Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1864-04-04
10 THE People OF vIRGIVTTA.

.
We address you on topic of the deep.
est interest," and the most vitaIimporlance
aud we eutreat yOnr patient, and candid
attention. w stall certainly present &c
you facts aud arguments worthy OF youiiI
most serious cpnkIdsrl ion. Many of you
will, perhaps, dissent from the conclusions
to which We Gome; bat only few, it Luy
will deny thai a necessity exists, aud be.
comes daily moro and more imper!ous, Of
Examining the matters 10 which we design
to call your attention, aud Of preparing, al
least, for definite action in regard to them.
AT the period of the adoption Of. the
I Constitution, Virginia was the leading
State OF America. lul79O, her population
was 74T $50. not quite one. fifth Of the en-
tire population OF the United. States
Pennsylyania stood next, but separated BY
q wide interval with 434, 1873 inhabitants.
Still more remote in the rear, followed
I New York, With only $40, 1905 Ohio, of
(which almosts the entire te1ritoky had then
been recently ceded by Virginia TO The
Union, was not yet State. AT one or two
spots only, within its liEits, had the arm
of the settler leveled the forest and let in
the sun But In thecareer OF prosperous ad !.
vancement-in population, in wealth, in all
that constitutes the greatness and glory of
States New York, Pennsylvania aud Ohio,
have successlvely 0utstripped Virginia and
have taken position in. her front Why is
this! No State enjoyed more natural ad-
vaptHges, than ours. Our mountains are
stored with mineral weAllh--our valleys
produce in exuberant abundance every
growth OF temperate aud saIubrious
cline. Our springs invited TO their heal.
ing waters the searchers for health from
every quarter. Embraced on the East BY
the Ocean, and the Southwest by the Ohio,
the commerce of the old world and the
new, was within our easy reach. Why
then, We repeat, has Virginla fdiled to full.
al the destiny which these Huspioious cir.
cumstAnces marked out 'H9 nets? You
know the reason, fellow. citizens. You
know that the demon which has Knocked
the hopes Of our fathers, which has held
back ouT' State from a prosperous career,
which has degraded her from the first to
the iOuEth State of the Republic, is Negro
Slavery. We. earnestly ask Sou to look
tbs Paraly1ing cause TO- the face, and to
address yourselves like men, to serious and
uuiled effort for lis removal. We believe
that the time has coms,f0r such an effort.
We propose to give you our reasons for
this belief, and point ont the measures from
which We expeet deliVsrRnce. a.
We are the more powerfully impelled to
do this, because we have noticed of late
years the PRONUNCIATION and progress of
alarming doctrines on the subject OF 8 ave-
rs. A few have boldly proclaimed slavery
to be blessing. and its protection. nurture
and extension, to beamong the chief'duties
OF ouE national Government, They assert
that slavery is the foundation OF civil lib.
erty, and re corner stone OF our tepubli-
can Institutions. Au enormous anu most
destestable heresyI Others, admitting that
eli foe 49, u. S.F$
icable, and inBist, therefore, that it should
be let aloLe. The distinguished leader of
the Whig party, and his advocates general
y, are patrons of this opinion. ASpeech
before the Senate of the United StRIss,, By
Mr.. Clay, declared that, in his judgmeat,
the liberty OF the Anglo Saxon aud African
races in this couutry, "Were incompati6le;"
that Two hundred years OF Legislation had
"Sanctioped aud sapctitied" negro slavery;
and that, were hea citizen of planting
State, he ewOulds'Oppose any scheme what
ever, of emancipation, gradual or immedi-
ate." His Leading organ5in Virginia, tie
Richmond lphig, IN q latearticle, harmon.
izing with these opinions, denounced all
plans for removal OF slavery As vision
ary. Well may We be uneasy, apprehsn.
sive, aud full OF fearful tore6odines, when
We hear such doctrines put forth in such
high quarters. They are full, OF evil omen
for our beloved country. Aequicscence in
the continued and permanent existence of
slavery in our land, is a fatal symptom of
the decay OF the spirit Of Liberty among
us. s-sf.--.-s..,
snchwas not the temper Of Dur fathers.
Doctrines like these constituted no part OF
the political faith Of Jefferson, or Madisou,
or Henry, or WyIhe. Let us recall 70 your
recollection, felloR.citizens, the testlmo.
Ries Of our Statesmen on this subject. In
dis notes on Virginia.. Jefferson said: The
whole commerce between master and slave,
fS @ perpetual exercise of the most b0ister-
Gus Iphssions; the mos premlltipE dbS pot.
!. ismion the one side, and degrading sub.
mission 90 tte other. The parent storms,
i the child looks or catches the linesments
of wrath /, puts Ontb same airs in the cir.
Gle of smaller slayes, gives loose to the
worst of passions, and thus 9nrsed, educa-
I ted and daily exercised in tytanny, ea1uot
but be stamped Rith, odiops fpeculiarIties.
The uanjm 9stbs RVptodigy who can retain
his manners and morals undefAced,th such
4 circumstauees. Judge TUCKER, in d pub.
lished letter TO member OF the General
Assembly I 1907 speaks OF the '.banetul
elect OF domestic slavery on our moral
character, and of its inconsistency with
the 'fruest principles,o of Repnblicenism3-
4 Nj. johnson; in the Convention for.fstis.
lug the oonstitatlou in 1899, said, "Slaye.
~ has been the foundation of thai impiety
and dissipation which has been 60 much
disseminated among onr seoudtrymeu," -
4 Mr.: Moore, in the LegisIatureoE 1882 said
"Ithink that slavery as 1t exisIs among as
i may bs,regarded as the heagiest caIamitj
which has ever betallen any portion sof, ,thi
human race.p Hear, also 9, statesman d
4 Kentucky, Thomas P. Marshall, In his let,