The advocate. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1901-1913, 1912-10-17

| -. 4t--SA ~ 'sAp-. WY LudHy illuminated
pages IN American history; pages
which have, lighted up with lustre un-
dimmed, our centuries Of colonial and
& OF national life. '...'r. -
| The first Of them wei ( written by
the Old Dominion State OF which youf
commonwealth was once part; and
the student of history anxiously scan
ming the future for a sure sign of what
America; is to be, can do no better
Than to turn again and again, as /
nave done, to Virginia past.
On a beautiful day in April 1884,
two staunch ships com missioned by
Queen Elizabeth to find northwest
passage to China, set sail from old
England, and under the leadership Of
Walter Raleigh, on July 4. a day des-
tined to become the birthday of the
nation. landed on the American coast;
round harbor and took possession in
the name of his Queen. y.
And this was his report: "a land
the most beautiful and sweet in all
the world, and the people such as live
after the manner Of the Golden Age
For this discovery Raleigh was
knighted, and the new land bore the
Queens maiden name. Virginia. -
From that time Virginia's hisJ5ry
began and has continued unhroken to
the present time. Thomas Nelson
Page has we'll said: Her history, be-
longs, not to the present Virginia
alone, it is the heritage Of every state
carved from the mighty empire once
embraced within her borders. She
brought forth a new civilization wher.
character, sincerity and honor wee
new badges of citizenship" o.,
washington, Jefferson Madison
Henry and Mason were 10 accidents
They were the natural 2, oducts of a
government with, such ideals Of citi-
zenship: Virginia like tbe old New
ENGLAND colonies had &, remained a
beacon light OF the world because she
has a foundation; a.. triple, foundation,
tlf you please; ownership of soil, self
government, adherence t, Christian
| faith
These foundations were charter
rights, renewed again in 1905, 1909
and 1912, and were the basis of the
liberties for which we fought in 1776
when England forgot righteousness
and forgot Runnymcde.
These foundations mude possible
men like Senator Wiley, whose broad
craftsmanship did so much in your
Ftime OF trial, to safely carve from the
$4,000 square miles of tcrritory-this
mighty wedge between Oiju. and Penn
t-sylyania and Maryland and boundeA
on the east by the sky-kissed summit
OF the Allegranies--a sta:e which has
become star in the grand galaxy
or states, shining with as pure a lus.
tire as any of them.
Senator Wiley saw the future of
West Virginia with. the vision of q
true prophet when in his plea before
the United States Senate, in sum-
ming up his argument fof the states
autonomy, he said: West Virginia
like newly discovered star-East
Virginia and West Virginia twin
stars-4shall hereafter shine with ever
increasing lustre in the zodiac Of
states encircling our Western Hemis-
phere"
| My fellow countrymen, because we
believe in foundations Of government; ;
foundations which forced their way
down through shifting sands and slire
and top soil Of public opinion to the
bedrock Of eternal yerites, we are
cDtimists, optimists some Of US,
IaIcy, with the same cheerful tent
perament possessed by Br1 dett's hero
who when he fell from tenth story
window could count the stories as be
shot downward, and who in PASSING
the last one said well, it's all right
tgo far"
I Let politicians who arr afraid take
q day off and read history Let then
begin with Virginia, let them go tc
mount Vernon and to Monticello. Lei
them listen again to the patron saint
OF democracy, Thomas Jefferson, anc
hear these words Of wiaGom as they
ring down the centuries: "All mel
are created equal. Governments To-
their perpetuity must lest upon tht
consent of the governed"
We have been building some
worthless scheme of government upor
this old foundation, and If we hav,
they will prove a house Of cards, ant
the house will rise no higher thar