The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1873-09-11
LIE VALLEY VIRGINIAN
STAU TON, VA.
Thursday Sept, Ill, 1873.
SPEECH OF COL. e. w. HUGHES AT
CHARLOTTESVILLE.

CHARLOTTESVILLE
The following is condensed sketch of
Col Hughes speech, at Charlottesville, on
the LIST inst.
Gentlemen and Fezloao Citizens
Within view Of Monticello and of the no
BILE seminary of learning founded by Thomas
Jefferson. [ come to Te-assert the principles
Of the American Declaration cf Indepen-
dence-that all men are born free and equal,
and that they have the right to voice in
their own government.
I preach no revolutionary evangel; I pro-
claim no invidious dogma Of race or class !;
but plant myself on that principle on which
our American liberties were fought Tor and
won, Of equal rights, equal laws and equal
liberties for all the people.
Our great government is built upon the
two foundation rocks of justice aud equality
and has its stability in the consent Of its pco-
pie. 1t differs herein from all the great gov
ernments of this world These are based up
on brute po1oer alone, and are upheld by ar
mics and navies.
Planted as our government is upon justice
anu CbuSGnb, IL III CUUNGiEGu az du CtEiG ~
feature in conflict with. these fundamental
conditions, it could rot fail sooner or later TO
suffer from the incongruity. 1t might in
deed 90 along successfully for fifty or seven
sy-five years bnt the wrong it was perpetu-
ating was sure in the end to rise up and curse
it,
Our ia hers, from dictates possibly of WIS
dom probably of necessity, certainly OF pat
liotism, did permit the two great principles
of American polity- those Of equal rights
under the law, and consent from the govern
ed-to be violated in respect to class which
grew into population Of nearly FIVE millions
of souls. The enormous evasion of justice,
this palpabie violation Of its own rule OF
right could net fail at some time to end in
CONFUSION and bloodshed. AUD the sad oc-
currences of our national history from 1860
to 1866 were the penalty which we paid for
the violence which we had done to the prln-
ciples In which our government originated
and on which it was founded.
Let us thank God that we have SO well es-
capped the penalties of our derelictlon, and
rejoice that now the Republic which defer
son spoke and Washington fought into exs-
tence is at last, in all lts length and breadth,
in its structure aud its genius. government
of Justice and consent as to all races and
classes, Of equal rights. Liberties and laws for
all
Standing on the classical soil of AbemarIe,
near the haIlowed tomb OF the apostle OF
A merlean liberty and liberation, can it be
possible that [ offend the preiudlces OF any
man. when invoke your condemnation upon
the politicians Of this State, who are calling
upon the people 70 prescribe those Of their
fellow citizens whose nativity and color differ
from their own? Surely [ can uphold the
cause Of that party here, which, in the three
| amendments it has made part of the nation
al constitution, has Dreamed, first, that nc
man shall be enslaved in America; second
that citizenship shall be as universal as tree
dom; and third, that no Stale shalt have
power to abridge the rights appertaining t.
this citizenship
Virginia is not a pent-up Utica. She can.
not isolate herself IN opinion or interest from
the Great commonwealth Of American States
This was proved IN respect to slavery. II
1861 the time had arrived when that lnstitu
ton. which had estranged her from the Tn
ion founded by her own statesmen, and 70
the protection Of which she had inventet
her school of Sta;e-rights politics, had como
in conflict with. the vital interests Of th
great producing classes of the continent, ant
had to go down.
The dominant class in this Union is tn
qaeu zclso aeorh Nth their oacn hands. Tha
class rules the politics of the Northern States
aod that class must of logical necessity ruf
the nolitics of the Southern States. If an
class ought to rule in this country, it is tn
class 10 the fields, workshops ard mines, VIII
work with their own hands and produce th
material values of this country.
That class could not afford that any brapcl
OF it should be held in slavery. The objec
OF She slave institution was to reduce the h
bolers wages to zero. No mechanical or la
boring class Of free men could prosper or ev
en- exist ina community where the great mas
of Iaborers worked Tor nothing. The compe
tition was fatal to the free labor. Nor dit
he Influence OF this wages destroying lnstl
tuition stop at the borders Of the slave States
Ii was felt all over the U1ion. A million o
laborers, be they black or white, could no
work for nothing in any section Of the coun
try. without affecting the wages-questionsal
over the continent The influence was fel
10 the work shops of Philadelphia, and il
the ship-docks Of California The exlstenc
Of the Institution of slavery brought hom
ta the laborirg man everywhere, whether il
the field or the workshop, the Question o
bread, the question OF social and political in
dependence, the question of personal thrift
and standing, The question Of education TO
bis children, and Of all things that depended
upon the amount Of his wages and the digni
~ Of his character as man OF toll. w
are in the habit of thinking that it was moth
ing but the spirit ef mere fanaticism whicl
was agltating the slavery issue for SO many
years before the war No, it was also pro
founder sentiment, the LANGUAGE of all pro
ducers throughout the land was, 1--WE canno
in honor or in interest afford to permit
million and more Of laborers to be made t.
work for nothing, and to be degraded int
slavcs.''
1t was because Virginia was not isolated
because the Southern States were not segre
gated. but we're part and parcel Of nato
of individuals and commonwealth of States
that. when the proper time arrived, shaver
had to 40 doaoa under this sentiment of self
| o,d Golf recpoct ant,,a nC prodll