Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1861-02-12
u = = = = I'm u y
Patriotic Sentiments.


ton, signed "a Citizen OF Lynqhburg," " published
in the 4Lynchburg Virginian0 :.ss aoa Us sao
"While Patriots and Statesmen, and men that.
carry heads upon their shoulders, and bralns 10
their heads, think and reflect and look forward,
and behold the funeral pail that is immaturely
and precipitarely and recklessy being prepared
for the interment of the greatest Empire that
man ever saw the Union about to- be wrecked,
our Government and liberties hanging over an
archy and despotism; separated only Q few,
short months or weeks, perhaps from the ,re-t
enactlnent OF those awful scenes that in former
dag delnged France with the blood of her peo-'
pie; our traditions, our historic record, our ma
tioDal prowess and grandeur, our fame and in-
faence through the world, our unequalled com
merce: prosperity and happiness; all, all, shar-
ing a common lot in the mournfnl death of 8
great Empire, the wonder and admiration of the
world--in this great and malignant epidemic,
threatening the wreck and the ruin of the Union,
and the wreck and ruin of her influence ani glo-
ries, her traditions and historic record, her honor
and rights and her interests her institutions and
her general safety, her commerce and industry,
her prosperity and happiness and welfare--in
such "a crisis, how is the Patriot and Statesman,
and the reasoning man, with moderation and
hard sense to guide him in his counsels, met
the man who loves this glorious Union, is loyal
to Virginia as he is to his own soul, to Virginia
honor and Virginia rights, and for Virginia,
right or wrong first, last and perpetually, before
all other faith or allegance-how is the reason
ing man and true Patriot and Statesman OF this
stamp, met-hOw is he nett AeA- ~
"Because he stands up for this glorious Union,
from our fathers and cemented by their
blood and tries to save it, and to save Virginia,
her rights, her honor, her institutions and her
all in a common destiny with the Union, if it be
possible to achieve this great end, without any
surrender of those great principles which men
and Oommonweaths should equally hold dear
because he is governed by these reasons, the pa
triotic thinking man of the land is met with
abuse and denunciation and ealumny, and brand
ed as traitor, and ''submissionist!" traitor
because he tries to preserve and maintain the
Government he lives under; ''submissionist" be-
cause he is unwilling to yield bis aid to North
ern fanatics or Southern fire eaters and precip-
itaton4 to break up this glorious Union; 'ssub-
missionist" because equally opposed to- pinniDg
himself and his fortunes, and Virginia honor and
rights and Institutions to the Wendell Phillips
and Garrisons and Beechers of the North, or the
Yanceys, Rhetts and Keitts, of Ahe South--the
Northern agitator and Southern agitator. the
abolition fanatic and the Southern ire-eater
0s~sssS
aim, the disruption and ruin OF the Union -
Happy will it be for the especial friends of this
holy alliance of the South Carolina fre-eaters
and Northern abolitionists, if they do not find
themselves, at no distant day, the liege subjects
and submissionists at the foot of some petty and
ignoble tyrant, already paving his way to des-
p0tism and oppression, elsewhere also as in the
future blessed Kingdom OF South Carolina
Happy for US if we escape the same common lot,
historic offspring Of civil war and anarchy!
1--WE are Virginian-"to the manor born
and Virginia has no mere loyal son than our
humble self But we have country to love, as
we'll as q great Commonwealth to claim our
primary loyalty. And we mean, though we be
left solitary and alone, to hold on to this great
and glorious Union, as long as there is plank
to stand upon. or the last splinter of the last
plank. But the other day this Union stood upon
its towering proportions the wonder and admi
ration of the world. But the other day we
looked upon this Union as the palladium of our
liberties and the liberties of the world and the
impregnable bulwark behind which we could
defy world in arms And we looked upon
him as having no American heart in him who
did not pay bonageto TO this mighty fabric of il
lustrlous Architect, and cherish it as precious
Inheritance and sacred legacy left to US by our
fathers, who achieved its independence, and
built it up with their hearts blood, into the
mighty empire that bears its proud name. The
Union is cur country. And we love it. And
We love, too, to cherish the sacred memory of our
fathers, the Patriots and Heroes who consecrated
it with their blood.
SIT is this Union, with the sacred and .conse-
Grated sanctions that hover around it, that South
Carolnians, of that Palmetto Kingdom that is
to be, proclaim boldly that they have been trying
to break up for thirty years And it is this no
ble conmonwealth Of Virginia that demagogues
aud small politicians are trying to-day--and
dashing along with impetuous haste, blind-folded
to precipitate into the train of mad-cap revo-
lutionists, and make her the inglorious tail of q
South Corolina kitei For our humble self,
sooner than become -as unprincipled and rest
less ambition here and elsewhere is essaying to
make us-the tail of this arrogant belligerant,,
bullying, clustering, mad cap, fire. eating, South
Carolina kite, we would 'scut STICK vamose the
Rancho" aud fly to the KSngdom Of Odnni5az
Islands; where other grim warriors live upon !
"Woman pudding and baby sauce, -
And little boy pie for the last course. 80
Ws are no South Carolinian5; and we are un-
prepared to become the tail OF a South Carolina
kite. We are Union iDan, and Virginian all
over. And we are for the honor and glory of
Virginia; her rights and interests her prosperity
and happiness, welfare and safety, IN the Union,
as the sheet anchor of all-prepared to go out OF
the Union whenever we cansno longer maintain
it, and preserve Virginia rights and honor in il"
The following startling and highly infamma-
tory dispatches appear in newspaper tout
West," to which they were specially telegraph
ed:
LATE, LATER, LATEST AND HIGHLY IMPORTANT