Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1867-09-03
Old Virginia.

In debate in the Maryland Convention to
amend the Constitution, to incorporate a prop
OsitiOn to change the mode of appointing tho
Directors of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal,
the following ngthriIling tribute to the time.hon-
ored Commonwealth was uttered by ]. Philip
Roman, of AlIegany county:
"But if these considerations have no ina
1uence on the Judgment of this Convention
if you, Mr.. President, turn deaf ear to those
who own SO ,226,000 of the capital stock of
this company II you turn a deaf ear to the
bOnd-hOlders who furnished the money 10
complete the canal, at time when the com
PaDy was bankrupt, the treasury of your State
exhausted, and its credit dishonored, will you
turn deafear to the State of Virginia, which
is interested in these bonds to the extent of
Sl,3OO,OOO, and appeals to you in behalf Of
her exhausted treasury, and in the name CT
her tax ridden peOpleI She, owes public
debt of $4,000, 900, and West Virginia
disgracefully refuses to pay any share of it.
She has been despoiled Of her richest territory,
and has lost more than one-h half of her entire
wealth by the late war the iron heel Of the
oPPressor is upon her people, yet thus ops
pressed, and impoverished, che resumed the
payment OF the interest on that debt rather
than allow her name to be dishonored.-
She resumes the payment of this interest
under circumstances which would influence
the people of any other State to elamor for
repudiationj but Virginia could not forget
she is the birth place and tomb of the Father
of his country, and that the author of the
Magma Charta Of our National Independence
sleeps beneath her green soda. She did all
in her power to prevent the late unhappy war,
but when her territory was threatened with
invasion:
"Ingtant from cOpss and heath arose
Bonnets and spears and bsnde5 bOws;
On right, on left, above, below,
Sprang out at once the ValiaEt Zoe:
And every tuft OF broom gave life,
10 plaided warriors armed for strife"
And for four years she guarded her borders
by an impenetrabIe wall Of living men but
the God of battles gave the terrible arbitra-
ment against her, and she now lies PROSTATE
and impoverished, and appeals to this Couyen-
tion to adopt this provision, which can do US
no harm, but will relieve her oppressed people,
whose past traditions, associations and institu-
tions we're in harmony with our own, and
whose future hopes and destinies are closely
linked with ours. Maryland is bound to Viz
ginia by all the hallowed ties Of the past
After her Washington, a name with which
this ancient capital and these walls will be for
ever associated, had given peace 70 his country,
and while yet clothed With absolute power, the
chief of victorious army, the idol Of con-
iding people, came into these halls and sur
rendered that absolute power into the hands
of the people. It is Virginia, once powerful,
but now PROSTATE, that appeals tothis CO6Ven-
tion to adopt this provision believe her
claim is founded in justice and honor be-
lieve that the faith and honor Of the State
require us to divorce the canal from political
power, and to place it in position to pay It's
creditors"