The Oxford intelligencer. (Oxford, Miss.) 1860-18??, 1860-11-28

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hopelessness Of contest v it'll Great Britain,
the Intimate and endearing character Of the
ties that had hitherto connected the colonies
with the mother country.and the advantages
of various kinds which had accrued TO both
the parties from the connection"
1T is apparent from the arguments which
they employed that these eminent statesmen
and patriots still chung with confidence to the
hope of preserving tue Union. Henry repliedto
their arguments, and sustained his resolutions in
a speech which is given by Mr.. Writ in report
furnished by Judge Tucker who heard il. de-
liyered."
We beg our readers, before they proceed
to the perusal of the extracts which we are
about to furnish from the speech to which
reference has just been made, carefully to
read over, second time, the foregoing state
ment of the grounds upon which the resou-
tions of Henry were opposed in the Virginia
Convention, and to institute, in their own
minds, comparison between the reasons
which were assigned, in 1875, for preserving
the union of the colonies with Great Britain,
and the reasons assigned, in 1850, for pre-
serving the union between the South and the
North. 1t is scarcely necessary, we think, to
call attention to the striking similarity be-
tween them. The reasons of 1860 are, in
fact, nothing batthe reasons of 1775, dug up
from the political grave to which the eio-
quenee of Henry consigned them, and now
brought forward, with scarcely decent
change of phraseology, to figure before the
people of the South as original arguments
They were thus answered. i'll 1875, by Patrick
Henry: ..E @ ,r a.sr5
"Mr. President it is natural to man to in
dulge in the illusions of Hope. We are apt to
shut our eyes against plinful truth, and listen
to the song of that siren, till she transforms us
into beats. Is this the part of wise men, en-
gagged in great and arluous struggle for liber-
typ Are We disposed to be Of the number of
those, who, having eyes, see not and having
ears hear not, the things which so nearly con-
Germ their temporal salvationi For my part,
whatever anguish of spirit it may cost, | am
willing to know the whole truth; to know
the worst and to provide for it." ~
II have but one lamp by which my feet arc
guided and that is the lamp of experience. |
know ofno way ofjudging of the future but by
the past. And judging by the past wish to
know what there has been, in the conduct Of the
British ministry for the last ten years. to justify
those hopes with which those gentlemen have
been pleased to soace themselves and the
House. $50 Let us not, besceeh you, Sir. de-
ceive ourselves logger. Sir, We have done every
thing that could be done to avert the storm
which is now coming on. **In vain may We indulge
the fond hope of love and reconciliation. There is
no longer any room for hope. five wish to be
free; If we mean to preserve inviolatc those in
cstimable privileges for which we have been so
long contcnding; if we mean not basely to
abandon the noble struggle in which We have
been SO long engaged, and which we have
pledged ourselves never to abandon, until the
glorious object of our contest shall be obtained,
we must fight! repeat it. Sir, We must fight !!
! An appeal To nrrns, ond to tho God of hosts, Is
all that is left to u.s.
"Thcy tell u.s. Sir, that we arc weak /; unable
| to cope with so formidable an adversary. But
when shall we be strongerP VIII it be the
next week, or the next year Will it be when
VIC are totally disarmed, and when a British
guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall
we gather strength by irresolution and inaction
Shall we acquire the means of cfFectual resist
ance by lying supinely on our backs, and hug
gng the dclusve phantom Of hope, until our
enemies shall have bound us hand and foot p
Sir. VIC are not weak, il we make proper use
Of those means which the God of Nature hath
placed in our power Three millions of people,
armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such
a country as that which we possess, are inyinc-
bic by any force which our enemy can send
against us. Besides, Sir, we shall not fight our
battles alone. There is a just God, who pre-
sides over the destinies of nations, and who will
raise up friends 10 fight our battles for us. The
battle, Sir, is not to the strong alone; it is
to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides
Sir we have no election. II we were base en-
ough to desire it it is now too late to retire from
the contest There is no retreat but in submis
sion and slavery. Our chains are forged
Their clanking may be heard on the plains Of
Boston. The war is inevitable; and let il come
| repeat it, Sir, let it come !" .....t.-...
at is in vain, Sir, to extenuatc the natter
Gentlemen may cry peace, peace" but there
Is no peace. Our brethren are already
in the field Why stand we here idle, Whai
is il that gentlemen wish' What would they
haves Is life so dear, or peace so sweet as to
be purchased at the price of chains and slavery
Forbid it, Almighty Godl | know not what
course others may take; but as for me, give mt
liberty, or give me death y .-r ,.s
This speech, We are told, determined tho
character of the proceedings Of the Virgins
Convention. The timld coansellors who had
opposed the resolutions of Henry were un
able to withstand the torrent ofhis eloqnence
and Virginia took, at once, position thai
speedily led to an open rupture with Eng
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