Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1868-05-05
State Rights-Speech of Hon. Thos. H
Seymour,

city, of the anniversary of Jeffersons birth
day, Governor Seymour, of Connecticut, re-
sponded in the speech below published, to the
first regular toast-"Thomas Jefferson, the
Father of American Democracy
MR.. sEYMoUR's ADDRESS.
Mr. Seymour, on rising to respond TO the
toast, was loudly applauded He said: Gentle
men of the State Rights Society, 1 am proud
at seeing myself surrounded by gentlemen of
your association, with whom l am now and
have ever been in sympathy, and as l may
say in full communion on all the great issues
of the day. (Applause.) regard the present
year as the most momentous Of our lives-in
many respects more momentous than those
years in the life of Mr.. Jefferson which first
brought him into public notice. We are on
the eve of crisis which it seems to me
involves the life or death of the very liberties
| for which he contended and of that indepen-
! dence which we suppose had been organized
and secured to us by the declaration from his
pen and to which his name is appended. l
| suppose we shall all agree that Thomas Jeher-
son, whose birthday we are now celebrating,
! was one of the most remarkable Of the age
| in which he lived-a man-not merely
statesman, but philosopher, and very far
seeing one at that. We find that even on the
subject of race, which is now under discussion
| in our country, Mr.. Jefferson apprehended
| the very issues which agitatc the country at
the present day. But the statesmen of his
day and of whom he was the representative
were somewhat different from the statesmen
of the present day in some portions of our
country. The men of that day, if he might
use the words without giving offense to any
one present, were what might be called "fre
oF
good, good.") Jefferson says of Otis, in
allusion to his celebrated speech against the
''wrt of assistance" that he was "a flame of
fire." And such was the class of men requir-
ed at that day in order to put in motion the
ball of that revolution which was to give US
freedom and independence. How was it in
regard to this great and patriotic man of whom
we are to say something on this occasion
We are told by the historian that he was pres
ent at the great debate in the Virginia House
of Burgesses when the resolutions denuncia-
tory of the Stamp Act were introduced, and
that there, in listening to the eloquence of
Patrick Henry, his soul was fred with that
patriotism and love Of country which was
afterwards to be illustrated in so memorable
manner in his life and conduct. In describ-
ing the debates on the resolution, Jefferson
says of Hamilton, that, in lis reply to the
monarchists in that body, who opposed the
resolution against the Stamp Act, that he
came down upon them with an incessant storm
of lightning and thunder. Just what was
required in the present crisis of our country
(Applause, and cries of "Oh, good, good !')
In these days we find Jefferson inscribing on
his seal the significant motto, which was to
ring throughout the country in the after
future-"A6eo HLertds a quo s1oi1itu, and
another, which may yet become more signif-
cant in the history of our country, which is
familiar to all my friends present" Resistance
to tyrants is obedience to God" (Applause)
In this crisis of our country, when attempts
are being made to destroy all that was ac-
complished by the early fathers of American
independence, it seems to me that we should
study the craftsmanship of those early days,
in order that we may preserve that indepen-
dence now menaced by factious Congress.
(Applause, and cries of "good p) l will
now briefly refer to that period of his history
when he first was brought forward in public
life-that some years after the Stamp
Act was imposed upon the Colonies-when
he made the discovery which l think we have
made tonight, to- day and during the last
few months that the people Of this country
were under that kind of lethargy and dead
calm that rendered them Indifferent to their
liberties. that having conceived the idea-an
idea which seems to have taken possession of
SO many men at the present day-that our
liberties are gone, and that therefore we might
as we'll yield to circumstances and allow our
oppressors to compel us to come under the
yoke. emphatic cries of "Never, never"
and applause.) In those days when the
Southern country was in no danger from
Great Britain, but when the North was
selected by the British Ministry and the
King for the first exercise of his tyranny,
then Jefferson and the men of his day in Vir-
ginia made the cause of Massachusetts and
Rhode Island the cause of the entire South,
and came to the rescue of the North (cries of
Yes, that's so," reversing the condition of
things at the present time. And now tell me
what is the duty of the people of the North
toward the South, and what is the fact ?
What has brought this great change about
In the year 1773, in the midst of that dead
calm, Jefferson, Dabney, Il. Fl. Lee, Francis
Lee and Patrick Henry got together in the
old Tavern in Williamsburg, Va, and there
inaugurated the celebrated committee of cor
respondence with the Legislatures of the diff
ferent colonies, which under Providence led to
the first Colonial Congress in British America,
(applause,) J and this produced that FIRST germ
of independence which freed us from the
British yoke and gave us that admirable Bill
of Rights and that Constitution which is now
mennced by the monarchsts in Congress,
who are endeavoring to destroy all that was
bequeathed to us by our conscript fathers
(Applause.) These men insist that they find
in that portion of the Declaration of Indepen-
dence that says all men are created free and
equal, sufficient to justify their conduct in
their treatment of the South and still find
themselves condemned by every other passage
n II
can suppose for an instant that Jefferson enter
tanned the idea of creating here govern.
ment whose power was to be exercised by any
other class of men than those who were
represented among the signers of the Declara-
ton (applause )-none other Talk of liberty