Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1858-1860, 1858-04-13
From the Richmond Enquirer.
Mount Vernon 10 be Purchased by
the Ladies.

| In publishing the following corr spondencc
between "A Southern Matron" and Mr.. Wash
ington we are happy TO announce that the
! transfer of Mount V lrhon to the Ladies Mount
! Vernon Association is now a fixed fact.
| The evidence of this will be laid before the
| public a. soon as certain necessary gal pre-
| liminarics can be arranged:
RICHMOND, March 18th, 1858.
Mr. joins A. wAsmvGroS--
| Dear SIR: The bill providing that Virginia
! should purchase Mount Vernon, on the faith
| that the purchase money was to be refunded
| by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association OF
| the Union, was called up in the House OF
| Delegates, to-day, and defeated by vote of
| 20 To 81
For more than four years. through three
successive Legislatures, has the Mother State
/ been importuned to secure to herself the pos
| session, for all time, OF the grave of that i'm
mortal sou. whose fame has been the glory of
| her past history and is the source of her pres
/ ent power and influence in a Confederation of
/ States.
To our earnest petition to grant Virginia
once again, aa opportunity TO become the Gus
| todiau Of has grave, you reluctantly yielded
aud only with the assurance that this, the
third, should also be the last opportunity Of
| tered her, ever to secure this precious charge.
| We Joytully accepted this condition, with
| no tear To the result. for we knew that
/ patriots of almost every section were anxious
| TO be permtttd share in this custodiauship;
and would pledge themS Ives TO pay the pur-
/ chasa money, aud bear the expense OF future
care and preservation, ouly 10 obtain that
| simple boon.
We GriyVc TO announce 30 you that we
erred ia Jad sment. aud that a majority of the
| General Assembly of the old Commonwealth.
has placcd on eord-neyer TO be eiiaced
| nom the page OF Nirginia's history--that she
did not desire TO possess Mount Vernon, either
as gilt or purchase.
By the law Of our conftderated government
| Congress cannot purchase land Ia a sovereign
| State, without the consent of, aud cessiou OF
| the title by, !he state in whose domaia the
property lies Virginia, through her Congres-
| Sioid representatives, has declared emphat-
! ically, thai che Nil never cede TO Congress
the title 10 Mount Vernon.
In your desire 10 procure for il a sacred
destlny-to place IL bsyoad the contingencies
OF time aud change, iussparlble from private
possessions, you have announced that YOU
would only sell TO the United States, OF Il
Virginia. Fer seven years you have received
advances which induced you % believe that
the Federal Government or the State intended
10 purchase. For seven years YOU have await
ell their hnal decision, aud the result is now
before you. Have YOU not done all that con
sistency, Selfrcspect, and ancestral pride re-
qaire, ia furnishing lhese repeated oppartani-
ties 10 the State and nation TO bec ONE pos
SCISSORS aad guardians Of the home and grave
OF your Industrious aneestofg Because one
cannot purchase and the otter will not will
you continue Ia refuse the overture Of paFtieF
who pledge themselves TO accomplish the
end in view-both for the place and the ma
tom
May we not bore that the events Of the past
year alone have besn sufficient to eonsince
you, thai tbs peopls cherish tbs memory o. tbs