in Federal Offices Federal now
err and Federal issues
# had been our boast an amntv one to he necuIiar
ly welded to ate-Rights and we had been engaged
overmuch in striking off The Federal orb from I'm.
pinging upon the fair disc ofthe Old Dominion. From
the office of Governor down to that of Constable il
had been the Virginia practice to test the claims of
the candid tie by his opinions as to who should be
President and for three quarters of century we had
lived upon dreams of the past upon the greatness OF
past men, and the memory of past achievements -
And what remedy was invariably proposed for our
declension The Resolutions of '9S and '99 These
and new resoutons-mere paper bulletins which we
had fired into other States But we had failed after
tar trial, to grow tat upon the Resolutions OF '9S
and 99, and he was for some other remedy, These
Resolutions he cordially approved, as they had been
expounded by Mr.. Madison, their authorize was
consoldatlonst, and would keeplf he cosd, both the
orbit but surely the line of Virgina's conduct had
been too long mere theory and abstraction, and here
after there should be action IN her thought
What indeed, had her course brought her to3 In
1890 we had started with 10 representatives in Con-
gress while Pennsylvania had s, and New York 6.
Now we had Is, (and at the next ortionment we
New York Sc. Ohio had also grown up to have 81
by the side of the old mother who had