Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-10-07

rett.
When the Convention of 1860 was called,
COL Baldwin was elected, with Hon. A. Ell. H.
Stuart and Col George Baylor, as one of the
of Augusta in that body. OF
his earnest appeals in behalf of the. Union, of his
anxious efforts to avert civil war, we need hard
ly speak. as they are SO familiar to the pubic
mind. Nor need we recall to our readers the
transcendent ability which he displayed In his
reply to the speeches of Prof. J. P.
Holcombe and Gov. II. A. Wise By common
consent, that speech was pronounced to be the
ablest and most eloquent that was delivered in
the Convention.
Some of our contemporaries have stated that
Col. B. finally voted for the ordinance of seces-
sion. This is mistake. He voted against it
and resisted every appeal to change his vote,
stating that his negative vote was the true re-
cord of his opinions. But after the ordinance
had been ratified by the popular vote, he sign
ed it as an act of representative duty.
After the war commenced, Col. B. resigned
his seat in the Convention, and accepted the
Office of Inspector-G General of the Virginia
forces which was conferred on him by Gov.
Letcher. In that capacity, BE rendered sigma
service to his native State. When the troops
of Virginia had been organized and turned ovel
to the Confederate Government, Col. B., un.
willing to be idle, accepted the Office of Colone
of Sind Regiment of Virginia troops, and wenl
into the field in West Virginia While he held
this office, he was elected by the people of his
District member of the Confederate Con
gress. AS most of the sessions Of that body
were secret, the public had no opportunity o.
hearing or seeing report of the speeches Of
its members. but we have the concurrent testi
mony Of all who witnessed the debates, that
Col. Baldwin was regarded as one of the abIes
debaters in that body, SO distinguished for tai.
ent and craftsmanship. We have often heard
his speech in opposition to the suspension Of
the writ of Habeas Corpus described as one Of
the noblest defences of the principles of liberty
that ever was pronounced in this country
When Gen. Lee had surrendered, and it was
manifest that a farther continuance Of the con-
tCcu WOulO NC lIutiiCSS duu dttCuuCu Will uSGiGSS
destruction of life and property, Col. B. was
one of the first to counsel the acceptance of the
situation 10 good faith, and a restoration Of
peace to the country.
He took an active part in the meeting held
in Stanton on 9Th May, 1868, which had for its
object the restoration of good order and tran,
guilty. This was, we believe. the first meet.
ing of the kind held in the Southern States,
but it was soon followed by similar meetings
elsewhere, in which the, proceedings of the
Augusta meeting were approved and endorsed
At the next ELECTION, Col. Baldwin was chosen
one of the Delegates from Augusta, and on the
assembling of the body he was elected Speake,
of the House. Almost every pnge of the jour
nal of that Legislature bears the impress of his
genius and patriotism. Nothing was too great
and nothing too small to receive his careful
consideration. While he was shaping the pol
icy Of the State 10 regard to finance and In
ternal improvement and introducing many le
gal reforms, he found time to digest the pres
ent admirable system of rules by which the
House of Delegates is still governed
When the great Convention of the people o
Virginia, over which our townsman, Hon. A
Fl. III. Stuart, presided, met in Richmond il
Deeenber, 1867 to demonstrate against ane
organize for fae defeat of the infamous Under
wood Constitution, Gel, Baldwin was one of the
most active and Influential aembers of tina
body. It was then that he prepared and sub
mitted to the Convention the system Of organ
ization. which was adopted and has ever since
been continued in Virginia, and which hal
been productive Of SUCH good results.
When the Convention Gaat afterwards, il
1868, to nominate candidates for the office o.
Governor and Lt.-Governor, Col. Baldwin wa
chosen as its President, and 50 favorable wal
the impression which he made on that body
that he was earnestly i@portuned to accept the
nomination for the office of Governor, and al
though he peremptoriIy refused to do 80, upor
counting the votes it was found that, in spite
of his refusal, be lacked but three votes Of re
ceivipg the nomination over Col. Withers
In December, 1868, the House of Represen
tatives having passed an act requiring the Pres.
ident to cause the Underwood Constitution tt
be submitted as whole to the people of Vir
GINA for ratification or rejection, and it beins
manifest that unless some steps were taken tt
arrest it, the Senate would pass the bill, where
by an opportunity would be afforded to Wells
and his compeeIs, by manipulation of the bal
lot-boxes, to cause the. infamous Constitution
with all its test-oaths and disfranchisements, tt
be fastened On our people, COL Baldwin, Thoe
j. Niche, A. Fl. FL. Stuart, Judge Fl. w
Shelley, Gen. Ecbols ard Mr. Trout, perceiv
ing the immiuence of the danger, on consulta
ton, agreed to invite number of the wises
and best men Of the State to meet them In
Richmond on 3lst Dec to take counsel togeth
er as to the best means of serving the State -
They accordingly issued the invitation, and or
the day named about fifty gentlemen assembled
in Richmond, and, after due deliberation, deter.
mined to make an effort to induce Congress tc
grant to the people OF Virginia the right tt
vote separately on the Objectionable clauses, sc
as to eliminate them from the Constitution. 4
Committee of Nine (of whom Col. Baldwin
was one) was appointed to go to Washington
to endeavor to accomplish this object. The
Committee accordingly appeared before the
Committee Of the House of Representatives
and of the Senate, and also before Gen. Grant,
(who was then President elect, but had not been
inaugurated,) and discussed fully the various
features Of the Constitution to which they OBJ