The republic., 1851-07-07

Gays Oh IN lnt uopc Wncn
close my eyes on free, happy, United America.
From the Richmond Republican.
| MIR. stuart's Speech at the Fredericksburg
Dinner.
Below we give the remarks of the Hon. A.
H. III. STUART, Secretary of the Interior, which
we were obliged to omit in our publication of
the proceedings of the Fredericksburg dinner,
on the occasion of the reception in that town
| of President FILM ..E.
| Mr.. CONWAY, of the State Convention, and
one of the Vice Presidents of the day, in re-
peating the 9Th toast, said
| desire to make single remark preface
| to this toast 1t has already been alluded to
weakness of Virginia, and it is one of which am
proud, that while che regards with satisfaction and
admiration the distinguished of her sister
commonwealths. she regards with peculiar and
particular socitude her distinguished sons.
We have the pleasure, this occasion. in recog-
mixing in distinguished member Of the Cabinet
one of her distinguished sons, the Hon. A. II. H.
| STUART.
"s. The Hon. Alexander H. H. Stuart: Virginia
| greets with pride her honored son."
Mr.. STUART responded as follows.
| Ma. GRAMMAR AND GENTLEMEN: / receive the
greetings of my venerable mother with truly flia
| affection and reverence, and for in a
| greater degree than because it assures me that
stand in the relation of brotherhood to the warm
| hearts that now surround this table. She is mo-
ther of whom any may feel proud. [Appause.l
She is mother to whom all of her sons maylook
back with veneration and with profound and heart
| felt emotion. When we look back to her past ca
| reer what do we find? At the commencement of
our early struggles, when the oppressor's chains
| were drawn around us, and when we found that it
was necessary to sunder them, Virginia sent forth
| her Henry and her Lee, the Demosthenes and the
Cicero of their age, to up the feelings ofthe ma
ton to proper sentiment of resistance totyranny.
! When it deemed necessary to the political
bonds which bound this Confederacy to the parent
| government, Virginia deputed her Jefferson to
draw the sacred charters of liberties, and her
Lee to favor its adoption in the Congress Of the
| United States. [Applause When this declara-
| ton had been made, and when the sword was
drawn and the scabbard was thrown away, again
we find con Of Virginia brandishng that sword
in the of freedom and leading on her sons to
victory. [Applause.l When independence
accomplished, and when about to termi-
| nate the Confederacy and form a more perfect
and secure Union, Virginia again sent her Wash
| ington and her Madison, the one to preside over
the deliberations of the convention and the other,
| in connexion with two distinguished sons Of
| New York, to take the leading part in the for
nation of that great instrument which seems
| to me, but in commonplace Of the
| term, the perfection of human reason-I mean the
| Constitution of the United States When this Con-
stitution had been formed, and when it was put
into practical operation, and it became necessary
to settle by judicial precedents the true construc
ton of the sacred charter of our liberties again we
find the distinguished Marshall, an honored son of
Virginia, presiding the highest tribunal of the
Union, and shedding blaze of light upon every
| subject which he touched When, in the course of
events, again engaged in war, we find
| Virginia contributing her full complement to the
military force of the country. We find her Scott
and Taylor associated with the distinguished'offi
from sister States, and at least contrbut-
ing their fair proportion TO the glory which en-
| circles our name.
| But this ia not ALL When we found that this
sacred compact, which was formed by the wisdom
| and patriotism of our forefathers, in danger
| by the Vaccinations of men whose conduct / can
| hardly characterize here; when we found that the
| Union was in danger; when, has been said the
scales hung with such perfect eqnipose, that il
was scarcely possible to decide which side would
preponderate; and, when all hearts were troub ed
with anxiety, Virginia, through her Legislature,
by an almost unanimous vote, came to the rescue,
and throwing her potential sword, may say, into
the scale Of the Union, contributed more than any
other member of the Confederacy TO its security
and perpetuation. [Appause.l
Felow-citizens, this may SAVIOR of boasting; but,
when man speaks of his mother, may not his
heart overflow TApplausel
must be permitted TO express my dissent to the
sentiment which was proposed by my friend on
the left mean the President of the United States.
| Circumstances may arise which may render it ne
cessary TO speak of disunon; not to speak
| IF in aoft hptt to IF 10
terms OF denuncaton and of warning. 1t is said
that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty; and
would say that jealous watchfulness over the
agency of representatives is the indispensable
requisite to the preservation of civil freedom. ZAP
plause.l
Gentlemen, you may not be aware of il, TO its
full extent, and beg leave TO speak to you few
words on the subject in the spirit in which free
man should speak to freemen, and in which a son
should speak to his brethren. You, fellow citizens,
engaged in the ordinary avocations of life, have
not, apprehend, been aware Of the full extent of
the danger that threatened our country, and may
have considered ii all idle talk and gasconade.
Permit me to say to you that is mistake. In my
opinion, there has been deep and settled purpose
on the part of ambitious in this country dis
solve this Unon-not once or twice, but at various
times within the history of our Government. be-
lieve that these men who have been willing to nc-
complish this object, had thought they had sue
| ceeded, until Georgia and Virginia spoke out on
the eve Of their They had been using
hrst one topic and then another, wedge
to drive this Constitution and Union nsun-
der You, gentlemen, have probably thought that
the peculiar institution Of the South was the cause
of the excitement. Permit me to correct that mis-
apprehension. The excitement and the desire to
overthrow the Constitution and dissolve the Union
pre- existed, and this was the tepic which was
seized upon TO enable them to accomplish their
purpose Ambitious men, despairing Of elevation
to the highest honors in the Government, seeing
that they could not attain the goal to which they