The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-12-05
THE CONV VENTION.
PROCEFDrSCs ru..s
ACTED AT THE sEUosD DAYS
SESSION.
inaugural Address of Gen. Fitzhugh Lee.
of virginia The Convention In
dorses the Texas Pacific Railway

| d0rses the Texas Pacific Railway
| The second days proceedings of the Conn
Inercial Convention opened at 1890 yesterday
| morning.
| Vice President K. D. Hoton, Of Wisconsin
| called the delegates to order and directed the
secretary to call the roll by States.
| The roll being called and the necessary alter
attons having been made, Vice President HoI-
ton requested Messrs. J. r. Eubank. Of yir-
ginis. andJohn Hogan. of Missouri. to conduct
| the president elect 10 the stage.
Amidst the enthusiastic plaudjts of the cop-
vention
| GEN. FITzHuGH LEE
OF Virginia. was introduced and delivered the
| following eloquent inaugural address:
| Mr.. Chairman and Felfo,r. Members oftbe ft,,,-
| renti0n-For this applause which is ringing in
my ears, and for this welcome to the Oneen
| City OF the South | beg to return nv most
| heartfelt acknowledgements. Twenty one years
ego came to this city as an officer Of the United
states army win 4 to9 recruits. destined for the
OF cavalry was stationed Those recruits 1
drilled end disciplined, and practieed them In
1t became their duty to turn their guns u mon On
| me a very proper thing from their STANDPOINT
"a very uneasy one from mine. Many years
have rolled on since the beginning OF those
angry days.
The roll Of artillery no longer roars In our
ears; the fash of musketry no longer reyarber
| ates from the serried ranks OF steel and the
sahres Of the cavalrymen are renrned r. thair
scabnards l stand here to day in far differ
| ent condition: am here to represent in nert
the great old Mother OF st ttes and of Statesman
and here In this immense building with Gods
you gentlemen the great inte rest Virsinia tekss
| IN everything that will rebound to the honor
Pa sPa SSs pFGspsrt ts Of this country Appase
alive. to all the trials and tribnlations
whlgh d t.ro you 2. j. hay hays suffered and w5en
wings Of the Angel Of Death. the old heart ~
| Virginia has gone out to your people. She
prays God that M your people may be. again
| marching IN the van of progress. and III ach a
rem. wed and regained prosperity. The waters
| OF the tidal wave OF success that bears upon jta
ward and eastward until it reaches the borders
Of my state, viii well up In the hearts OF her
pe9,Ple and VIII run rivers of joy through ali
| Virginia has been. called the Mother OF States
and Statesmen. and though 1t is q haekneyed
calle d the Mother of States because with nroI,
| igal liberaity she gave to this country ali that
northTesteTn est section from which has been
| diana. Illinois, OF glorious Kentucky and of
your, own State Of Wisconsin, Mr. Chairman.
Statesmen because at the darkest period of the
revolution her Washington came to the front,
and whom ii BECAME necessary to declare our: our
rights In a world wide paper Of eloguence and
OF force she gave her Thomas Jefferson. and
then her Madison. who did more to bring
about sns Federal r constitution than any other
|
common country her James Monroe. and 10 the
judiciary system stem o. our country her John Mar
ones she bestowed the voice of her grand and
| eloquent Henry, who with more than Demos
thepian power kindled the fires Of our FIRST
| reyolutlon. lApplausel
| May not say then she has, therefore the
| right Of being called the Mother OF StatesmeDP
| For the great honor you have conferrad n,nn'
me-, In calling upon me to preside over yonr de-
| l6eratlons ! nm most profoundly grateful.
While sensibly, conscious Of want Of paria-
N ny Ar e ma tn rif fln
did body OF representative mon suoh "a SEQ
before me, am sustained by The thought Of
your moderation. your candor and Justice. and
by feeling that there is not single heart beat
Ing In the breast Of the members Of this CON
gention that does not respond in unison with
mine in q sincere desire to do all in our pover
TO MAKE this republic what our fOrefathers In
tended II 70 be-. The glory Of America and a
bless e,s. Ing to humanity" ADplauseI
often have stood upon some dark morning
end watched the great luminary Of the earth, az
1t was struggling to burst through the clouds
eVeryWhete g surrounding It.
As watched and walled have seen the ting
becoming gllded with the golden sunsb ne nm
I'll at last the sun itself would burst above the
clouds y all The splendor Of an unelouded ma
50. gentlemen Of the convention. when see
yqn here assembled. and know the object for
which you have assembled know the daylight
Of prosperous future is In store for us and
the dark night Of gloom Is q thing Of the past.
this oonyentnn and nd If won e LII Ipg @ of
ancestral faith. II we will adhere to the corner
stone Of American liberty which is laid deep
in our hearts, we will demonstrate TO a woDdero
Ing world that the problem Of free eonstitu-
tlonal and popular government has at last been
SatlsIaetoriiy worked out upon this continent.
lApplauss,l Then, with unity and peace within
our borders. the sails which represent Amer
lean commerce will whiten In larger and larger
numbers the oceans Of the world,
Already there are cheering signs visible Our
exports exceed largely our imports, and new
etommoditlts comm are almost daily being added to
Hires In Italy. Beef has been sent In lar ge GUAM
titles to England and only recently my own
state Is sending across the ocean live cattle To
the same place. The backs Of the beasts of bur-
den IN the Ho Land are laden with American
pe,Foleun. ,h ana ameriean watches are tor sale
A new era OF prosper iy is. indeed dawning
upon us. Nature speaks in thunder tones 10
have worked, but We have allowed others tn
exercise their ingenuity. and they have taken
our green stalks and moulded them into sub
Stances 80 snowy white. so firm. SO flexible so
uhdulatlng as 70 wrap around the limbs and in
lawns and muslins 50 fine almost TO resemble
the pent4s feftts the woven wind Of the Ro-
England abounds In fine pastures and exten-
sive doWns Large fiock5 ot sheep feed upon
them. wool was staple article of PRODUCE but
II was not until the time OF Edward Ill, 400
years after It's history Of reason began, that she
teach her people to weave San now England
excels all Europe in her cotton and mus
lin goods
And now gsnlsmen. to tho object Of this con-
vention' and 10 the subjecs which are Of para
mount importance. 1t is our duty TO ask tho
aid for the purpose Of keeping
allow it to overflow It's banks As was said hy n
20 ltleman yesterday. it should not destroy tba
cotton and sugar plantations which dot its
sides. 1t Is work which belongs TO too many
states not to nave national support
Secondly, the establishment Of direct liIB, Of
steamers from Southern ports, TO deal directly
with foreign nations. more especially South
America aud tbs Atlantic coast of Mexico.
, IL IS only by these internal improvements
| o. h kouf tba
Of private enterprise. that this great govern
ment can make this country tho greatest in tho
word. lAppause.J And third and last, and
rising perhaps higher In The scale than any
other. Is the completion Of line Of railroad
which will connect our southern country upon
the one side TO the Pacific. and upon the other
side to the All ntlc coast fApplausel
| know that there Is limo OF railroad now In
operation which runs from ports upon the At
lantic to the Pacific but 1t VAS line Of railroad
du ring the war, and cannot be de-
pended upon for the sale and permanent transit