The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1873-10-23
SPEECH OF COL. r. W. HUGHES, DELIV-
Erred ATTDANVILLE ON THE NIGHT OF
OCTOBER 18th, 1873.
THE AMAZING GROWTH OF THE NATION.

COl0Q6l hughes SpokV NJ louStQ upon Lu6 TCd
son of the rapid growth Of the nation, which
but yesterday was al infant and to-day giant.
few years ago it consisted of thirteen sparsely
settled, feeble colonies, wasted by an eight years
struggle with Great Britain, scattered along the
Atlantic seaboard; now, it is a nation of forty
millions Of people, covering continent, and
ranking among the foremost and most powerful
of the nations of the earth. He said this rapid
growth was due to tG
THE GREAT PRINCIPLES OF EQUALITY, FREEDOM,
AND CELEBRATION
on which the nation was founded. Our growth
in eve,y element of power and prosperity, was
dueto the fact, tina, here, government was of
the people. for the people, and by the people
not this class Of people, nor that cass-not the
aristocracy nor the democracy-not the rich nor
the poor-but all the people. Inhabitants Of all
other countries knew that under our Institutions
and the liberal principles Of our government
s THEY WOULD BE WELCOME HERE.
and could live and prosper, and provide for
their offspring to greater advantage here than in
any other land under heaven. This was the
son why there had foeked here from other coun-
tries, and added from quarter to a half million
of souls TO our population annually, and were
building up almost every State in the Union ex-
cept Virginia He said
THE FOUNDATION PRINCIPLES OF OUR GOVERN
MENT
to which its growth and greatness were express
ed in the following clauses of the American
Declaration of Independence, signed July 4th,
1776, by the best and wisest uninspired men
ever known on earth:
ssWe hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal
& and that governments de-
rive their just powers only from the consent Of
the goveaned"
But, in framing the National constitution of
1887 the great men and patriots of that day
had allowed violation of these two principles
to be inserted in that Instrument, far as they
related to the small number of colored people
then in the country. No harm had resulted
from admitting this wrong into our organic law,
as long as the colored people numbered only
hundreds of thousands, or even one, or two, or
three millions; but when they grew to be five
millions in number, the wrong had become great
It rose up to trouble and aflict the country and
THE BLOODY AND DEsTRUGTIvu WAR
of 1861 to 1865 had been the disastrous conse
quence of not allowing the great fundamental
principles of our government to have equal ap
plication for the benefit of all men and races.
THE RESULT OF THE WAR
had beeo, to extinguish and exterminate the
wrong which had caused it; and now there is
man nor class in our great country, who could
com plain that our laws contained any exception
to the two great principles Of our government,
that all men are equal before the law, and that
every man had the right to voice in the gov
eminent Of which he is part.
At the close Of the war, the Republican party
had found itself in control Of public affairs in
this country, and, charged with the duty and re-
spensibility of reconstructing the governm ent on
its original principles Of equality among men,
and the right of each man to voice in his own
government. it felt that these principles could
not be again violated in m
THE WORE OF RECONSTRUCTION,
without subjectiug the country, one day or 9TH
err. to like disastrous CONFUSION to that thro'
which it had just passed.
Therefore it was, that in the discharge Of the
duty and responsibility thus resting upon it, it
had determined to
FACE THE FEARFUL PRBJJDIcEs 4
of race and at all hazards to itselfo reconstruct
the government on the principles on which our
American liberties were originally fought for and
won. and on which our free government and In
stitutions were first intended to be planted These
principles were accordingly first inserted in the
Reconstruction Acts Of Congress, and afterwards
in the Thirteenth Fourteenth and Fifteenth
amendments of the national constitution, ''
BIZ THE REPUBLICAN PARTY.
These principles had been
VIOLENTLY RESISTED BY THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
in 1868. and by the Conservative party of Vir-
oinia nm to 1869. and since 1872. But the Re-
publican party had been signally triumphant in
advocating them, It lad beaten the Democracy
so badly in 1868 by suppo ting them, that the
Democratic convention Of 1872, had been forced
to take; ssnew departure" and to put out plat
form. borrowed from the Liberal Republicans of
Cincinnati, endorsing and accepting them as ''es-
sential to just government,
THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY OF VIRGINIA HAD REEN
to 20 into the state canvass of 1869 in oppose
ton to these principles, and had Withdrawn the
Withers ticket and the Withers Unite mans plat
form of 1868; and had put up the Walker ticket
and the .true" Republican platform of 1869 |
Walker then claiming to be a true Grant Repubh- |
can. and his supporters claiming to be truer Re-
publicans than the Republicans themselves
They thus acknowledged the truth of tho very
same principles for sticking to which in 1873
they now abuse the present Republican party.
Again, in 1872, the Conservatives of Virginia had
been afraid to go into q national canvass in OPP
position to the great principles on which the
Republican party had reconstructed the Union, !
and which they had made part of the national
constitution in adding the Fourteenth and Fiji
teenth amendments to it. The Conservatives |
sent delegation to the Democratic national Bal
adopt the Liberal Republican platforl Of Gin |
cinnati and to ratify the nomination Of Greeley |
and Brown, Tie platform declared for the |
ssequality of all meli before the law" and called
upon the government to smete out equal and ex- |
act justice to all, Of whatever nativity, race, col
or, or persuasion. religious or political" II also
accepted and endorsed the Thirteenth, Four |
teenth, and Fifteenth amendments of the nation. |
al constitution.
Thus, both in 1869 and in 1872. the Conserva !
tive party Of Virginia showed themselves afraid |
to encounter the Republican party the two
great principles Of reconstruction, and went SO
far as to accept those principles as their own
declaring them to be essential TO just governments
and calling upon the government of the country,
national and state, to act upon the great princi-
pies of
EQUAL LAWS, AND EQUAL, CIVIL RIGHTS FOR ALI.
Not only did the Conservative party Of Vir-
GINA thus endorse and accept the principles for
adhering to which they now abuse the Re-
publican party, but
THE PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA DID so
IN their votes both for Grant and Greeley in 1872,
and in their vote given in 1869 upon the pre-
sent state constitution. By the vote of the peo-
pie of Virginia the present constition is our or
ganic law. The first article of that instrument
in several sections declares as follows
Sec. 4. Him are By nutsre equally free and IN
dspendent AO poyer IS ussted in, an derived
from the people. ~ ~ fs't
Sec. 9. No man set Of men are entitled to ez-
clusue separate emoluahents, Privileges but in
| constellation Of public services.
/ Sc 9. All elections ought to be free, egd aU
| TX.