Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-12-03
Hon. A. Il. H. stuart's Speech.

| the body, and had not time or space to give the
| substance Of the able speeches Of Hon. A. Ii.
| H. Stuart and COL John B. Baldwin. We
now furnish below the substance Of the speech
Of Hon. A. Il. FL. Stuart as reported by HIM
| self, and the report may, therefore, be relied
upon as being substantially correct. 1t was
published in the Valley Vrginian of Wednes
| day last. 1t should be remembered that this is
not literal and full report, but merely the
| skeleton giving some idea Of the views express
ed SO ably and forcibly and eloquently by the
speaker He said:
| It had not been his purpose to utter a word
| in reference to the matter now before the meet
| ing, but as the gentlemen who had spoken had
| confined themselves exclusively to the specific
propositions which had been submitted, he felt
| impelled to say a few words on the general sub
| iect now under consideration. He was afraid
| that the people had not sufficiently awakened
| to the magnitude of the issues now before the
country, and their deep personal interest in
| them. This was manifest from the fact-the
| shameful fact-that more than two thousand OF
the intelligent registered voters OF Augusta had
| failed to attend the polls. The effect of this
| apathy had been to endanger the success of the
| Conservative candidates. Heretofore, when po-
itica contests had taken place in Virginia, they
were in regard to the choice OF men who were
| to administer the Government under the Con-
stItutlon, and In reference to mere questions OF
administrative policy. But now far more i'm
portant issues demanded the notice OF the peo-
| pie. The questions now presented for decision
Of the people affected notjmerely the policy OF
| administration, but the very existence and peace
of civil society. A wicked attempts now made
| by an INSCRIPTIONS party, in violation OF the
hold II
among men, to subvert the whole structure of
our institutions, and to inVert the position OF
the clements of which it is composed. 1t has
always been received as an axiom in politics,
that the virtue and intelligence Of the constitu-
ent body were the only safe foundation On which
| free governments could rest The stability of
all representative republican governments de-
ponds On the amount OF these qualities possess
ed by those entrusted with the elective fran
| chise The effort now is to disregard this car
| dinal principle, and to sink the virtue and IN
| telgence OF the country and bring It's ignorance
and vice to the surface, as the controlling power
| of the government. He need not depict the
consequences Of such process. All must see
| that the results would be the utter overthrow
of all securities for life, liberty and property
| And yet with full knowledge of these facts the
| dominant party in Congress, not having the fear
of God before their eyes, but seduced by the in
stigation Of the Deyil-in violation Of the OBJ
| legations of the Constitutional the sanctlty OF
official oaths-and Of their duty to their fellow
men were perslstently seeking to iasten upon US
| degradation and ruin.
| Mr. Stuart, then, dwet earnestly on the duty
| of every man to use every effort in his power
to avert from our beloved country such fearful
| calamities 1t was a duty which every man.
who was allowed to register, owed to himself to
/ his family, to his friends and to his country to
! register and to vote. The man who failed to do
so was false to his country-talse to his race
| false to the principles Of freedom and to every
| obligation OF patriotism.
| Mr.. Stuart said he had never been the adv0-
cate of universal suffrage, even when suffrage
was confined to white men. lie thought George
Mason stated the true principle, in the Viz
gnia Bill Of Rights, when he limited it to those
| who had permanent interest in and common
attachment to the community. But if such
| limitations were proper then, how much more
so are they now, when new clement, so Pc
tent for mischief, and so ignorant Of the prac-
teal bearings OF all political questions, was in
troduced into our political community.
| Mr. Stuart said that slavery was 5oreUer dead
| in the United States, and he doubted if there
was single man In the sound Of his voice, who
would be willing to have it re established. All
are ready to treat it as thing Of the past, and
|
| negro race fairly and kindly For himself, he
entertained and always had cherished, the kind
est feelings for them. He had sought to do his
duty by those who had been his Slaves and he
believed they cherished for him the kindest
sentiments. Since their emanci patton they had
not hesitated to apply to him for such taVors as
they needed, and he was happy to accord them.
| He believed that If the negroes had been let
alone, they would have got on in harmony with
| the whites. But mischieVous and designing
men had been sent among them, to deceive and
mislead them. The recent elections showed
| that they had been successful 1t was natural
that these ignorant and confding people should
| be misled. He was not disposed to deal harsh
/ " with them for this error. 1t was not their
! fault, but that Of the knaVes who deceived and
betrayed them. But the time was now at hand
when the colored people must decide, with their
eyes open, what their future course would be,
| Ii they persisted IN arraylng themselves against
the Southern whites, they must take the con-
sequences Of their folly. They certainly were
| intelligent enough now to know who were their
clothed and sustained them. They knew they
got all their employment from the people ofthe
| South, and not Of the North. If they would
go North they would find how they are treated
there, and how they would be excluded from
factories and from most all the profitable avo-
cations Of life. In this connection he referred
to the attempt Of the son-in-law of Fred. Dou-
glas to run hack in Rochester, when his hack
was broken up and his personal safety endan-
gered.
| Mr. Stuart, then, referred to the falsehood of
the allegation that the people Of the North were
willing to confer the elective franchise, and 9TH
er political rights on the negroes In refuta-
ton of this he referred to the $4,000 majorities
in Ohio and New Y ork against the proposition,
and proportionate majorities IL other States.
| Mr. Stuart said he had always been satisfied
| that Abolitionism was not the offspring Of any
kind feeling to the negro. He believed it had
its birth in hostility to the whites Of the South,
in part, but in a larger degree to the cupidity
of the North. The population Of the North
was oyercrowded. Access to the great West
was now difficult. They wanted an outlet in
the South they wanted the profits of the en-
Payments now pursued by the negroes they
wanted to get rid Of the negroes, that they
might get their places. In word, the North
ern hive is ready to swarm, and they wish to
occupy and possess our goodly heritage. He
had long believed that this was the true philos-
ophy Of Aboitionism, but it was only lately that
it had been openly ayowed. Heretofore there
had been a tlimsy veil Of humanity thrown
over it, but recently all disguise had been
thrown of, and it is acknowledged that Adolf
tionism was founded in hostility to the negro.
In proof of this, Mr.. Stuart referred to the eel
ebrated Helper Book-'The Impending Cri-
sis"-Which contained the most elaborate and
vigorous assault on slavery that had ever been