Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1861-04-10

of this noble old Commonwealth, impressed :upons
her in her early youth time, md never bithetto e
faced. Grand noble, deliberatA, just calm, Wise
all these attributes she spreads out before us see
is now asked to break away from this sisterheod or
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,
laying the foundations of this Commonwealth, deep
aud 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 new crusade waged in vindica-
ton Of the right to look upon the shrine notof 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. ~ 49,. -. ..,s
Z No, Mr., President. No mol The duty Of Vir-
ginia lies in another direction. It is hers to be
faithful when all others shall prove fathless it is
her duty, when al others shall forget duty. to stand
by it to the last and only to give up its performance
when that performance shall become impossible. It
is hers Mr.. President not to fly from, but to stand
bv 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 50 much right as Virginia to lead the way
/ in this remodeling and rstouchlngs 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 no more-not to dictate but
heyo horf ,11c horo If inA,,
ence-sbe should ask no more. As the elder sister
of the Republic, with all her ancient glory, her hon.
or and her vices clustering around her. and which
cannot be stripped from her, she invites her
ciates into council Her past is safe; let not the
ror of the future dim the ustre 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
terest 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 as
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, benumbing weight upon the hearts of the
people of Virginia. your constituents and my con.
stituents and all the people Of this Commonwealth.
The great interests of this State are paralyzed-
Capital seeks to hide itself from the passing storm.
Labor goes unemployed. Property is deprecated.
Every thing is at stand-still 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
such plan of guarantees will be satisfactory to
Virginia Call this border slave State Conference at
Frankfort, or elsewhere to deliberate upon it. and
ascertain whether it is satisfactory to them and
adjourn over for that consultation. What more can
you do? What more ought you to doe I 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 trepidation from the minds and hearts of our
people, Say to them distinctly that the State is not
to be precptated 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 merrly to his
fields again, and bid him look forward with hope to
j0cund harvest renew the music Of the hammer
and the plane in your workshops, and start afresh
the merchant and the man Of commerce. would
unloose business and enterprise now locked up; lock-
ed up because of some unknown but anticipated
danger. Shall we 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 60 forth, and my
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 Union-and that you arc
taking your own time and your own 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 soon
the bow of promise and peace will span the whole
heavens again.
CHATHAM RAnRoAD.-Ata meeting Of the Com
missioners appointed in the Chatham Railroad Com
pany held in Raleigh on the 3rd of April, 1861, it
| was -.-
| Rssolred, That George W. Mordecai, DR.. Thomas
D. Hogg, Daniel G. Fowle, Kemp P. Battle Sas
Burns, A. F. Page. Jas. E. Allen, Williamson Page,
| A. j. Morris, A. Leslie Thomas j. Utley, Geo. w.
Norwood, W. H. Harrison, DR.. VIM. j. Hawkins,
R. S. Tucker, S. H. Rogers, D. NJ Yeates, R. M.
Brown, Minton johnson, r. Patton, NJ Clegg, W. J.
Sloan j. N. Clegg j. W. Parish, j. H. Farrar, J.
W. Scott, J. A. Womach, H. H. Burke, Brooks Har-
| ris, r. G.. Frazier, j. H. Lassiter, Nathan Clark,
Dr. r. j. Fooshee, Thomas Womble, E. P. Earring
ton, M. D. Williams, be appointed Committee to
open books and solicit subscriptions for the purpose
of surveying the nearest and most practicable routes
from Raleigh or some point west Of Raleigh not ex-
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.
Resoloed, That when the sum of $4,000 shall be