Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-11-10
[PROPRIETORS.
himself. he hnd opposed it throughout, and
never received any tencGt from il, what

| with any feueruiquesuoE uf poicv what
ever He then read from the 9Th section
/ Of the amended Constitution the du-
ties Of the Executive. That officer
had no pohticsl or party power, far
iher Than might be, from time 70 tmc. con
ferrcd upon him by the Legislature, as was
the case few years ago, when the Lcgis
lature held its session at the Fauquier
Springs. At that session, the Governor
was authorized to sppoin, inspectors Of
! Flour, Lumber, Salt, &c. but he thought
ifhe could be so warped by party feeling.
if elected. as 10 inquire ii an applicant for
one oftnesc stations were Wing or De.
mocrat, he should deem himself unworthy
Of the confidence ofthe people Of the Com
mouwealth.
| But there was question, in which as a
Southern man, he felt lively interests. and
with which. his name had been improper
ly used. 1t was the subject of Slavery.
and he was not little surprised Ia find
himself siigmalizcd as an AboHTionist by
the opposition press Of the State. This
charge grew out Of votes OF bis in the scs-
sion Of the Virginia Legislature 1882.
At this period the fearful Southampton in.
surrection had just transpired and the peo-
pie Of the Commonwealth, without Jstinc-
ron ofparty, in view Of the horrors ofthat
bloody scene. seemed prepared for any
action, that would lorcstal like disaster--
Thomas Jefferson Randolph ofAibcmurlc,
conspicuous and leading Democrat, in
troduccd bill into She Legislature. pro-
viding for, after certain period, the grad
ual abolition Of slavery in the State, and
the colonization, in Africa, Of oil who
We're TO be liberated. should the PROPOSE.
ton prove successful. This proposition
was advocated by such men as WIN. III
Roanc and James Mcdowell, the former
Of whom, was subsequently elected a sen
ator in Cong ess by a Democratic Legisla
ture, and the latter made Governor by The
same party. 1t was all right in these gen
tlemcn. leaders. as they We're, whilst he
an humble follower. was 10 he hunted
down by those who never saw the sin til
now, and never saw it in another. Anc
Mr.. Summers might have pnt Father
Richie in the same category, for that wor
thy veteran was as deeply tinctnrcd witt
abohtionism then. as John Van Buren, i.
now. Mr. S. then read a clause in th,
new Constitution, for which he voted and
Of which he approved which shoas pre-
cisely how he stands upon tins subj c.
1t wasthat one. that prohibits tie Legisla
ture hereafter from emancipnring a slave
or the descendant of slave. This Of itself
is sufficient reluiaiion OF the slanderous
charge, but as Mr.. Summers said, he is d
native Nirginian, ard sntly attached TO her
institutions, is a resident Of the ilargesl
slaveholcIing county West ofibo Allegha-
MES. and above all. the biggest end Of his
worldly possessions comprised land and
negroes. r44
lie might here have drawn contrast
between his own and his competitors po-
sition, but he did not. Col. Johnson WINS
born and raised in the State Of New ork,
resides in acounty where there are but few
slaves, and which is SO near the Pennsylva-
MIA line, that a portion of Penns, lvana in.
Auence may be felt there. We will not
however, with these strong circumstances
against him, pretend to charge Col. John
son with abolltlonism, for he may be, and
no doubts, as sound upon this subject as
MIR. Summers or any body else, but if the
same prcsumptive evidence Of abohiionism
existed against Mr.. Summers, the Demo
cratic press would sing the charge from
Dan to Beersheba. 5....s -
After setting himself right in this matter
in other words, after showing the wrong
that had been done him by his opponents
a l. L.,
error which has 40 long kept our people behind the
age We had bauled with shadows md absinc-
tons --iiad too long coniontcd ourselves with the
ncheivrnrnts OF a glorious ancestry-hnd been too
willing 10 rest in the shade of grcut names If in
stead, we had employed our energies IN develop
ing the resources with which the Old Dominion a.
bounds--hnd given her lockcdup trcnsures and
products ahighway in;o the outer wroId-had nude
her whni nature lad designed Der 10 bc-wc might
now, instead Of iing down IN Congress with Is
representatives 10 the 10 of New York, the 30 Of
Pcnnsy ylvnna. the q ofOhio--thc last ofwhich was
bull upon soilthni we had gtcen a,roy---we might
now, he said stnnd hcnd and shoulders dbove
them nll. Besides the people Of the several divis.
ions Of the State strangers 10 each other To
be one people, we must abandon nbsfraciiona, and
bind ourselves together by internal improvements.
lie was the ardent friend Of these and he aud hi.
people were in favor Of our rnad. He waited Ia
the footpath cf the snvaee converted into great
national highway and he bopcd 10 sec the iron
horse carcering along these nountain-sides, bear.
ing off The rich and varied products Of our fertile val
leys.and -cclreing people forever w~al,h pros
periiy and happiness. Aud he hoped 10 see con.
nectiop with this rund down the New Riyer>nllsy
the kanowha aud Ohio, and then we ,would hpvs
the magnificent spectacle of two ernnd arms
4 reaching fromthe heart of ourgrcni Commonwealth H.
the onefo the Father Of Waters, and ilic other ID
| the LaHes. This n theme he loved 10 contcrn-
| mn he "a DIM mi. fpI
to its pracicability. Bind Together with these
bands Of iron. and we would hear no moro 0f dis
union.
! Above all, he loved the Union the I'm
ion Of all the States. III separated and
sundered, our fate would be as the Reppb
lies that has proceeded US. And should
the evil day of disunion ever draw upon
US, Virginia would become the battle-ground
of contending parties. With the great
! Slaves States upon one border AMI the
Free upon the other.shc would become the
Golgotha Of murdered kindred. But Vir-
ginia would perpeiuate the Union. The
descendants Of the heroes Of Kings Noun.
tain, and the descendants ofthose who re-
claimed this beautifm portion Of the old
commonwealth from the Indian, would
never see the Union, thus sealed with the
blood of their fathers riven and discovered
Disunion and Secession were synonymous
terms. He could not comprehend the
right Of State to secede. What right
had South Carolina to set mp foreign
government n our midsil II she had the
night, away Louisiana might go, holding
as she does, the outlet OF the Mississippi ID
the seas. Bnt the "Union must be pre-
served" 1t had gloriops champions il
both par,ies-on theone side, Pooie. Cass
Dickenson and others, and on the other
Clay. Webster, Fillmore and others.
The Compromise must be carried out.
We have thus given hasty and very i'm
perfect sketch the leading topics Of Mr.