Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-04-09

An COMMUNICATIONS must be accompanied oy tlo nues
b authors rejected cannot %
ror. WeIls's Address to the Virginia
Convention.
Mr. President and G,ntlemen of the Con
,aot;on.-I cannot well refrain from expressing
IN nri.t words n1y sense Of the honor which,
nnsougbt, has been conferred upon me. am
rejieyed from the nee ssity OF an expression OF
nv nv views In detail upon poIiticai questions by
the remarks that have already been made IN
nv hearing by your presiding officer. It IS,
however [ Judge, proper, an; l hop. you will
deem it fit, that | should say TO you now, at
the outset OF my official relations, very tew
words. expressing substantially my general
views, so that you may know how tar, and In
what particulars, we are IN accord. L desire,
gentlemen, no ofice and can lily afford to hold
ooe, have consented to take this position for
brief period-I trust it will be very brief
and that not many months Will pass away be
fore YOU will have Constitution OF your own
tramlng-ormed and shaped by your own
Judgment and your own skill-adopted by the
people of this Commonwealth; and that when
50 adopted, the chief executive officer, whose
duty and pleasure it will be TO carry out the
will OF the people that you represent, as we'll
as your own views as expressed IN that lnstru-
ment will be such an ofiuer elected by a ma
iority of the people of this Commonwealth
because, after all, the great beauty and the
virtue of the form Of government under which
we live, IL, that it is government OF the peo"
pie, coming from the people, supported by
the people, and sustained for the good OF the
whole people. However, in the brief period
that must elapse before that consumnation
can have become, instead Of devout wish,
an accomplished fact, there are imposed upon
me the duties of your chief executive otlccr.-
The great wish that is paramount in my heart
and believe it is paramount IN all OF your
shearts-is that we should restore the old Com
monwealth of Virginia to her position among
the States of the Union, the co-equal IN all
particulars with the most favored Of the States;
and that in order to the restoration OF this State
to that condition, certain organic, fundamental,
and if you please radica, changes must be made.
No man in this year 1869 can close his eyes
to the fact that great change has taken place.
No man can close his eyes to the fact that that
change has brought with it certain responsible
tiles and certain, not new, but new ~ expressed,
r;ehts-newlv- guaranteed rights. No man, l
think can fail to see that however dislassetul to
mus, /, p1lsouaily the change may be, 1t is as
much TACT as though dccreed by the Almighty
Ruler above US All men ere today IN the
State of Virginia. free and equal, not simply
in theory and in principle, but as a great living
fact and such legislation, such changes IN our
organic and statutory law as are necessary to
carry out that great truth, must be made; and
he that hopes or expects to be able to resist
that progress will in short time wake up to
the conviction that he hopes beyond, without,
and against hope [ have watched with great
interest the progress that you have made 10
~ nfo (ionct;tDtiop ] rnonrn,za in
it good work we'll begun-many things, per-
haps, tha, if you we're to do again your expo
rience would enable you to do better. 1t is
enough to know that you have kept steadily IN
view, from thc>beginning to the present day,
the great living principle Of freedom-the fact
that all men are entitled to vote without regard
to race or color-the principle that the law
must rise entirely beyond any and all d!scrlml
nation on account of race or color-the great
principle that taxation must be not mainly up
on tie head, but upon the property; that all
property, of all kinds, must hear equal taxation
everywhere-the great principle that every
child that is born within these broad domains
is enti led to be educated, fitted, and prepared
for the responsibilities and the duties that are
to rest upon it. These principles, developed
and ripened as they will be into an organic law,
must prevail. Whether your Constitution may
be passed at this time is another question. Its
principles certainly will be the law OF this land
at some day, beyond all peradVenture; and how
unwise it would be for any Of US, or any OF the
people that you represent, to oppose what the
great Cd has decreed beforehand? Ii we do
oppose It, We shall be found 70 be lighting against
the gods; and there is nothing but disaster and
defeat left tor us These views, ntlemen, are
not new to me. have enterl AIMED them tor
long time have expressed hem on all proper
occasions. I never thought II right 10 obtrudt
nv views or to conceal them lam not OF sucr
importance as to make it proper for ne 10 at
tempt 20 impress my views upon this or any other
community; bus when one gentleman or more,
singly or together, desired to know whar those
opinions we're, have freely expressed them,
and I shall continue to do SD. am not, gen.
tlemen. in The sense in which the wnrd> arte
ordinarily used, partisan, and hope snaE
not he; but have an abiding Ialth l may DC
mistaken in it, but still it is my faith that un-
der God there are no means by which the Com
monWralth of Virginia can be restored to her
= former condition. her fields be made tertll;,,
her resources developed, her people be m dt
prosperous, peaceful, and happy, excepunt
through the party to which we belong; anf
therefore regard the success aud the supre-
macy Of that party as absolutely vltal-so vita
that without it all will be lost and therefore
you will be prepared to hear me express the
hope that there will be found 20 man wlthl,
all your borders who will do aught to divide
the c.unc,ls of that party. For my Own part, ,
can only say 10 you, gentlemen, that havent
personal ambitious to crafty; neither trlendt
reward nor enemy to punish; but am willing
to do all that | can do to MAINTAIN the supre
macy of the law, promote the peace ana the
prosperity of the s ate, and to secure the har-
mouy of the great Republican party. Thank
ing you, gentlemen for your kindness 10 listen
ing 10 what | !, ave said, take leave Of you.
=. Alter re urning thauks, the General retired
from the hall. A vore Of thanks was tender
$ ed him for his address