Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-08-25

in Massachusetts u about Soy<Ss sfSs
| Virginia only 13.A13 1853. In Alabam
10 millions. IN South Carolina ii millionl
in the little State Of Maryland 8 million,
e Lou;siana 81 millions, and in New Yor'
Il millions; while in Virginia there IL pro
duced only about 3 millions. Fellow-clt'
zeus, do these figures liel Why has tn
nonula,;on of New England increased .
much more rapidly than { at OF Virgin
iai And why docs the sterile and rock,
soil of New England sustain her PoPuia
ton in so much more comfort b tn
great and glorious State Of Virgimal-
And what has Virginia done. for the edu
cation OF her people. and what is she nov
doing, to educate the rising generaton!-
From the recent census the mortiiyint
fact il disclosed, that there are, at this time
80 thousand persons above the age oftwen
tv.ope wears who are unable to read ant
write. and about As thousand poor chi
dren who have no means Of education
who have to be raised up in Ignorance
and utter degradation. l shall not stop
Fellow-citizens. to impress upon you.
minds. the importance Of education and
the bounden duty of every Government
to make ample provisions for the educa'
ton Of its citizens. There is no necessity
for that. Every rational man knows tina
are free in proportion as the
people are educated, and that the great en-
CINE by which the despots ofEuroPe have
rivetcd the chains oftyranny and oPPres-
sion upon the people, is that of ignorance
of their rights. They are raised up IN ut
ter and hopeless ignorace and suPerstl-
ton. ground down to the very dust by the
most grinding and cruel oppression that
was ever inflicted upon any people, and
never permitted to know 'the might that
slumbers in a peasants arm" Educate the
people and you make them free; they then
read for themselves, think for themselves,
and closely and rigidly scrutinize the con
duct Of their rulers; and as "the price Of
liberty is eternal vigilance an educated
people are ever the vigilant sentinels upon
the watchtower of liberty. ever ready to
give the first warnings of the approach Of
the tyrant. Every father, who has the
feeling of father, is earnestly DESTROYS for
the education of his children; for he knows
that it not only fits them for the discharge
of all the various duties Of this life, pro-
tects them against the imposition of shar
pers and designing men. but that without
it they cannot read the Bible. "that book
that contains the history of their race and
the record Of their redemption" The
State Of New York educatcs annually a
bout 400 thousand children at the public
expense; and yet, owing to the immense
revenue she derives from her railroads and
canals, her citizens pay not n cent Of
State tax. Massachusetts, educates an.
nually about 800 thousand children also
at the public charge. Why are these
things so? Why has Virginia fallen from
being the first, to about the twelfth State In
the Unionl Why is she the heaviest tax
ed State in the Union? Why have the lands
in Eastern Virginia grownup in broom
sedge and briars, and a large portion Of
Western Virginia yet standing in Primeval
forestsl Why are our young men leaving
their native State, emigrating to the "far
west" wringing their parents hearts with
anguish and grief,and depriving their native
State Of its industrious and energetic
the main pillars of its safety and
prosperity
Citizens of the county Of Patrick, have
you a market for your produce? Are you
becoming rich and prosperous? Has the
General Assembly ever, until the last ses-
'ion, appropriated one dollar to assist you
n opening your roads. beating down your
mountains and giving you an access to
narketl Have your Legislators ever given
you any return for the public taxes you
been so long and so promptly pay
Ingl And why, fellow-citizens, are these
sol Why the reasons are obvious
enough. There has been too great an ex-
cess Of party spirit in the country; and
while our Legislators should have been busy
in framing laws for the development Of our
resources, for the education Of the people
and the general Improvement of the coun.
try, their time has been spent in discussing
Federal politics, in making long-winded
speeches; and very often in being glorious
" drunk all night and dry in the morn
ing" In other words, our politicians have
enslaved US, tied up our hands, and LEFT
us one hundred years behind the age. The
majority of the people of Virginia have
beer under the sway and control of a sec.
tional minority, who have denied them
any participation whatever in the admins.
tration Of the government. That sectional
minority has ruled this State to its sorrow
1t has cramped and fettered the energies OF
the people, stiAed the voice and will Of the
majority; and while other States have made
gigantic strides in the great cause of Inter
nal Improvements and popular education,
1t has pursued the stand-still policy, been
dreaming of by-gone days, chanting the
praises ofby-gone generations; and under
the c~roakings Of taxation upon the slaves
of Eastern Virginia." and "the rights and
of Eastern Virginia" it has failed
to discharge its most important duty to the
people ofthe State, and has brought Vir-
ginia nearly upon the verge ofruin. 1,
has sought, under the deccitful guise Of
protection to property to retain a pow.
er which it has long and u%njustly held,
and which it has so long and outrageously
abused; and has recently been struggling
in the Convention, with might and main
to retain that power. although convinced
that a majority of the people have long de
sired and are determined to hurl them from
power, and to place this Government il
the hands Of the majority of the peopl,
where it justly and legitimately belongs
1t has sought and still seeks, to make pro
pertyan elemenet ofpower, by taking pow
er from the people and putting it in wealth
when the Bill of Rights expressly de
%clares, that "all power is vested in ant
consequently derived from the people,
1t is urged by the advocates Of this spur
Gus aristocracy-this monied power-tha
all this is necessary for the protection O.
property. Protection ofproperty! From
whomi From the rapacity and dishonesty
of the peoplel Arc those who own ne