Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1865-1869, 1865-05-11
M SegatG LOYALTY.

Hon. Joseph Segar, of Virginia, delivered
a speech in the House of Representatives on
the 18th of May, 1854, in defence of his
claim to a seat in the Thirty eighth Congress.
He closed with a vindication of himself from
the imputstion OF disloyalty to the Union.
We quote the following eloquent extract
"But this will say, no man of honor and
truth and no one himself truly and disinter-
estedly loyal, ever impeached my loyalty.
And must say, Mr.. Speaker, that if l am
disloyal, have a very strange way OF show
ing il. / do not deny that made an effort
TO 70 with my State. Following the instincts
that bind us all TO the laud under whose sod
the bones of our ancestors rest, and where
loved kindred live, did ehdesvor TO find
arguments to reconcile me TO secession. 1t
was the struggle of not uneventtul life.
Sir, saw the bark of my State as she was
about TO set out on her perilous voyage.
There she was, "all in the Downs" 1
watched her as she lett her moOrings and
neared the pier to take in her freight Of hui
man life, and gazed on the eager throng as
It pressed down to the pier.
"Among the first to tread her decks was
nav own and only SOn-a noble boy, around
whom had gathered the honors of the Uni
yersity OF his State, but who, alas yielded
TO that fatal iutStuation that a citizen must
90 with his State, right or wrong. Another
look, and two unUearded youths, fresh from
the college hall, my orphaned nephews,
loved and cared for as my own children, fol-
lowed that son. l looked again, and there
stepped aboard as magnificent 4 specimen
of mortality as ever eye rested on. And
beside him stood one Of queenly mien, his
beautiful wife, my own dear child. And
clinging 10 the mother was her cherub boy.
There they all were; the son and the ne
ohews were there, EneaS was there, and
Creusa, and the boy Ascanius. But old
father AnchiSes was not there. He stood
upon the shore cycling the Tapping canvas,
, struggle going on in his bosom which loos-
ened the very heartstrings, u struggle which
pray God may never wiring my soul again
AN agonizing struggle between instinct on
the one hand and conscience ON the other
a struggle whether | should follow the most
loved on earth or stand by my county
But, blessed be God conscience triumphed
over instinct. / loved the stars aud stripes
better than my own flesh and blood
81 disloyal, Mr.. Speaker! l who have
loved this Union from my boyhUod, who have
worshipped at its affairs with as pure and
deep devotion as ever bowed down vOtary
there who las have said on other Occa-
sions) have all my life regarded the Consti-
tuition Of the United States as ''the best sys-
tenn of civil liberty that ever emauated from
human hearts and human heads, and as the
accumulated political wisdom Of the world
from the time of Magma Chsrts to 1889 ~
Disloyal TO that Union which Il have often
said) is connected in my mind with thou
SAND, and twice thousand, glorious sSsocia-
tions with the wisdom that conceived and
the blood that cemented il; with our pros
perity and strength at home ana our power
and glory abroad with that gallant hag that
hiugs out the stars anu stripes OF our great
country on every ocean, lake, and gulf, and
sea with that renown which exhibits her
on thousand battle-ields
with all the bright glolies OF the past and
brighter hopes OF the tuture-disloyal to
Union like this No, sir, no
IT'S Islander
Whose edge is sharper than the sword whose
tongue
Outyenoms all the worms Of Nile; whose breath
Rides on the posting winds and doth belle
All corners of the world kings queens, and
States,
Maids, matrons, nay, the secrets Of the grave"