Staunton spectator and vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1896-1916, 1904-01-29
MR.. TUCKER in NEW YORK,
Brilliant Address Before The PennsyI-
yania Society.

Ell Va:
Mr.. President: Gentlemen of th
Pennsylvania Society: lam very gla
to know, sir, that you are able to re
member what transpired ct my hom
after the mint julep. daughter
cordially mite with you also in th
invitation to the Sons of PennsyIvani,
to come to see me at Lexington, bu
don sll come at once
When | read the intellectual menl
which was to be served to this assem-
biage, dealing with transactions oI
more than one hundred years ago,
understood why your polite Invitation
came to me. for but few days ago, as
l arrived in the City of Washington tG
lassume duty which 1 have under.
taken there, scarcely had l been there
ltwenty-fOur hours when a Committee
waited upon me and the chairman
isaid: "Mr. Tucker. you are from Vir
giDia?" l said, "yes ST." ''Then we
want you to Join the Society for the
Preservation OF Antiquities and Ar
ch8ological Research''-and hence |
am invited to join in this interesting
discussion of The Territorial expan
sion, not of the Virginians, but of the
great State of Pennsylvania more than
a hundred years ago.
| was prepared to take up the cause
of Old Virginia. (Applause.) May
my right arm falter when 1 fail to
attempt to defend her against all
corners But here comes Connecticut
Yankee, the Governor of the great
j State of Connecticut, who declares
! that he has deed in bis possession
for the beautiful county of Westmore
land, in the State of Pennsylvania.
Why. Gentlemen of the Pennsylvania
Society, Westmoreland county is
county that Old Virginia claims
(Laughter). Yes, we also ought to
have a deed; l was prepared to main
tain the claim against Pennsylvania,
but here comes another knlght1who
hss entered the lists. But for the de
Tense of Old Virginia to her claim
enter the lists, Come one, come all. 81
This rock shall fly from its firm base
as soon as L in her defense. CAP
plause) But, Governor, where in
t r t b is WestmoreIand county /?
(Laughter). I don't know about Con-
necticut, but surely Virginia hasn't
got it, and l don't think you will even.
get it, sir except in the neck, from
Pennsylvania. I.aughter). Is it worth
while fighting over it?
We have down in one of the back |
countries of Old Virginia a fireside |
lawyer, one of those interesting char
acters that the lawyers cultivate, for |
they always advise the people wrong. |
An old negro man went up to him not |
long ago, and. said he, "Mistah John
slug, L wants to ak you questions u
He knew it all. Said be, what Is it !
Ephraim ?'' II jess want to az you
dis one question, kin Square Stout
amyers, kin be take up a nigger for
stealing chickens and whoop him |
without any trial2" NE sir, it cam |
be done under the constitution -
WELL" said he. ''he done done 1t. "
(Laughter) Can Pennsylvania take
Virginia territory, or the territory that
belongs to Connecticut by deed?
don't know, but she has ''done done
it.n
My honored friend that sits before
me who has so kindly introduced me,
has said to you that Virginia law was
administered in Pennsylvania back in
IT'S. Ah, Sons of Pennsylvania, if
the greatness of a people is in mea-
sure dependent upon the character of
justice which is meted out of them in
their infancy, what debt of gratitude
you owe to Old Virginia for giving
you the ideal justice so early in your
history. l can give you one reason,
perhaps, that some of you do not know,
why they stopped that. In 170S Joe
Pidgeon, a Magistrate of the City of
Philadelphia, joining with his COM
panions petitioned the council in these
words:-"Honorable Members of the
Council: 1t is scandalous, not only in
this city and county, but throughout
the Government of this great Common
wealth, that while in other countries
they have Court Houses in which to
hold the courts, we have to hold the
courts in ale houses in Philadelphia. ="
Of course, ladies and gentlemen, a Vir-
ginia Justice would not hold court in
an ale house.
Now my friends, really and serious
ly. in the language of Cobb, as look
you in the face this night and hear all
that has been said about Pennsylvania
| hardly know where am at" Why,
We Virginians, l had thought, had q
monopoly of self praise, but l bow my
diminished head in your presence to
night. tLaughter) 1 give it up Why,
as l sit here and hear the words of
praise to your State, lit is not because
of what have taken here) but | hard
Iy know, | can hardly discover wheth-
er you are all Virginians or L am a
PennsYlvanian. Laughter and 40
plause).
l am very careful at my house in
training my children to learn all those
interesting little ditties. such as Il
love to see a little dog and pat him on |
the head;' and that beautiful little |
sonnet Twinkle. twinkle, little star"
and being proud of their accomplish
ments l summoned in one of the twins. |
for all well regulated houses In Virgin
ia have twins Laughter) l summon.
ed in one of the little fellows to make |
an exhibition of what he knew. l ask
ed him for that beautiful little ballad
ktT