The Kingwood chronicle. [volume] (Kingwood, Va. [W. Va.]) 1861-1861, 1861-03-23

Extracts from the Speech Of Mr. Will
ley, in the State Convention.
MARCH 4th. 1861.


Let Us look Mr President, at the evils
that must result from secession.
The first III my opinions would be that our
country would not only nc divided into a
Northern Coniederacy and into Southern
Conttderaey, but. soon OF later it would be
divided into sundly petty ConfederaceS. We
would have Central Confederacy, a Ccnfed
eracy Of the States of the Mississippi Valley,
a Pacific Confeaeracy Western Confeder=
acy, an Eastern Confedcracy, Northern and
Southern Confederacy And what the re-
suit Of all this would be, leave to the de
cision Of history recorded on many almourn-
ful page Of human story. 1t may be read il
the dissolution Of Greece tits chroniclcd in
the disintegration and downfall Of the Ro-
man Empire. 1t is written in characters Of
blood, hardly yet dry. drawn from the veins
of the compatriots of Garaba|di struggling
to regain the blessings and power Of the an
cient Italian unity.
We would have between these several Com
fedcraces perpetual warfare. ordinations
and reclininations. irroads strife and diseord
until the energies and the wealth Of this great
people would be utterly destroyed and ex
hausted We have now iii the Central Amer
lean States, and the Ncxic;ln States, 4 fit
representation Of what We would become un=
der the condition Of things which | have de-
pictcd2 And what is the condition Of these
States2 They are subdiyidcd into 50 many
Republics as that | venture to say there is
not member on the floor Of this Convention
who can tell their names Such would be the
ultimate result Of the secession policy, which
We are now called upon to adopt, and the
evil that would result from this disunion.-
And beg the attention Of my friend Mr..
Morton. (the reporter prcsumes III hope |
may be PERMITTED to call him SOTO what
am going to say upon another subject. | say,
sir that Il dissolution of the Mon will be
the commencement Of the abolition Of slavery,
first in Virginia. then in the border States.
and ultimately throughout tie Union Will
it not sir. make 4 hostilS border fpr Virginia.
and enable slaves to escape more rapidly be
cause more securly? Will il not. virtually,
bring Canada to our doors The slave will
soon be appriscd Of this. His motive to escape
will he increased He will know that when
he reaches the line he will be safe and
escape be will The owners Of slaves. aware
of this fact will either themselves remove
farther South or they will sell their slaves
to be sent farther South Thus the area of
soil divested Of slave labor along the border,
would be constantly widening and rapidly
widening. until ere long it would begin to
encroach upon the States Immediately South
Of Virginia, and Danish slavery still further
from the border, until finally it would sweep
it from the country. That is the idea of
Charles Sumner. Of Lloyd Garrison. and Of
Wendell Phillips That is what They say
they want to surround the slave States, III the
language Of Sumner with belt Of fire.
How is that to be done? We maintain that
We have right to carry our slaves into the
territories Let the Union be dissolved. and
let the South yield these territories and what
then? They would inevitably become free
States. They would be foreclosed against
slavery, and the slave States would be liter
ally hemmed in by Gordon Of hostile ele-
ments. the influence of which they would try
in vain to resist.
Again! Whether rightfuly o. wrongful
~, it must be acknowledged that the moral
sense Of the world is against the institution
Of slavery. The Northern States would Of
course disclaim against it; all Northern in
fuence will be directed towards its overthrow,
and the influence Of the world in its CONNER
cial policy. in its treaty stipulations, in its
sac !. influence, aud in all the power and
patronage Of its civilization, would be direct
", or indirectly, modified and applied, 50 as
to bear upon the institution Of slavery
Especially would this be the case. when the
South, severed from the Union. would be-
come comparatively weak and secondary
power among the nations,