Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1866-05-17
THE VIRGINIA UNION CoNvE,r,oN
speech Of Her. Horace Maynard. Of Tenn
Hon. John M. Belts elected President,

The Union State Con vention of Virginia me,
in the room OF the U. 5. Court At Alexandra
this morning, when there was large attend.
ance Of delegates, among them Messrs. John
+. Lewis and X. A. Gray, Of Rockingham
John Pollock, s. Trenary, w. Andrews, G. M
Gibbons, A. M. Crane, (of the Winchester
Ee,os,l w. H. Beck, w. X. smith, VIM. Brown,
Jonathan jenkins, Jos. Bean, OF Frederick,
John Beamer, OF Clarke, 7. w. Robinson, OF
Frederick, John NJ. Bolts. j. II. Clements OF
Portsmouth, formerly of this city, and q. h.
Gilmor, OF the Harrisonburg Cnioa Hon Hor-
ace Maynard, OF Tenn, was also present.
The Con vention was called to order by MT
G. r. Tucker, OF Alexandria, upon whose mo.
ton Mr.. Burnham Wardwell, of Richmond
was called TO the char.
Mr.. Wardwell, on taking the chair, simply
expressed his qualification, after returning his
/ thanks, that he had met a congregation whose
UnionIsm Is not odious.
MIR. w. J. Cowing was appointed secretary
temporarily. Mr.. George T. Brown, reading
secretary, and Mr.. Gilmer, OF the Harrison
burg Cn'on, and Mr. Crane, of the Winchester
NeIUS, assistants.
Motions Were made for the appointment of
committees on permanent organizations Gre
dentials, and rules, which were adopted and
Messrs. Lewis Mckenzie, of Alexandria, Job
Hawxhurst, OF Fairfax, Geo p Williams. of
Spottsy lyania, &. NJ. Gibbons, of Winchester
and j. ii. Clements Were appointed the com
mlttee on credentials T. Dudley. of Rich
Roberts, OF Fairfax, VIA. Arnold, of Alexan.
| dria, CT =. King, of Spottsylvania, and John
r Lewis, OF Rockingham on permanent or
ganIZaton. Jacob Troth, of Fairfax, G. X
Giimer. of Rockingham, W. II. Smith. OF Win
chester. w. Willoughby, Of Alexandria and
X. A. Gray, of Rockingham, on rules
While the committee Were absent. Hon
Horace Maynard was called for, aud addressed
the convention, thanking them. tho had rep
resented the Union men of Virginia. Tor the
compliment they had paid the Union men of
Tennessee in calling upon him, aud for the
manner in which his name had been received
He had come in for the purpose of knowing
what they Were going TO do. He always be-
leVed that the Union men in the south were
more numerous than they were supposed to
be. and more than they thought themselves
The Union element he believed was still the
same as when the war came on, and he was
extremely anxious TO see the scattered frag-
ments gathered together and thus once more
strengthen the Union cause Ii was a great
mistake TO think that treason and rebellion
had triumphed or will ever succeed Treason
VIII be made odious, and men who looked To
the triumph Of the rebellion will go down to
their graves with the incubus hanging IN
them, Treason can never be made respectable.
He alluded 10 the services of Henry Lee in
the revolution, in which he fought for princi.
pie sail men are created free and equal. /" ana
spoke OF his SON, Gen. Lee, who fought TO de .
stroy that Government the father SOU ht TO es
tablIsh. The people might do as they pleased
but his name will go down TO posterity with
the milestone as II were hanging to it, He did
MOI come, however, to give advice Tor they had
Mr.. Mckenzie here came IN and stated that
the committee had credentials from AIexan.
dria, Frederick, Portsmouth. AlbenarIe,
Clarke, Spottsylvania, Rockingham, Fairfax,
and Richmond city, and desired to know If
any other counties were represented
Hon. John III. Bolts said he did not know
whether he was member or not, and il he
was one, he was self. constituted, for he came
from Culpeper, where there We're Union men,
but they had held no meetings He did not
know ii 10 be q fact, but he belize we'd that he
was the only man In the county who was not
ashamed OF being seen at a Union meeting He
mad come in, however. TO make their number
one more. and would leave IL to the Conyep.
ton TO say whether he should be considered a
member or not
The Chair (Mr. wardwel) stated that it was
necessary for some one 10 vouch for Mr. Bolts
and as he knew that he had faithfully served
in McDaniel's negro Jail, he would indorse
him, especially as he had understood that he
had performed his duties faithfully
Mr.. Mckenzie said there was no trouble in
regard to MI Bolts, but it was other persons
he was inquirng after.
A delegate from Frederick county stated that
the Union voters there numbered about $50.
and that recently about $50 Northern men had
settled in the county.
Mr.. Clements, Of Portsmouth, spoke of the
late election in that city, when the disloyal
persons forced the Judges of election TO close
the polls, and stated that the Union men could
poll about $50 votes against $40 votes by the
rebels. -
The committee on permanent organization
reported the following for officers: Hon. John
Minor Bolts, president; Lewis Mckenzie
Burnham Wardwell and w. A. Gray. vice
presidents; and w. J. Cowing, A. NJ. Crane,
and q h Gilmer, secretaries. The report was
adopted.
The Frederick delegates brought with them
small nag, on which was inscribed 1850
Union voters Of Frederick send greeting TO
their brethren in convention assembled"