Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1851-11-18
! SPEECH OF MR.. SUMMERS AT CHRISTIANS

ogEECf1 OE MIR. SUM WEEKS Al CHRISIIA ms
BURG.
On Monday, 81 of November, at Christiansbulg
Mont emery county, Hon. 6. w. Summers on beng
INTRODUCED TO the audience by Mr.. Hoge, spoke sub
stanally as follows:
He commenced by abiding to his embarrassing sit
u2tlon, and said that had only shared the lot of all
other candidates tor office in subjectng himself to
most rigid public scrutiny. He had this however
console hm-he realized his position to be that of
Vrginian in the midst of Vrgnans and that fact was
sufficient guarantee that he woId receive courteous
hearing and candid decision, He then asked the
question, why was he there at all 1t new fea-
ture in the history of Virginia. and he stood forth the
living evidence of revolutlon-boodess tits true but
not the less thorough He then said that the avorlte
and fundamental doctrines of Virginia had been that
all power in the people, and all public magistrates
but the servants OF the people; but that hitherto these
their truth and applicability Seen fully demonstrated
He then alluded to the extension of the right of suf-
trage, by means of which the number of voters had
been doubled, and rendered his warmest congratula-
tons that revolutions which ere in other lands the
work OF the sword and bayonet, were made here by
means OF the ballot, and passed off as quietly and as
peaceably as an ordinary election He told the PEG
pie that they had ratified the new instrument with IN
precedened unanimlty, and on the 9Th of December
would have to select men to carry it out He offer
ed nothing but heart devoted to the best Interests of
the state and made no pledge life devoted to
the public service.
He then alluded to federal politics. and announced
himself emphatically Whig-he had voted while in
Congress for U. S. Bank Protective Tariff and DIS.
ribution ofthe proceeds of Public Lands If he was to
be denounced on that score he charged them TO con.
slder whom they denounced with him On these SUBJ
Jecs he stood side by side with Washington who
signed the first Bank BILL and Madison who signed the
second-hese were men who assisted in making the
Constitution and ought to know something of the i'm
port and intention OF their own work Ii might also
be by reference the records that the very first
law passed under the constitution, providing
Tor the support OF government, and increase of
nue. by laying tariff.
But while he avowed himself Wing, he denied
that those were the proper issues 10 be made He then
reviewed the duties OF the Governor, and showed that
not in the slightest degree did they connect him with
federal politics. he desired office under the fedora
government. He said, the question which should be
asked 49, not is he Whig or is he Democrat but those
questions recommended by Mr.. Jefferson Is he hon
est Is he capable? Is he ttflcen?
lie here entered upon most interesting dsquisitiou
upon the Of the State large and this por-
ton OF it partcularly-he urged upon the pc opIe the
necessity OF action, action, action. While her Junior
sisters had rushed the road to honor and prosperity
she had been content to recline upon the past and
commend the resolutions OF 1913 the grand panacea
of every political intirmity He herr alluded to the
probable destiny Of the Anglo Saxon race-what they
had already accomplished and what they would be
likely accomplish and Tor US, while all the world is
asr to reclne upon laures and quarrel over the
resolutions of 49, might well be compared TO Nero
hddlng while Rome burned. He trusted that this re.
yoIution was but the entering wedge still greater
revolutionary, that new era had already dawned
upon US. lie felt that the age OF distractions had
passed and that now our mountains to be disenl-
boweled Of their exhaustess treasures, and every vale
and glen TO resound with the sound the loom and
the till hammer. Our own beautiful New River, which
only eapng torrent, dashing wild and un
tanned as the Chamois of the bps, impatient to
yield itself to the purposes OF man and make water
power for the world. We have only to Law our
hands upon the of the wild horse of the moun-
tans and subject him to He said that This
stream o itself gave more manufacturing advan
ges than Plttsburg could ever enjoy. He announced
himself rigid Utlitaran; and said mile of Railroad
worth library OF distractions.
After dwelling in most interesting manner on
these topics he passed on to clear up caumnies
which had been pat upon him. He had been called
unsound upon the slavery question. 1t was wonder,
since Harrison had been denounced, while it said
that the country could only be safe in the hands of
Martin Van Buren,, Clay, from slave State and
slave owner, had been branded Abolitionist, and
Taylor, a large slave owner and Southern in all his
feelings, was called unsafe while there only safety
In one Lewis Cass, who, on one OCCASION prayed for
the Abolition OF Slavery Twas no wonder then that
he, (Summers) Virglnian by birth and slave own
er, and from the largest slave county West of the
should be branded an Abolitionst, while
there would be safety in native OF Northern State
owning slaves and from the smallest slave own
ing county in the State. He had voted while young
man, In 1880, when the public mind nflamed
upon the subject, account OF the Southampton in
surrecton, for bill submitting to the people whether
they would adopt sytem OF gradual emancipation;
but farther than this he always avowed the Legisa-
ture had no power TO 60 And whence these
aspersions Did the people of Kanawha, who knew
HIM best, doubt him! Let their actions speak-he
had presented himself to them tor confidence and he
never knew refusal.
lie had been told that ne was VanqulShed IN advance
that Col johnson had beat hn before their own peo-
pie. This was all mistake, He never ran against
Johnson for any office. 1t had been said that the
Colonel had fought % pitched battles and never
beaten If there any thing n luck he had 1t, for he
was beaten; and as 1t mas been said that was a
long lane which had turns, he hoped he might be
pardoned for surmissing that probably the ColonePs
time just little ahead,
He had heard it charged that he voted for the Bank
rupt law. This was false. He was member of the
House and voted to lay it the table test vote
and the next year voted to repeal it-and tarthe he
never took the benefit of it.
He exhorted the young men who had been made
raise themselves above the political serdom in which
their ancestors had been bound-to come TO the civil
communion table, the ballot-box, and do the work OF
men and not mere parzans-that they should not
cast their first and virgin votes into the meretrcoGs
embrace of mere paftiZan electon-the issues were
higher and more important.
But cannot attempt to tell half the good things
which he said In conclusion, he said that he was at
that time on the very summit of the Allegheny noun
talns, and II he had voice which could be heard by
every man in Virginia, it should be exhoration to
arouse himself from the lehargy which had bound
him. He would be glad if there could be one heavy
ground-swe of determination in Virginia to let the
past be forgotten, and to take long pull strong pull,
and pull altogether for Virgnia,-her peace-her
prosperity, and her honor.
A HEARER