, 1859-04-22

rRou GOVERNOR CHASE OF QUO.
Columbus, March - 1870.
crxr,ruyx. Tn nnrt;cipate with you in the
celebration of the Birthday Of Jefferson would
he a rrcat qualification, and an truly sorry
thot cannnt avail my.e}f Of your invitation to
The disnositiop, perhaps more general now
than some wears since, to recur to the examples
md prcccnts Of the founders Of our institutions,
hctoEens rood to the Repub!ic.
In history and in biography, Us well az from
the rostrum Of the eloquent orator aud through
the outpourinrs Of tile heart in popular celsbra-
t;ons thc Grand character Of Washington has
recently been more than ever committed to the
love tEe reverence. and the patriotic imitation
Of his countrymcn God grant TINT the lessons
40 imprcssiycty taught By his pntencs, his forti-
tude. his wisdom, Ills sublime self-control, and
his disintcrestcd devotion to his country may
sink dcep into our hearts.
So, too, in the same mode and By the same
arcnc;cs unprompted except By grateful adni-
ra1;on and generous sympathy, the character,
teachings and services Of Jefferson, have of late
ypars heen rnade more and more familiar to tue
knowledge and affections Of the people and GER
tain]v. among all tho great statesmen Of the
Revolutionary era, no one has left behind him
instructions more valuable OF more valued for
after-coming generations.
1t was his fortune to be the leader Of party
in time Of sharp contentious, the bitterness Of
which, after more than half q century. is not
wholly gone. But, IN the spirit OF his own
culogy upon the services Of John Adams to the
cause Of Freedom, ut the critical juncture when
the question of independence was IN the scales,
even those who have felt constrained to censure
some parts Of his public conduct, are emuloua
in their approval Of the general wisdom OF MS
political teachings. And never can those teach
ings be more practically important rs guides to
action than now, when the dislntegraf'on OF old
political parties, md the gradual formation Of
new organizations, denote q social md civil
development which demands the wise appllcu-
ton Of old aud immutab!e principles TO new
and changing circumstances.
The question Of Slavery, for example, SO often
compromised, adjusted, and finally settled, and
yet ever coming back, uncompromised, unad'
jus1cd. unsettled, to perple1 parties anu poll
ticians with imperious demands Tor true solu-
tlon and final disposition where can that ques'
tion he studied to better purpose than under the
teachings of Jefferson? When, atter the close
Of the Revolutionary struggle, lie sa" the great
evil arrestlng the progress and paralyz1ng the
power Of bis beloved nntivc Comronwea!shsssle
proposed to incorporate. into her fundamental
law, through Constitutional Convention, tl!cn
expected to be held, simple declaration that
| nil persons born after the year $500 should be
! vast territory north-wcst of the Ohio became
the undisputed domain Of the Union througl
tue cessious Of the several States which claim
ed separate titles or interests in It. The granC
/ idea TINT with the new century should be inau
guratcd new era for Virginia, just sorrowfull.
relinqulshed, revived in the statesnan's mint
in relation to tue new territory. lie introduced
in which he incorporated provision that there
! should be neither Slavery nor involuntary ser
| vitndt within its limits after $500 This proyi
| sion, somewhat modified, bccanle part If tht