Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1861-04-10

all these attributes she spreads out before usshe
is now asked to break away from this sisterhood oil
States to abandon all hope of ever reconstructing
our once glorious Union, and to carry away with
her the household gods Of the nation-to depart
with the remains of Washington in her soil, with
Jefferson, and Henry, and Mason, and Madison,
and that long line of ustrious sons who aided in
laying the foundations Of this Commonwealth, deep
and abiding in the principles of law and order. She
is asked to carry these away, to make them to the
larger portion of this nation foreign relics to be
visited and gazed on, perhaps, in after years, only
at the price of some crusade waged in vindica-
ton of the right to look upon the shrine, not of Him
who shed His blood for the common salvation, but
to visit the tomb of him who was the leader and
conductor of his people in their great struggle
which led them to joint inheritance of indepen-
dence and freedom.
No, Mr.. President Mo- mol The duty of Vir-
ginia lies in another direction. 1t is hers to be
faithful when all others shall prove fathess; it is
her duty, when all others shall forget duty to stand
by il the last and only to give up its performance
when that performance shall become impossible. 1t
is hers, Mr.. President not to fly from, but to stand
BY these monuments of her glory-the Constitution
and the Union-constructed by herself more than
by all others. If these monuments need repair, II
they need retouching even, IN their inscriptions,
who has so much right as Virginia to lead the way
in this remodeling and retouching? Let her call
around her these sister States. see that it is con-
templated in the report OF your committee to call
Conference at Frankfort Let Virginia call to this
Conference all the slave States remaining in the
Union Let her there consult devise, express her
own opinion, consult the opinions and wishes of
others-her daughters and her sisters-she will 60
there their equal, and more-not to dictate, but
to commune. She will have her full share of infu-
ence-She should ask no more. As the elder sister
of the Republic, with all her ancient glory, her hon.
and her services clustering around her, and which
cannot be stripped from her. she invites her aSSo-
cio info &c LET moi no
ror of the future dim the luStre Of her former great
ness The brave and powerful man is always gen.
erous man. The position of Virginia is power-her
voice when uttered is decisive. She will not exert
that power speak the word to carry her out of the
Union and involve the fate of her sisters. She will
consult those sisters on every point Of common in
tcreSt, and on every scheme of common deliverance
Let her 20 there. Let her say that this adjust
ment is satisfactory to her. Let her present it
her contribution to that consultation, subject to ap
proval in whole, or to modification.
The Frankfor: Conference will, upon full consul
tation agree upon the guarantees which will be sat
iSfactory to the slave States now remaining in the
Union, and will devise the plan OF bringing them to
the consideration of the other States. Let appeal
be made, not to the politicians, but to the people of
the nation. What shall be agreed on there will be
accepted by the whole nation.
And what further is the duty of this Convention?
There is at this moment, Mr.. President, most op-
pressve benumbng wei ht upon the hearts of the
people of Virginia, your constituents and my con-
sttuents, and all the people of this Commonwealth
The great interests of this State are parayzed.-
Capital seeks to hide itself from the passing Storm
Labor goes unemployed Property is deprecated.
Every thing is at a standstill. Why? Because of
the uncertainty and dread of what is to come. This
state of things ought not to continue. We ought
to act, and act promptly, for the removal Of the
public anxiety. We ought, in the first place, to
command peace on all sides Then let US agree upon
IF viii no IN
Virginia Cali this border slave State Conference at
Frankfort, elsewhere, to deliberate upon it, and
ascertain whether it is satisfactory to them, and
adjourn over for that consultation. What more
You do? What more ought you to do? | would
have you do little more than that. | would have
you to say by your action that all is not lost l
would have you, by your action, remove this fear
and trepdation from the minds and hearts of our
people Say to them distinctly that the State is not
be precpitated that she is doing her duty under
the Constitution which our fathers made; that she
is in the Union which they constructed, and expects
to remain there would have this Convention so
act as to send the huSbandman forth merry to his
fields again. and bid him look forward with hope to
a iocund harvest renew the music Of the hammer
and the plane in your workshops and start afreSh
the merchant and the man Of commerce. | would
unloOSc business and enterprise now locked up; lock-
ed up because of some unknown but anticipated
danger. Shall continue this state Of things p
No, Mr.. President! Remove it. Say to the people
in the city and in the country that Virginia knows
her duty and will perform it that she will perform
it in her own time and in her own way She is
neither to be forced by outside inside pressure to
do wrong. If she is ever to leave this Union she
will leave it with no stain upon her Justice, and with
no remOrse for duty unperformed. But she will not
leave it. Let that announcement 90 forth, and, my
word for it, that like the wand which struck the
rock in the Wilderness the waters of Joy will guSh
forth throughout this Commonwealth. Business
will revive agriculture commerce and manufactures
will revive Make it known that you intend to keep
the peace and restore the Unlon-and that you
taking your time and your mode to accom-
pliSh it. Do it, Mr. President and send thrill of
gladneSS throughout this State and over this broad
land to animate every heart. Let it be known that
however dark and lowering have been the clouds
upon u.s. that they are breaking away and that
| the bow of promise and peace will span the whole
heavens again.
CHATHAM RAmRoAD.-Ata meeting of the Com
miSSioners appointed in the Chatham Railroad Com
pany held in Raleigh the 3rd of April, 1861, it
was
Resolred, That George W. Mordeca Dr. Thomas
D. Hogg Daniel q. Fowle, Kemp P. Battle, Silas
Burns a. +. Page, Jas. E. Allen, Williamson Page
! A. j. Morris, A Leslie, Thomas j. Utley Geo. w.
Norwood, w. Ii. Harrison, DIR. VIM. j. Hawkins,
r. S. Tucker, S. ii. Rogers, ID. NJ. Yeates, r. NJ.
| Brown, Minton Johnson r. Patton N. Clegg W. j.
Sloan, j. n. Clegg, j. W. Parish, j. II. Farrar, j.
w. Scott, j. A. Womach, Ii. H. Burke, Brooks Har-
riS, R. e. Frazier, j. Ii. Lassiter, Nathan Clark,
! DIR. r. j. Fooshee, Thomas Womble, E. P. Earring
ton, NJ. D. Williams, be appointed Committee to
open books and solicit subscriptions for the purpose
of surveying the nearest and practicable routes
from Raleigh or some point west of Raleigh not ex-
cceding twelve miles, for building and constructing
Railroad with one or more tracks to the Coal
Fields in the county of Chatham, and payments
made for that purpose shall be IN part payment of
any stock hereafter taken in the Chatham Railroad
| Company.
ResoLUed, That when the sum of $4,000 shall be
subscribed by solvent individuals the Commission
ers of said Company shall proceed to elect engin-
eer to make the survey and plats of the different