The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1895-10-31
HON. JOHN R TUCKER
OF Virginia, Addresses the State
Bar Association.
ELOQUENT GRAFTON LAST NIGHT
AZ tho Grand opsra House on "VF.
glnia's Place in Constitutional and
Municipal OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
and Rsaaed Audience Hears Him
with EnthuSIussIc Approval

ing Hon. John Randolph Tucker dc.
liyered an address Incidental to the an
nuaI meeting Of the state bar aIsocia'
ton, his thome being "yitgiula'S Place
in Constitutional and Municipal Juris,
prudence Owing to tho delay Of the
train on which he arrived, Mr.. Tucker
was constrained TO cut his address a
iltle short, much to tho disappointment
OF the large and fno audience which
gtsetel him. 1t was one Of tho most
pelshsd. entertaining and instructive
sddresgsa ever heard in Wheeling.
Mr, Tucker Ia man Of Que presence
and exceedingly graceful bearing. His
styls 70 always p!Saiipr and no fro
queRtly becomes eloluOat IN tue eS'
tfeme. With so iusnirinS q theme 1t u
not stranga tuat he hold such Ap audi
sncs e~peilbcund, and the only regret
anyone within the reach Of mis- voice
islt, wal that he did not speak longer,
MI. W, 4. Hubbard eloquonlly iuiro.
ducad the orator OF the evening. iie
said that in spite OF revolutions, the
laws had held their own. Though di-
yided from tho mother state. no said,
her decisions are our Law, her lawyers
are our councillors. One OF them who
Ras as proud oil Virginia as Virginia
was Of him wal TO make the address Of
this occasion. lie presented Hon. John
Randolph Tucker, who was greeted
with hearty RppiRusG,
Mr.. IuckerTegsn his address with a
review OF the foundations al Anglo
Saxon civilization and law. The battles
which mark the progress OF the human
race, he said, are not fought on folds OF
carnage, but they ara contests in the
human soul. Heglancad at tho history
Of William, the %COnquhror, OF John, Of
the Magma Charta, aud ni the calling
into parliament ny Edward OF represen.
tatiyes Of the shirOs and towns. Early
10 Edward Wareignit was enacted that
all business must DO done by tile Com.
mons, together with the mobiles and
ecclesiastica. THIS welded power TO
right, representation to taxation. Then
the popular will became potential in
the English government After this
Columbus discovered America, Coper-
nicus dreamed OF new heavens, Luther
was then but ton yearl old. Printing
was discovered. A century later tho
Reformation had shattered the shackl0s
that bound the human mind.
In May, 1907. when the ground was
covered with flowers, q lew hundred
English ~colonists landed on the shores
Of Virginia. they were young and bold
men, tired Of old habits. ambitious tor
freedom to plant 4 larger empire.
They brought with them the spirit OF
British freedom. all tho old bonds
were loosened.
In this new world all the vital prin'
ciples Of Magma Charta survived, but
there was no royal PRESENCE, no e%cclesi'
GSLic authority. no hereditary nobility.
In April, 1913, before the foot Of a
single pilgrim had trod the famous
Plymouth Rock, Virginia had 10 con.
solidated her interests as to form 4
government.
1t was in Virginia that the people
first declared that there should be no
taxation OF the people except by the
people. Il was provided also that q
man could not be deprived Of life, lib.
erty or property except by the judg.
ment oil his peorl, aud that lie could
mot be deprived OF property excop
when due compensation was made.
Property is a part OF a man; he has put
into it part OF himself, and TO assert tile
inYiolability Of property was to declare
his own freedom.
The original Virginia system oil taxa
ton was sketched aud explained. In
1924 1t wac enacted that no taxes
should be levied otherwise than by the
net Of tho General Assembly, represent.
ing tho people, and not long after Il wa.
declared that no money so collected
should be spent except By tho direction
OF the same assembly.
When Charles | 'lost his head" tho
relation Of virginia to the mother coun.
try was a delicate and difficult subject,
but after sotne difficulties the BritiIn
government gave great connections TO
Virginia securing TO the local govorn-
ment all power OF taxation aud Internal
government. Other colonies had de-
CARED at various timOs their Inherent
right to the samo sek government.
Ma1sachusetts had claimed, Mr.. Tucker
said, priority Of utlorance OF ;his prin.
ciple, hut he denied her claim and said
that In her assertion OF the right Of Eelt
taxation Virginia was the leader aud
the pioneer.
Ills second claim for Nirgipla was
that che led In tho revolutionary move
meat. HI road the declaration Of Viz.
ginia's convention OF l71i, followed Uy
the raising ot troops, tho choice oil
GeoHye Arlington ~ president and
the adoption. May 10, 1910, Of . practical
declaration Oi Independence by Virgin
ia. When finally IL was decided by tho
colonies to separate from tho mother
country. tho hand that was chosen to
draw ~ tho declaration, was that Of
VfrginiR's grea! aOn, Thomas Jefferson.
Six woels before this the rnpreseuta'
tivoa OF virginia had declarod-nOt
what ought 10 DO aud was 10 no, but
what then was that Virginia was aud
OF right ought To DO a free Rud indopcn'
dent country. George Macon wrote
tho frat declaration making n Tree
commonwealth on this continent VII.
gInia was tho first 10 adopt a consIitu.
ton, tho first 10 put an army In tho
tlOld,-iirst always.
llo claimed, third, that Virginia was
the lfat to establish absolute religious
freedom. Sho declared that religion
conld bO governed only by reason and
conviction, and not by fbtco aud law,
and II was tho duty Of all to exercise
Christian forbcaranCe. lilo said 1t was
strange that 10 palpable n declaration
should over hnyO seemed now. 10 coin.
pol a man Ia contribute 10 tho support
Of d religion In which I'm did not be'
lioyo was tue very essence Of tho incan'
Olt kind Of tyranny