The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-05

| AN ,O1L-PA1NTIGG OF. A GOVERNOR OF FIR-
GIslA PRESENTED TO THE SrATE.-Major VIII
liam B. Myers presented the State Of Vfr-
| ginla with handsome life-size otl-painting
OF Governor W. B. Giles yesterday morning,
and 1t now adorus the State library. The
portraits OF distinguished statesmen of the
old dominion, the record Of their deeds, and,
ihdeed, everything concerning the early his
Tory OF the Commonwealth, are of great
!al''e and abound in interest to every citizen.
Already there is small collection of such
VaitabieS, and when every Yirpfnian has
made On Offering Of this kind our library win
pc second to none in the country, Governor
Giles was the grandfather of Major Myers,
ana the portrait lis said to be- an
eNcelleht likeness. lie was born in the
county OF Amelia OF the 10Th of August,
liO2, anh died at the "Wigwam," In the
same county, December 4th, 1880. Cover
s nor GILES was educated partly at Hampden
icge, New Jersey. He was student of law
at Williamsburg with Chancellor Wythe
ana was admitted tosthe bar, and practiced
LOT I'VE or six years with high reputation
as nm advocate. In 1890 he abandoned the
| profession to engageEin politics, and Waa
elected by the Fedora party in the Peters
burg district to fill vacancy in Conpress
Gccnsioned by the dcathof Colonel Bland and
Look his seat in 1890. In January, 179i. he
opposed the bill! creating Bank of the United
States on the ground that It.. was n
:c.ieme for enriching the bankers at the pub.
liz expense. This led to his estranpenent
tioul The Federal party and his affIation
with the Democrats. On the 23d OF january.
1893, he made an attack In the House upon
| alexander Hamilton, then Secretary of the
Treasury, charging him with corruption and
pecE!atiOn, and alleging that he failed to nc.
couat for S1,j00,000 Of the public money
Hum:it0n yindicated himself triumphantly In
4 report dated February 4tb, and Mr.. Giles
replied on the 2Sth Of the same month by
proposing resolutions censuring the Secre.
tIiy ior undue assumption of power and foI
| want Of respect to the House. These reso
lltious were laid on the table BY very large
Imiorties--the mildest Of them got only
fifteen votes. In 1895 he opposed creating
navy and the ratification Of Mr.. jays
treaty with Great Britain, and in 1893 the
proposed French war for her outIages on
American commerce. In 1898 he declined
seat in Congress in order to become mem.
Der Of the Virginia Legislature. where he
co0pentcd with Mr.. Madison in procuring
the passage Of the celebrated resolutions ol
| US. LII leUl he was again clccted 10 Con
gress, and his career In the House terminated
In 1902. In August, 1904, Mr.. Giles was
elected United States senator, and served rs
such until 1915. In the House he took at
once the position of Democratic leader, and
held it until 1911, when he openly manifested
his opposition to the Administration Of Presi,
dent Madison. In1Si5 he abandoned public
life and remained in retirement until 1926
when he was induced to become member OF
the Legislature partly from hostility to the
Administration Of John Quincy Adams and
partly from his opposition to the calling Of a
convention to revise the Constitution OF Eir-
ginia. In 1927 he made u powerful speech
! ttuGainst this project, which defeated it for q
| time. lin the same year he was elected Gov
ernor Of the State, and held it for three years.
The bill for calling a convention was revived
and passed during the session OF 1827-'2S,
and Mr.. Giles, while Governor, was chosen q
member Of it. The convention sat in 1929
80. and he took a distinguished part in it
| Dir. Giles published in 1913 "Political Let
ters to the People Of Virginia." and suhse-
quently various letters on political topics.