The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-10-04
THE REPUBLICAN MASS MEETING
IN PETERSBURG.
Colonel II. w. Hnghes' speech.
From Index Appeal, dth inst.1

FROM lnueN Apiftltii ith iiiSt.l
The Courthouse Square was densely
thronged last night by the Republicans Of
this city, with here and there q sprnkling
Of Conservatives, attracted by curiosity
to hear Colonel r. w. Hughes, the
nominee for governor of Vir-
ginia.
Mayor Wood, In assuming the chair,
made a few remarks expressing the sense
Of honor done him, &C., after which he
amid applause, Colonel r.
w. Hughes, the next governor of Vir-
gnia.'
Colonel Hughes said, that in the grand
rounds of the state which the nomination
he held required him to make, he was
glad to be here tonight to address SO largo
an audience Of the citizens Of Petersburg.
1t was probably the largest assemblage
that he had vet presented before, in the
course of the canvass. He was here as
the candidate OF the Republican party Of
Virginia for the Office of governor-the
Republican party was a majority of its
votes. lie had been to all the prominent
points in the commonwealth; and he ex-
pressed the confident belief that the peo-
pie of Virginia could, on the 4th of No
yember next, cast majority Of their votes
for the Republican candidates. Such had
been the reception given him everywhere,
the assurances of support he had
received from representative classes
and representative men everywhere,
that he had no doubt in his mind that a
majority Of the Virginia people were going
to vote the Republican ticket. The vote
might be misconstrued, the returns might
be fraudulent, and the result might be
thus changed; but if the vote should be
fairly counted and the will Of the people
correctly given in the returns, he had no
hesitation in saying that the Republican
candidates would be elected next month.
He spoke of the strength of the Republican
party. He said that last year it had elected
its President by nearly four millions of
votes; that it held the executive department
of the national government, the legislative
department, two to one in each house, and
the Judiciary department, and that it
held control of the government OF three
fourths of the states of the Union. lie said
that this party could not be thus strong
unless its principles were just and right.
lie said our government was formed upon
the two great principles originally an
nounced in the Declaration of lndepend-
ence, that all men are created equal, and
that governments derive their great pow
ers only from the consent of the governed.
It was in consequence of being admins
tered on these principles that the Ameri-
can nation had grown SO rapidly to be one
of the most powerful on earth, attracting
the admiration of all people. and exciting
the dread of all the great powers. These
principles of freedom and equality had at
tracted emigration from all the nations of
Europe TO the amount of a quarter to o
half million of souls per annum. If
the nation had depended upon the
natural increase of population of
two or three per cent. q year,
the original population would by this time
have reached but twelve or fifteen millions,
whereas it was now thirty-eight millions
and covered our great continent from the
Atlantic thousands of miles across to the
Pacific, and from the frozen Arctic to the
Tropics. 1t was the liberal principles in
which our great government had been con-
Quoted, that bad built up the nation to the
strength and power it had now attained.
The Republican party Of the country was
strong because it had been faithful to these
great principles; and because in recon-
structing the government alter the late
civil war, it had under a proper sense OF
its duty and responsibility, reconstructed
it on the principles Of the equality of men,
and of the right of all men to a voice in
the government Of which they were part.
For the same reason that the American Re-
public had grown up so rapidly to its pres
cnt power and rank among nations, for
that same reason it was that the Republi-
can party had become the strongest party
that ever was known in this country.
The old Wing party, and the old Demo
cratic party, had each in its turn beer
strong in the past history of the country,
but The Republican party of the present
day was stronger than either, and the very
strongest ever known before in the history
of free institutions.
No party could be strong in this nation
OF intelligent freemen, except by virtue OF
The riehtfulness and business of its princi-
ples 1t would be an impeachment of the
intelligence, patriotism, and honesty of the
American people, to ascribe the strength
Of the Republican party to any othel
cause.
What are the principles Of that party
Since 1866 we had had bitter party war
fare in Virginia upon the PRINCIPLES il
which the Republican party had felt bount
10 reconstruct the Union after the late civi
war These principles were first embodiet
in what were called the reconstruction act
of Congress, and afterwards in the three
amendments which the Republican party
had caused to be cpgratted in the nationa
constitution.
These principles were SO plain that there
ought never to have been any controvers.
over them. Yet all the bitter and pro
tracted waIfare of parties in the last six OF
eight years, had been fought over thos'
principles; the Republican party advocat
ing them, and the opposition party resisting
them.
The first Of these principles was EN-
bodied in the Thirteenth amendment,
which declared that slavery should never
more exist in the United States. This
principle had been virtually decided by the
war, which had been fought upon it and
it had gone into the constitution with little
opposition.
The contests of parties had occurred on
the principles of the other two amend.
ments. What were they
The Fourteenth amendment declared in
substance that every freedman and free
man in the land should be citizen of the
United States and Of the state of which he
was an inhabitant. This amendment
lifted up the individual from the condition
of a mere freedman and inhabitant to be a
e op1 of fhn IInita