The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1863-10-20
!, TUESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER 90, 1863.
Nittmonh gilpaitt.

| Rittn1onn gi1aitt.
TUESDAY MORNING ....... .0clpnR 70, isss
The Resignation Of Mr.. R(besase.. of
| Richmond-His Aa1ecas.
We give below the speeck Of WIND.
ham Robertson, ESQ, one G. the Dele
gates from this city, made iae the House
on Saturday, resigning his soAt When
this popular madness abouk the maxi
mum shall have been cured, - it will be
by the operations of the Law proposed to
be enacted, the people viii look back
with grateful pride to the cauAe Of dele
gate who has shown the good sense and
tirmness not to be drawn into the whirl;
ing vortex:
Mr.. Wyndham Robertson, Of the city Of
| Richmond, said he rose, not without SON 1
natural emotion, to exercise, for the last time
| his privileges as member OF tlat4 body.
| Tue House Is, perhaps, aware that meet
ing was recently held in this city which
passed resolutions instructing the city-r
resentatives to support the bin to regulaie
prices, Or, IL they conid not sto sreslkn their
large one; but believing It to be very cestAir
that it was not majority Of the vclerg ot
the city, (Which alone can authentisolIy
speak the voice Of the city, nor probably
more than small proportion Of them, j
should have felt no difficulty in declining to
obey the instructions OF minority or theii
| alternative inviting me to resign The yiews
however. which l understand 10 he held b,
my co representatives., and the course they
design 10 pursue, will eonstlain me to ADOPT
| n different course, which could otherwise
have taken. understand nv two colleagues
to concur in believing that meioity OF
| our constituency is i'll favor Of the bill TO reg
ulate prices, and will vote for it, and our Sen
| ator 10 hold the instructions referred to bind
| ing, unless there be fome action taken b,
| the citizens to show the contrary. A wet
has now elapsed without any such action
| having been taken. 1t is apparent, then that
| II the vote were now taken, that / should be
placed seemingly, and perhaps, really, in the
ABSENCE oil any counter indication Of opinion,
in the position Of misrepresentng my con
stituents on measure Of vital Importance.
ty voting against bill which the three other
| representatives. OF the city would. by tn. i,
votes, declare TO be in their opinion viola
tion OF the will of the city to oppose Thi.
| is position prefer net to be placed in. I
recognize fully, Sir, uuder our system of Go
yernment the duty of the representative t.
obey the constituent will or resign. Obey
that will when it would require me to vote
Tor the Dill III question though it were the
will OF clear majority, or even OF the whole
constitutional body, would not l view il,
as PandOra's box, full to the brim of evils
and suffering to the whole co,Intry-but most
OF all of calamity and distress unspeakable
to this city. will not onlribute 10 lift its
fatal lid. My reasons it would not be proper
or becoming here and now to enter into /
conclude, therefore, to resign my seat.
part from you ut moment of great in
terest-when the two great antayonistic sys-
TENS of Force and of Moderation stand face
TO face, and are about rushing together in
tearful conflict. In my view, the spirit OF
Draco seems 10 inspire the onc-the milder
genius of Solan or 81 Barko-so preside over
the other The one seems founded on the
idea that minis tendency is so strong to re-
bel against the performance of his public
and private obligations, that force and cOcr-
ciOn must be perpetually appealed to, to ell
force them; the other, that his nature is es-
sentially good, and demanGs only just treat
nent to secure from him the general per
| as to individuals. Your impressmcnt bills,
your maximums, your bills for excessive and
| unusual punishment for violently forcing
trade, are of the former class, designed to
replace the milder system, which is that of
our present laws. l will not deny but our
changed circumstances may call Tor exccp-
tional notifications Of the system of peace
but that the strong. coercive system pro-
posed will Introduce increased disorder, viO-
lence, disappointment, and final failure, l
entertain no doubt. II would have been my
mission to endeayor to restrain, to qualify,
| to moderate, as far as could, this system OF
force-confdent. as l am, that the people
will never fail Government that founds its
laws on the presumption that they are. in
the main, just, honest, and patriotic. But
the hour, the increasing want and unaccus-
toned priyations, make men now inpatient
and too ready, perhaps, to grasp at anything
that may be held out to them as a remedy !;
and the tide Of passion, / fear, threatens to
prove too strong for the cOunsels of modera-
tion. of wisdom-perhaps, even Of justice.
Mr.. Speaker, now close my public life
Some ten years Of it have been devoted to
the duties Of this hall of Legislature of my
native State. have served here, sir, in our
halcyon days of peace and prosperity, when
scarce ripple disturbed the surface of that
pacific ocean over which the bark Of State
smoothly glided, or when at most the mock
tempests Of party alone lashedl Us into 4 fac
titions and transitory excitement. l was
here, too, during that delusive calm-"the
torrents smoothness ere it dashed below
which was followed by our being suddenly
precipitated into that gulf Of Whirling trials
and troubles with which we have been since
struggling l have been here through all the
real and terrible tornado, in the very heart
and centre Of which we are still whirling
and surging amid angry and raging billows.
Through all these various seasOns--of sun
shine or Of storm, Of peace 'Or OF war
l have ever found the Legislature OF Vir-
ginia equal to every occasion and every
| trial. 1t stood ever well up to the honor
and rights Of the State It prepared and
STRENGTHENED itself for the coming and In
| evtable conflict, which it yet wisely, though
yainly. strove to avert. When it came, it
threw itself into the contest with spirit, a
| manhood, and uncalculating devotion, which
left nothing for its friends to desire, nor any
thing wanting to its fame, and which carried
| terror and death to the ranks and cOnsterna-
| tioA and dismay to the hearts Of our enc
mics. Such has been the Legislature OF ir-
ginia. The role it is now playing consider
the highest, and graudest, and most trying 1t
has yet had to perform. On 1t, in my 0pin-
MON, more than any other civil power Of the
Confederate States, depend the issues of the
conflict. On its nerve, its wisdom, its con.
siancy, its forecast, hang mainly the success
Of our cause.-the achievement of our indie
pendence. l can only trust THAT now, as
heretofore, this representative assembly Ol
the Means, and power, aud will OF the people
of Virginia, will still prove equal to the
emergency, and bear her banner triumphant
", as 1t has ever done heretofore, over all
difficulties and through every trial.
Mr.. Speaker, my personal relations with
the members Of this body have ever been oi
the most gratifying character. | do not re
cali am enmity. / do not remember an es
| arrangement to mar the uniform agreeable
ness Of my intercourse with my fellow mem
bers on this floor Examining my own bo
som do not detect q single trace Of un