Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-12-30
AMERICAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY.
First Session OF the Eighth Annual Meeting
Held Last Night.

Held Last Night.
PRESIDENT HENRY's OPENING ADDREss-rHR vYR-
oINIA SECESSION CONVENTION OF 1861 Dis
cUssED BY JEFFREY r. BARTLETT OF BALrINoRE
THE TURNING POINT IN THE STATE.
The first session of the eighth annual meet
ing Of the American Historical. Society was
held last evening in the lecture hail Of the
Columbian University. There was not a large
attendance, but in the audience were num-
Der Of men who have gained prominence as
writer's on historical subjects shortly before
o'clock the president of the association. VIM.
Writ Henry of Richmond, Va, and Herbert B.
Adams of Johns Hopkins University. the sec
rotary, came upon the platform. Without any
formal opening exercises the proceedings were
begun by the president, who delivered the an
nual address.
PRESIDENT HENRY's ADDRESS.
He congratulated the members on the pros
perity of the association and then paused to
pay fitting tribute to the memory of the
members who had died during the year.
Prominent IN the list was the name of George
Bancroft the distinguished historian. an eX-
president Of the association. He then ad-
dressed himself to the subject Of tho paper,
the virginia OF the revolutionary period.
These are briefly stated as follows: list The
rich soil and mild climate Of Virginia. together
with her numerous nayigable streams and mag
niflcent bay, which by their abundance of deep
water prevented concentration at any one
point and the building of large cities ID The
variety Of her production and the great value
OF her chief staple. tobacco which. together
with slavery. fixed her as an agricultural colony.
Sd The Anglo-Saxon race that settled Virginia,
xrst oil lee l.-.x ,,.e g.
AZURE, arts and sciences, and the attachment
the settlers felt for the mother country, which
they had left from no feeling Of dissatisfaction
as to her laws and from no persecution in re-
ligion. but bringing with them those laws and
her established church. 4th. Slavery which
together with entailed estates, furnished a class
OF wealthy planters. representing the barons Of
England. Tho effect Of slavery upon the
whites. male and female, is briefly noticed.
9th. The form OF government for the colony
as whole and for each county. which repre-
sented the principle of home rule. Under this
head the great influence Of justices of the peace
who held the monthly county courts, is par
tlcularly mentioned as being a remarkable
force in developing Virginia character, and the
euloSies upon them of eminent Nirglnians are
given 9th. The public and private schools and
the College of William and Mary, giving higher
education, which were the educational forces
existing
The address closed by drawing attention to
Washington 8 scheme of great national uni
versi:y at the city of Washington He quoted
from the will drawn by Washington, which
made beqnest for this purpose of fifty shares
OF the Potomac Company. In the opinion of
the speaker 1t was not too late to mako the
attempt to carry out this cherished plan of
Washington. He spoke of the fact that COM
mlttee of Congress had been appointed 10 con-
slider this matter as q hopeful sign.
JEFFREY R. BRAcKErT's PAPER.
1.-THE Virginia Secession Convention Of 1861"
was the theme of a well-digested paper by JEFF
frey r. Bracket Of Baltimore. The paper was
very brief resume of one of several studies he is
making in the political history Of the border
slave states in 1861. These special topics, treated
In detail, are intended to be object lessons to
use the current school expression. of important
phases of that history and to some extent of
the general history of the time The paper
was Limited to an attempt to show plainly what
were the much-talked-Of Union men of Virginia
in the spring of 1861. This is really the key to
the action of the convention. The Virginia
legislature had spoken with unanimity against
coercion OF the seeded states and, the con-
dltion OF Virginia's continuance in the Union.
Tor constitutional guarantees for the equality
OF the states and the protection of slave prop
erty 1t also inaugurated the peace confer
ence to secure these guarantees and called q
state convention.
MR.. sEwARp's IDEA
It is well known, he said, that Mr. Seward,
who was regarded by many as the power be-
hind the throne Of the new administration, and
other northern and western republicans at
Washington were then inclining to a concilia-
tory policy to the south and were hoping for the
growth OF Union party there. Let us call q
truce on slavery questions, said Mr.. Seward,
and unite against disunion. And he went SO
far as to suggest to Mr.. Lincoln as possibly
available Candidates for Office. as worthy repre-
sentatives OF the Union party of Virginia two
Virginians who had Just told him that the legis-
iatnre had largely voiced the people.
The convention which met on February IS
was an able body, mostly of men of middle life
or beyond 1t. Four-fifths of the members were
opposed to immediate secession. They were
called Union men or conservatives, but nearly
all were elected on the platform, plainly under
stood, of constitutional guarantees as necessary
conditions to continuance in the Union, of
friendly feeling, and not force, as the only
means OF restoring and preserving the Union
The great majority continued to hope for COM
promise despite the neglect of the plan of the
peace conference by Congress the first days Of
March. month later the failure of motion
for secession showed that only few men had
gone over to the minority.
THE TURNING POINT.
The turning point was Mr.. Lincoln's call for
troops and then the conservatives continued
to lead Only after the plan for cooperation
with the border slave states failed by few
votes did separate secession appear to be GER
tain. There was no out-and out Union party
in the convention, as the word would have been
understood in the days that followed north of
Masons and Dixons line. There was a little
group OF o dozen men from the northwest
counties who strongly opposed secession and
who left Richmond when Virginia left the
Union. But their leader, Mr.. Carlile, fell short
OF bold and clear stand. One other. Mr..
Jackson, declared he wouldn't go with the
south under any circumstances. They belong
to the history of West Virginia When men
spoke Of the Old Dominion they meant not the
Virginia OF the panhandle. the Ohio border.
but OF the James, the Rappahannock and the
Shenandoah.
RECORDS OF A VIRGINIA COUNTY.
President Lyon G. Tyler of William and
Mary College presented the last paper Of the |
evening, which was entitled "a Few Facts |
From the Records Of an Old Virginia County"
The county referred to was York, the records |
OF which are complete from 1858 to the present |
day. The scope Of the paper, however, was |
confined to the records of The seventeenth CEN |
fury. He found that the people Of that day |
were merchants we'll as planters, and |
gave number Of extracts showing the habits |
and customs of the people.
SOME OF rHosE PRESENT.
Among those present were President Jas. D. |
Angel OF the University of Michigan, Presi-
dent Chas. X. Adams Of Cornell University, /
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