The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-11-28
rsec also letter of p. Henry to General

Henry Lee. SpaTkSS w lItin5o VI W ""A
ington, vol. K, Appendix xiii
These letters show that Mr.. Henry had
in good faith carried out the purpose ex-
pressed in the last speech he made against
the Constitution in the Convention OF
1888. He then declared that ne would
live under it a peaceable citizen, and tha
he would endeavor to remove its detects III
constitutional way, abiding to the amend
ments afterwards proposed. (Rooertsoh
Virginia Debates, p. 4G5) Though op,,
posed to JAYS Treaty and the Alien ana
Sedition Laws, he yet refused to go WIN
that marty which he believed had Ten
dencv>to break up the Government: see
his letter to A. Blair. Sparks's WriIinsS
of Washington, vol. XII, appendix AS!li:l
The famous resolutions OF the Yirgln.n
1.no;slatnrc of '9S and $50 aroused III MS
-,,;od tho strongest fears lest the country
ahnrId encounter the horrors OF anarchy
and many of the best and Wlsest Oh 'ne
land shared his apprehcnsious. IL WAS ~
.hn earnest solicitation OF General " ASH
;nr,on that he determined to etlcr LOT d
cat in the ensuing Legislature, ana reaee'ii
80 ,rnmisc contained in the extract ABOVE.
n;f;rcnt accounts have been given OF nlS
i1'aanb IN tho canyass-the last speech nc
sp '.or made But a publication made by
~. cb"r,os Campbell in the Petersburg
n,Jo, of Auoust last settles the question.
He publishes the certlncates Oh Geoise
Woodson Payne, Mr.. nenry's Drother-l IN
law. and Of the Rev. Clement Read, Colo-
mel Clement Darlington, and Robert MOT
ton. his countymen, and gentlemen OF
high character and intelligence. Three OF
these gentlemen heard Mr.. Henry's last
speech, and testify that his effort was to
quiet the minds of the people, to per-
suade them to use constitutional means to
remedy their grievances, and thus to pre-
vent dissolution of the Union; and three
of them testify that Mr.. Henry disap-
proved of the alien and sedition laws.
The terms Federalist and anti-Federal-
ist, first used to designate the parties pro-
posing and opposing the Constitution, after
its adoption changed their meaning. Before
the post-constitutonal parties had become
defined, which so powerfully convulsed the
country, Mr.. Henry had retired from pub
lie life. He declined o reelection to the
Legislature in the spring of 119l. Death
prevented his sitting in the session of 1873,
and his last speech was the only political
speech he made after those parties arose.
His letter to Mrs. Aylctt in 1I96 (Wlrts
Henry, y. 400,) declares that at that time
he had not changed his political opinions;
and where have we the evidence of his
political apostasy at any time! If Mr..
Jefferson relies on Mr.. Henry's opposition
to the resolutions Of '9S and 30 to establish
his apostasy, the answer is at hand. Ii
the fact that Mr.. Henry, after opposing the
adoption of the Constitution, opposed the
resolutions Of '9S aud 80, proves his apos-
tasy, the fact that Mr.. Madison and Mr..
Jefferson, after Supporting the adoption OF
the Constitution, supported the resolutions
of '9S and '99, proves their apostasy. II
Mr.. Jefferson intended to Tx the apostasy
! in the year 1870, the date Of Hamiton's
funding system, then I answer that the
Legislature of Virginia did not look upon
Mr.. Henry as an apostatc. In 1894 MI.
Henry was elected United States senator,
and in 1886 he was elected Governor for
the fifth time.
The charge, then, against Mr.. Henry OF
political apostaSy from corrupt motives IS,
| submit, utterly untrue; and his cllarac-
ter is untarnished by such ungcnerous as
PERSONS, from whatever quarter they may
come. or with whatever design they may
( be uttered.
I The statement that " General Washing
ton offered Mr.. Henry the position OF Sc
crctary Of State TO latter bin, knowing he
would not accept, and was entirely I'M
qualified for it, if tr0e, is more dlScrcdlt-
able to General Washington than To Mr.
Henry. But it is contradicted by the
! statement Of General Washington con-
tanned in the letter Offering The position.
/ In that letter he said to Mr.. Henry " 1t
would be uncandid not 10 inform you that
this Office has been offered to others but
it is as true that it was from q conviction
in INV own mind that you would not &C
ceut il until Tuesday last, in IL converse
ton with General Lee, he dropped sent-
ments which made it less doubtfuD that it
was not offered first to you. l need
scarcely add that if this appointment
could be made to comport with your incll-
nation, it would be Us pleasing to me as /
believe it would be acceptable to the pub
lie. With this assurance and with this be-
lief make you this offer Of it. Ny first
wish is that you would accept it,
(Sparks's Writings OF Washington, vol. XII,
p. ST.
If General Washington's design was to
hatter Mr.. Henry, or to get from him his
political status, surely the answer he re-
ceived must have been satisfactory.
What, then, must we conclude from the
following extract from letter from Gene
raj Henry Lee to Mr.. Henry, dated the 10th
December Of the same year, which IS be-
fore me, remembering that General Lee
according to Mr. jefferson was aching as
the common friend of General Washington
and Mr.. Henry? Says General Lee:
"The Senate has disagreed to the Pre-
sident's nomination Of Mr.. Rutledge, and Il
vacancy in that important Office has taken
place. For your country'5 sake, for your
friends sake, for your tamlly'S sake, tell
me you will obey q call TO il. You know
my friendship for you You know my CIR
cumspcction; and trust you know, too,
that I should not address you on such .
subject without good grounds. Surely no
situation better suts an individual than
that will you. You continue at home only
on duty. Change OF air and exercise will
add to your days. the salary excellent
and the honor Very great. BE explicit III
your reply"
How strange that General Washington,
SO admirable judge OF neil, should oiicr
the position Of Secretary Of State TO Que
who had emo accuracy of idea in his
head" and, if General Lee IS 10 be be-
llevcd, should be willing 70 appoint the
same man Chief Justice OF the United
States, though he had been always "too
lazy to acquire or practice law"' | can
only find parallel to this conduct in that
of tie State Of Virginia towards the same
person, which, though Astounding in great