Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-11-24
Summers AT Fredericksburg.

The great Speech of the day was de-
livered at the Citizens Hall, in this place.
on Saturday evening last. George w.
Summers addressed the people Of thistown,
in the most powerful the most eloquent,
the most convincing, the most orthodox,
the most .judicious, the wisest speech it
was ever our fortune. under the circum-
stances, to hear. We have heard Jack
Randolph, we heard Preston, in his pami-
est day, Webster, Clay and Calhoun, and
Tom Marshall and Writ, and nearly ali
the great men of the present century, we
have hcard-but we have yet to hear the
man who exccls Summers in all the essen
tails Of popular oratorr. The torrent OF
his eloquence swept every thing before il,
and like the little lcahet, we were tossed
high up in the mountain creviee. We have
slept two nights upon the excitement and
yet we are as unsubdued in feeling as at
the conclusion of bis speech.
1t is not our purpose TO give even a
sketch of this effort. We should do our
selves and the orator too much inlusiice--
The most we can say is that heis every
thing a Southern Wing should be- We
approved every word he uttered, and he
left unsaid not one syllable we wished him
to say. Upon Southern rights and South.
crn institutions he is all that the most cap
nous advocate Of state rights can wish bin.
lie denies the right OF ether the Federal or
State Government TO interfere with slave
ry. He would not only oppose any i'm
IL,
is willing to FIGHT against it. He believes
in the Institution iself-ifs beneficial in
nucnecs both to the colored and the white
races. 1t is an institution OF hcaTen de-
signed for wise and salutary purposes, and
rs snch il is folly in man TO resist it. His
cbulii'ions If 81 -'32 lie repudiatcs as I'M
sound and indctrnsiblc. They were the
offspring Of bovish fancy, conceived in err
r,r, aud called 10Th by the excitement Of
the times. He has long since re,ccted
thern-as proved by his votes in Congress
and his course in the Virginia Conversion.
ln Congress he has voted against the re-
peal Of the 2lst rulc ~ opposition to Ea;is.
Stewart and other members from Virginia,
because he was unv iliug to retreat from
any position the South had taken upon It's,
subject. In the Convention he voted for a
clause in Tie new Constitution denying the
right in the Legislature TO emancipate
slaves. He not only voted for it but spoke
in its favor aud weeks before It's adoption
invited Eastern members to bring it for
ward. In that speech lie declared that
whilst he preferred it should be incorpo-
rated in the Constitution, he denicd all
power to the Legislature even without
the Constitutional inhibition, 10 Legislate
away the right of the Stakeholder He
voted moreover for exemption from taxa
hon of all slaves under twelve years Of age
"a measure he defended not only before
tho Convention but in the canvass in his
district.
Rnt the lovelest portion ofthis speech,
liflhcre was any difference in the ditleron,
pats vas in the graphic delineation and
lorcible discrimination oft powers of The
Federal Government and the rights Of the
State. 1t did our inmost soul good to hear
the emincntly conservative views Of this
eminent man. He was for the Union and
for the States. The Union had its rights
and the States theirs He would defend
both. But in all doubtful powers of the
icdereal government should refrain from
tie exercise ofthe power claimed. In the
event ola conflict he stood by his State
She was first, last and all to him. Vir-
gina was the goddess Of his idolatry, and
against her his hand could never be raised.
But the restrictions Of the press force us
to curtail this very imperfect report The
impression of this mastery speech are Civ
ev IN our own language without an at
tempt to quote the author. We do it in
haste and may be with injustice to the
great man who made it. 1t was the great
speech of the day-oLe which has never
been surpassed since the days of Henry
1t mas great. not alone for its eloquence
or its power, hut still more fori IFS truth. 1t
places It's author amongst the first of living
man = E'raJ Rye,re