Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-05-02
Y 2, 1867. New Serie.--vol.7 Y. No. ID.
SENATOR WILSON IL VIRGINIA.
re Opens the Campaign at ofSsss court
House.

re Opens Tn. Campaign at oiyss. court
House.
HIS ADDRESS.
FeIloW- Citizens Of Viryinia: In com
pliance with pressing request from some
OF your citizens, / am here to speak upon
public affairs Of the day; permit me,
therefore, in the beginning, to say that
intend 20 speak, as I am sure you must
wish, frankly and fearlessly. ] have no
disguises, but for thirty-one years have
been an unqualified friend Of freedom,
and an undaunted enemy of human
slavery. have never given a vote with
out first considering how it would effect
the question of slavery in America. /
learned these principles from the foun-
dcrs of our Government and the trainers
OF the Constitution, men whom Virginiais
proud to own, and among whom none
was greater than James Madison, whose
home was in the County of Orange. He
was opposed to the extension of slavery
upon this continent, and believed it to be
one of the greatest curses of our sin
stricken earth. He declared that imbe-
cility is always dependent upon q land
filed with slaves, and these words falling
upon my ears in early manhood, have
always been a firm believer in their truth,
meeting every effort to extend the power
and influence of the STAKEHOLDER with All
emphatic MOI Those who established
the liberties of America, who waded
through fire and blood for the principles
of the Revolution of 177o, all believed
that theinstitution of slavery should, and
soon would pass away from earth. But
ere they had tasted death, that institu-
ton, though feeble at first, the whole
number of slaves being valued only at
fifty million InIlarl hatyuI, m, arr In,
itself to huge proportions. Its friends
soon took possession of, and formore than
fifty years, held the reins of government.
The spirit of Liberty opposed their views,
and in the ranks of her followers were
thousands of good men, who read their
Bible, and on bended knees asked the
Divine guidance, firmly believing that
Christ died for all.
The struggle went from 1880 until No
vember, 1860, when the American people,
unawed, and filled with earnestness in
the cause of Truth, marched to the polls,
and by their ballots proclaimed Abraham
Lincoln President of the United States,
and decided forever that slavery should
never advance another inch upon this
broad continent. Cheers from the color
ed people. They decided that the Gov
ernment OF the United States should be
under the control of men who adhered to
the doctrines promulgated by Washing
ton, JeilersOn Henry and Madison, of
your own Virginia. No one proposed to
interfere with the rights of any of the
Southern people, or to disturb any who
loved the Constitution and Union; but
i'll the pride of power, u class of men who
adhered to the principles of human servi-
tudc plunged the country into a revolu-
ton, which for Wickedness has never
been euualed in the history of nations
South Carolina took the lead, and after
Fort Sumter had fallen, Old Virginia,
too, yielded to evil cOunsels and took her
place in the line, thereby losing thou
sands of her sons and making her soil
for four years a bloody battlefield. Let
me say here, fellow-citizens, that / be-
lieve war was inevitable. Two great
ideas were abroadin the land. One was
the great principle Ofrepublican freedom,
backed and sustained by all the great
advocates of progress, the almighty hand
of God behind it, and with the philoso-
phy of ages as its support; while the
other was the gigantic system of human
bondage, with its millions of wealth, its
fettered slaves, and proud aristocracy.--
Freedom did not give way; she never has
and never will quail; and Slavery, too
proud to yield to the demands of Liberty,
raised the standard of revolt l believed
then, and do now, that this war was
inevitable; it was one of Gods great
wars, and it ended with Justice victori-
Gus, as | supposed it would. What is the
result? The Government was sustained,
the nation still lives, the dear Old flag
still waves, and slavery, thank God has
sunk-gone down too deep for resurrec-
ton. wild cheers from negroes. Mil
lions of bondsmen have been freed, and
elevated to the high position of citizens
of the United States, and every man,
woman and child here present, no mat
ter how dark his skin, is rs free as l am
us anybody on the globe can be. They
have their rights, and those rights must
be secured. The proudest blood that
courses through the veins of a Virginian
| is not more free, is not more noble than
of the humblest freedman who dwells in
this old Commonwealth. For the accom-
plishment of this we of the North fought
six hundred battles, brought science and
art to the aid of invincible bravery, ex-
pended three thousand millions of dollars,
! lost two and "a half millions men, created
mighty navy, and were stronger in
April, 1865, than when the war COM
menced. The rebels went into it, eX-
hausted all their resources, put forth all
their men, upon the field of battle, and
fought with heroic valor. The war
ended. Yes, thank God, it has closed !;
and may He grant that another may
never curse our country.
Now, let me tell you one thing that l
know to be true: Although we had made
great efforts, although we had made many
sacrifices; although we poured forth the
blood of our children like water, and
money like the rains of autumn; al
though we had buried 325, 900 young men
in the pride and bloom of lusty life,
whose graves are scattered beneath q
starry northern sky, and ridge the fields
of the desolated South, while thousands
of manned veterans remind us of our
wrongs-still, when the victory was ours,
not feeling of revenge animated the
Northern heart. There was no DISPOSE
ton to rejoice over your many sorrows,
but feeling of qualification at the tri-
umph of truth, and the settlement upon
! the basis of liberty and justice. We de-
sired that all should have equal rights
before the law; but while we wished to
raise the lOwly, there was no intention
of forging the chains of slavery for those
already free. These were thesentinents
| of my section. et
Every man who came to Washington
after the surrender of Lee was ready to
do anything that the good of the nation
required. And the proposition now
| IL haA tho,1 l,aar c,,hpniftaI