Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1856-09-22
PROCEEDINGS OF TIE
NATIONAL WIG CONVENTION.
HALL, or MARYLAND lNSIIIl IL.


srEEcH OF EpwARp niTfS.
Hon Edward Bates then addressed the IA
yention follows: .,.,
Gentlemen OF the Conventions ~ hist gf'a'
.Jav. fAppianse.l hope II viii nat he toltitIe5
bv nv presence a. your head upon tls platform
Yan have heard il soIemuly announced to N'o
that il /. the Anniversary Of that glorious lee'gY
which the father of his country lett u all. aud
now trusting ia the good providence of God, !
confidently believe it l. the day Of the feRenrra=
Uon and rein yjcoration aud relBveuatton 81 lAe
glorious old " hig party. Load Applause
Gentlemen. we hive been called Old Line Nhgs.
! am not exactly sure that II Is the correct NJ
pellation. For my own part they call mo al 'It
fogy-that am not even Inc, that n tfh''
am dot full stop, a period. Whenever >7a
gnropose 10 me 10 abandon the opninns oi my
fathers aud to adopt new tangled inventions al He
present day. We are notan ancient naiI'n' O7s
40 ara a yg - nation The worthy colleague #
mine, whom | see honorrd with sent upon ihls
platform. has JUL completed a journey from ~
iar heme in the West in nine and forty hour,
and there are n,ou in lhi. country who talk about
severine ia lacefatcd aud bleeding fragment
such continent a. th-'
Gentlemen. we. the old limo Whira-or tia
old dot Wings, If they may b. so called hive
had privilege which falls 10 the lot If few mcn
We have lived to read our own obituaries, aud q
find that after the strife Of life l. past nothing Is
ro b. said Of the dead by our adversart"s. l. at
what is good. Laughter and applause II hhs
been the ia shiou with those with whom you au' |
have been ooniending these many yrers,aiter tae
contest j. over and they thought We wer" stl'et
az our political graves. ard the giorlo7s h"HY
guard of the Constitution was dishauded and d.
eersed 50 that they might assail the citadel 4
aur liberties then 10 consider it safe 10 prn.-e
US Ii does not become TO praise "urselNe-.
We arr not here for victory. but TO re efgnn=
ize, re animate and re iDspirit ourselves for the
glorious fight that lies before (Applause1
.et no, him who hackle,h Oh his armor boast,
but he that tekets i al after victory We ne
beginning IA rouse ourselves. Let me speak Inc
plain truth VITA fegerd 70 the country und the
Zines For these twenty five years we have ben
benighiel in the mist of our political alyorsarles.
They were so strong and triumphant that cos.
nc to fear their known and nneient ad'etsa'tg=.
they warred against each other, giving Us "uiY
ocoa sional and temporary victory by Then nnWisf
conflicts. In the meantime. when tue bond- u
party had become weak, when the ani yersal zen
ment of general success had prevailed through
out the nation, new theories were adopted, heId
experiments tried. Wild fearful aud ppprt SsIfo
.eg station planned aud schemes for personal az
prandizement sought 10 Lee carried out. They
have set up the elements ofpower aud " enlih oad
grandeur for the individual not the mai ION, they
have brought all their influences into roqusIlion
aud have left US behind have outstrippeN rs, Is
the railroad ear antsirps the stced
Nhal is oar oiiee hole1 have anid thai 'ho
Wing party Of thu United States were the body
guard Of the Constitution. Applause. Nh"ih
err weak or strong. whether in victory or defeat,
its glorious banner has stood untntnlshed WHOM
its great aud glorious leaders have dcscrn ded 10
the tomb leaving behind a namo that will TIM
mate our children and grand children Ia all pos
terty. In my cons science believe that you lhne
done much good service To your country wi 'h
in the minority as in the majority, That you hu ke
stayed the downward tendency OF things, h1 70
resisted the prochvity 10 destruction have SCUM /
ed the warning vice i'll time ct danger, n'ltH &
those who have been entrusted with the g9'"f#1-
,nent OF the country to consider the origtn al
their power, and TO whom they must trust t. I
support. 1t is matter deeply embedded IN IL"
philosophy of human nature applicable 80 all pr
ties Of men. that when they are poor and weas
and need protection they reeur TO first prinel-
pies because they necessary 10 their sGe-
cess and defence. But when they become strong
in power aud bloated with wealth and desno to
exercise control over others, good principles urr
in the way of ambition and are therefore cast
aside.
Such is the history of our country, whenever
there is Presidential election, and men arc unN
ious TO retain power they possess, appeals nro
are made TO all the passions of the human hemt;
'bugoears ooniured up which do not EXIST
fatal consequences are predicted which cannot
be expected to take place. We are tolC, an,
confidently told in some portions Of the mon
that the union of these States is IN danger Nav
that is an old cry: have heard very often tina
the integrity and nationality of this great gr'
glorious Union were put in jeopardy 10y the tr' !
of party. Hu, believe it not. Ny father 70 AZ o
at York town. And perhaps there is not II ma
here whose anoestors--if not himself, for ! e
/. IA. Ill
carry the musket and face the enemy in the con
test that tried mems souls, And do not be- ie v
that this government would be worthy of tn
yeneration which was taught as chiId 10 ben
towards it, if it could not stand all the trials Al,
assaults to be apprehended from party strife an
contentious, What must be the pormaneney e
that government which Cannot resist the @ec'
sonal ebution Unpopular passioni Weak inde'
would il be, and utterly subversiye OF the ia ndi
mental principle of Wing doctrine, If that gov
eminent was to depend upon that higher law {
the Democracy which looks ON V 10 the ten =.
rary and auctuating will Of men, 10 be brotg
forth upon some particular crisis. | do not b
lieve in that | believe in the eternity of hi
glorious union of States, Applnnse,l
| believe that this is the strongest governn en-
this day upon the face Of the globe; stror Sc
that any despotism in Europe. In the most d am
ocratic country upon the face a the old world
they have elected an Empero,. The power tia
elected him as such can elect another in his stead
There is no more firmly established principles q
law. the foundation, glorious foundation, of a
Wing principles, than that man read hi
rights and duties written in a book. They dc
pend not upon the h1ctuating and temporar
passions of men; they are not like the democrac
of Athens that one day condemns its nohlest pa
trot to the poisonous hemlock and the next fall
down in sorrow before his tomb and erect- ma
BILE monument TO his memory. That is not III
government our fathers fought for.
We are assembled here, not to discuss the ger