Gazette and sentinel., 1860-01-28
From the RiranOa1 Examiner.
"HILAT DOES VIRGLNLi MEAN
TO DO ~

~ ~
Some Of our Southern exchanges pro-
fess 10 be 1T = loss ~ understand the
true attitude of Virgins, at this time,
and arc asking for light
We commend to the consideration of
those who are seeking information upon
this subject. the speeches OF our con-
| gressional delegation, the resolutions of
more than one hundred primary meet
ings Of the people III 81, sections of the
State, and the bold, manly language of
the late message Of Gov. Letcher. They
will discover from the perusal of the
speeches Of our Senator'S and members
of the House Of Representatives, at
Washington, as well as from the resolu-
lions Of the primary meetings and the
message Of the present Executive of
Virginia, that there exists the most per-
feet unanimity of sentiment in the State
IS to the course which Virginia will
pursue i'll the event Of the election of
any endorser of the "irrepressible con-
fict' to the Presidency. When Gov,
Letcher declares that Virginia will not
allow any Sewardite in sentiment to get
the command Of the Army and Navy of
the United States, he Expresses the de-
termination of the people Of Virginia
without distinction of party.
The editors of our Southern exchan-
ges cannot have failed to observe the
tenor of the resolutions with which the
people of Virginia have filled the papers
of this city for months past They all
advocate resistance to the election of all
"irrcpressible conflict" candidate for the
Presidency, and solicit at the hands of
the Legislature, a speedy organizations
ri the militia, and liberal appropriations
for the purchase of improved firearms.
and are clamorous for commercial indie
pendence of the North, and the encour.
agement of direct trade and domestic
manufactures. To accomplish these.
desirable results, they have declared
their willingness to bear an increase of
taxation.
The fact that our Legislature has per-
mitted forty days, nearly one haf Of the
session, to elapse, without legislating
upon any of the subjects to which we
have alluded, furnishes no evidence that
they are either lukewarm or Indifferent
to the manifest wishes OF the people Of
the State. Legislative bodies are pro-
verbally slow, and the Legislature Of
Virginia constitutes no exception to this
general rule. A personal acquaintance
with a large number of the members Of
both branches of the Legislature au-
thOriZes us to state that there will DO
efficient Legislation upon those matters,
of Importance to which we have alluded
i'll a short time. We regret, most deep
ly, that the "Arms and Armory Bill" as
it is called, was not acted upon earlier
i'll the session; but We DO not dream of
any serious opposition to that measure,
since the people of Virginia and the Ex-
ecutive have alike urged immediate APP
preparations for furnishing the volun-
teer companies with arms. Opposition
to such a bill at this time would be pc
culiarly unfortunate, and we urge upon
the Legislature the speediest action up
on the bill in question which is consis-
tent with the forms of Legislation. 1t is
highly important that so far as practi-
cable, the volunteer companies Of the
State, should be armed and equipped be-
fore the spring musters begin. To pre-
serve the Union, protect the rights of
the South, and to defeat the advocates
of the ''irrepressible conflict" the L.
oislature must show the North we are