Baltimore daily commercial. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1865-1867, 1866-02-12
INTERVIEW GE' TIE VIRGINIA DELE.
&ATIeN ws'FzE TEIE PRESIDENT.
The Address Of t7le Delegation ana Speech,
of tsae President.
I LFrom the Washington Star.

|
| of the President.
From the Washington Star.
The delegation deputed by the Virginia Logisla-
to convey to the President of the United States
the resolutions approving his reconstruction policy,
we're received by him at the White House this
| morning.
! The committee consists Of eight members. Messrs.
| Z. F. Keen, A. s. Gray. and Dale Carter from the
Senate, and Messrs John B. Baldwin, Jas. Marshall
| ?. f. GSat!an, A. G; Pendleton and W. I. Joyncs,
from the House OF delegates. They are mostly gen
| tIemen OF acknowledged ability, and it is claimed
fully represent the State. gcogra hicay and pulit
! cally, being from North, South East and West Vir-
ties. James Mars6ail, venerable looking gentle
man, is nephew of the Chief Justice Of that name.
| Marshall, GraLtan and Judge JoyneS are among the
| abest lawyers Of the State.
Mr.. Baldwin, Speaker Of the House Of Delegates.
as chairman Of the committee presented the reSou-
tons and delivered the following address on behalf
! of the cOmmitto
| Mr.. President:-Ne are a committee of Senators
and Delegates sent to present to you in person,
tain resolutions which have received the unanimous
! approval OF the General Assembly Of Virginia.
! We come as representatives sent bv one of the
States OfthiS Union TO confer with Constitutional
President in regard to matters affecting the common
government and therefore OF interest to all the States
| and all the people.
Wo come to you, Mr.. President for the reason that
you recognize our common interest in the Govern
ment under which we live, and because thus far we
! have been denied She Constitutional means Of com
muucatiUn by which other States and other people
MAKE known ,heir opinions, purposes and feelings in
| the councils OF The nation.
in declaring that the people Of Virginia ana their
representatives accept and abide by the results Of the
late contest and that they intend in COOL faith to
meet all the obligations thereby incurred, the Cen
! eral Assembly expresses sentiment and purpose
which haze been uniformly recognized by people
! individually ana 10 masses, and i'll regard to which
there is no hesitation or div isOh il, NJ. Virginia.
Chief among the results thus accepted Is the uni
yersa conviction that the Union of these States an
| established and enduring fact, and that the whole
future Of our reJr!e IS indissoUbly bound up, for
veal woe, with the success failUre of the Gov
| ernnent Of the United States. We recognize that
J Government Government. Its Constitution is
our Constitutions its duties which requires are our
| duties, ana the rights which it promises are our
| rights.
is the final overthrow of the institution of slavery
This has been completed by Constitutional Amend
ment, the binding force OF which is universally ad
Congress by which 1t was proposed the failure TO be
| so represented was of our own choice.
| The condition Of the freedmen among US, and the
| policy to be adopted with regard to them, will be
recognized by you calling for the exercise of the
| ings of the Christian philanthr0pist The General
| Assembly of Virginia is engaged earnestly in the
consideration OF theSe SUBJECTS, and IN antlclnatlOn
of the results Of their lab0Ts, only say that
whateEer policy may be adopted will be addressed in
good faith and with kind feeling to the Improvement
OF the physical intellectual and moral condition Of
| our freedmen.
You can understand and will readily believe that
The feelings Of our people towards these freedmen
those OF klndheai sYMphthy ana good VIII and that
to treat them with harshneSs injustice is opposed
! GuT sense ofrlght.
Virginia and other States in like condition, has its
strong foundation In broad and comprehensive views
OF constitutional hight and Of national policy, and
must look for its ultimate success upon the conserya
tive OF Justice Of the people Of all the States 1t
is due, however to you and to people TO assure
you that when General Assembly declare the uni
ycrsa approval Of that policy by the people Of Eir-
gnio they express what each one of this committee
here present knows 10 be living truth.
! 1t hapnens that Your position places you between
I nd y
bly, have but given voice to the real feelings OF our
people when they tender to you the warmest thanks
of Virginia for the firm stand you have taken against
the facility with which it is proposed to change the
Fundamental law. We would not however, claim as
are taking, that 1t affords to us protection IN time
! oftI0uble.
Il is as defender of the general Constitution that
you deserve and command the confidence and
support OF the people Of the United States, and il will
be hereafter remembered your highest claim to the
character of Republican statesman, that under
all the trying circumstances by which you are sur
rounded you have not only proclaimed the CGnstitu-
ton OF the United States be the supreme law of this
land, but have defended Ii alike from violation and
The President replied as follows:
TIE SPEECH OF THE PRESIDENT.
In reply to the resolutions which you have just
presented and the remarks you have made, go torci
thing like formal address, but will rather enter,
| it were, into conversations and a premise to
] what may say, you must permit me TO tender my
thanks first for this visit and, next for the grat
cation afforded me IN meeting with many nteli-
gent responsible. and respectable men from the State
YOU represent, bearing the sentiments expressed in
| you resolutions, and in the remarks accompanying
them. They far as they refer to the constitu
ton of the country the sentiments and the princi
! pies embraced in that instrument
The preservation Of the mon, as referred to. both
in the resolutions and II your remar ks, has been
from my entrance into public life of my cardinal
tenets; and at the very commencement of this re-
helliOn land do not make this remark for the pur
pose Of bringing up anythng that has transpired
| the solution Of the Union OF these States. be-
heved then, as 1 believe now, and az you most un-
mistakably express and indicate that the rights of
all better secured in the Uui0n than they could
possibly be out Of it, and convinced of this, from
the first opposed all the efforts made to DESTROY the
Urion, Notwithstanding the peril to which
| thus subjected myself The result Of the bitter or
Ideal through which we have passed during the last
four years. demonstrates most concluSvely that the
! position then assumed and maintained a cor
rect one 1t has proved most conelusiyey, also that
this Union ea4n0o be dissolved; that the experiment
to that end, after having been uy and fairly made
has failed, and having failed it Is highly gratifying
yourselves, who willing and anxious to accept,
and do accent the terms laid down in the Constitu-
ton, and are Willing u obey tna laws made in
/. We were at one point when we separated, which
| was painful in the extreme, but when passed
round through the period Of four years that has tried
the powers of the Government, and swing round to
this point at which We meet and agree, and now
willing TO unite in efforts for the preSery alton of the
| Government, which | regard as the best in the
| world / gratifed indeed. We standing
| uDon one common ground rallying around the Con-
'
ton of which cOnsclentlOuSly DelleYe cannot but
result in the promotion and advancement Of the in
terests OF our people. have doubt the intention
and the purpose OF you ali H to carry ont and to ap
| ply that very simple principle and resolution which
/ know that some are distrustful; but 1 am one of
those who have confidence in the judgment, the in
tegrity, tho Intelligence. and IN the virtue Of the
great Of the American people. And having this
confidence so far as am concerned en- willing to
trust them; and l thank God that we have not yet
reached that point in which have lost all conf
dence each other. It is only by having confidence
| in another that the Government can be pre-
| served, and we soon become happy and prosper
| Gus people.
In regard to the principles referred to in your ad-
dress, and IN the resolutions in reference to repre-
principle of representation is inherent and consti-
stutes one of the fundamental elements of this Gov
| ernment; but the representative should have the
| qualifications required by the Constitution of the
| United States and those qualifications fitting him
to take his seat IN either of the deberatiye bodies
representative is loyal devoted to the Union and tbe
Constitution Of the United States. If the people in
good talth, seieet such a representative, then he
l must be permitted to say, further, that in going
into this rebellion or inSurrecOn against the Gov
ernment of the United States, you have erred and
that III returning AID renewing allegiance and
resumngyour relations with the Federal Goyernmenf
all the resposible positions and places ought to he
conferred only upon. those who are truly loyal, I
would even add in this connection that if there
only 900 loyal men, sufficient number to take
charge of the pOlical machinery of State that 0O0
men are entitled to do so, if all the rest were other
wise.
I look upon ii as being fundamenta-in compli-
ance with the principles and doctrines laid down
here to-day in the resolutions and the address that
accompanied th0m-that loyal men only should be
permitted to occupy public positions Contiding
these positions strictly to such, feel that the day is
not far distant (and speak contidngly in reference
to the great mass Of the American people, when the
people win determine that this Union sbal be made
whole and the great principle of representation in
the councils of the nation shall be acknowledged.
Representation is a fundamental principle in our
fGovernment. Opposition to taxation without rep,
resentation was one of the principles that carried
| thrn1Inh he n111ti and