National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-09-24
Warm, and XIrrlnIn.

1t was in the month Of February, 1861,
that the wisdom of Virginia assembled in
grand state convention to consider tho
momcntous question of dissolving the
United States aud forming now con.
federacy. Tho great men of tho state
were there, aud, to add to the dignity and
high consideration of tho assembly,
special commissioners from other seced-
ing states were sent and received with
the solemn pomp suited TO tho historic
crisis, 1t became the duty oil the ad-
visers Of the mother of statesmen, Nir-
ginia, to tell hor what would bo the ad-
vantnges of separation from the north,
and in what way her people would bo
benefited by secession.
Tho great state of Georgia selected as
its representative Hon. Henry l.. Ben
ming, and Mr.. Benning assumed the task
Of persuading Virginia that her interests
lay in secession. Toprove this the orator
made labored argument to show that
one consequence OF secession would be
that in order to carry on the new govern
ment money must be had to raise mehoy
a tariff must be imposed; thaF in his
opinion such tariff would, be equal to the
then tariff of the United States that the
tariff would create manufactures at the
south, and that with manufactures the
millcnhium would appear. He said;
,ff then, Virginia finds that she requires n
certain measure Of protection for any Of the
articles of her manufacture let her come in
the spirit of a suiter to our congress- now sit
ting at Montgomery, and say SO, and if She
does, l venture to predict that she will be met
in the most yielding spirit BY manufactures
you would have the cotton trade and your
long desired direct trade with Europe. In
short, manufactures would give you an i'm
mense commerce. Your cities would become
the distributing points of the continent, and
one of them might become the empire city of
the continent. And what q change would all
this make in your state Your towns and
cities would expand, your counties would ill
up, your red hills would recover their vcrdurc,
your railroads would pay dividends, your in.
eXhaustible mineral stores would burst forth,
real estate would rise, your heavy public debt
would cease to cause you thought.
And. so tho orator went on with glowing
beulcuCeS 10 ScI lOEtu luo DCuuLlcS Ol u
tariff for protection to manufactures in
Virginia, and under the spell of his
radiant eloquence the old politicians sat
there drinking in the wine Of Georgia
wisdom, and feeling that the consumma-
tion was not only one devoutly to be
wished, but ono that a gallant people
could we'll afford to do little shooting
for. Tho speech was persuasive one,
and accounted the ablest made by any of
tho special commissioners. Leaving out
the secession sentiments in it, one might
imagine from its fervid commendation of
the tariff that the orator was James G..
Blaine addressing mass meeting Of the
friends of industry in Ohio, instead of a
southern orator trying to beat little
sense into the heads of Randolph Tucker
and the old bourbons who expect to mako
Virginia rich by building up industries
in Manchester and letting Richmond rot
in idleness on the undevoloped power OF
tho James.