Year: 1861

In the address of Mr.. Janney, of Lou doun,
on taking the chair as President Of the Vir-
ginia Convention, he remarked:


1t is now, gentlemen, seventy-thre years
since Convention of the people of this Com
monwealth was assembled in this hall for the
purpose of ratifying the Consultation of the
United States, and one of the main objects Of
that instrument was to consolidate, not the
Government, but the Union of these States
Causes which do not mean to enumerate,
causes which have passed and are daily pass
ing into history, which will set its seal upon
them all, have brought that Constitution and
this Union into imminent peril, and Virginia
has come to-day to the rescue Of them; and
well she might 1t is what the whole country
expected at her hands, because that Constitu-
tion and that Union are two of the many proud
monuments OF her own glory. Her honored
son, who lies at Mount Vernon, the political
Mecca Of all future ages, was the President of
the body that framed it; and another of her
illustriOus sons whose brow wore the crown
with the civic wreath that will never fade,
and who lies in the county of Orange, was the
chief architect of that instrument and five of
her own native sons have been called to the
chief magistracy Of the Government which
they aided in founding. 1t cannot be then
gentlemen, that government thus founded
thus administered by our own sons, can now
be permitted TO fall without bringing either
reproach upon the wisdom of its founders or





ism.


Gentlemen, there is an old flag, the flag of
the Union, which has been borne in triumph
now for nearly century through the battle
and the breeze, and that flag now floats over
this Capitol, with star upon it representing
this ancient Commonwealth Of ours God grant
that 1T may remain there for ever and / am
sure that 1 but utter the sentiments of every
man in this body, when utter from the bottom
OF my heart that prayer. But, gentlemen, it
must remain there with its crowning luster un-
dimmed and untarnished. [Applause


We shall ask here for all the rights, and all
the privileges, and full equality with the citi-
zens OF the Empire States Of New York, Penn
sylvania, and Ohio; but in doing that we will
scOrn to aeman6one jot or title more than we
are willing cheerfully to concede to the citizens
Of our little sister States, Delaware and Rhode
Island. Rhode. Island Heaven bless her-a
little State with heart big enough for a whole
Continent; and pray God that the example
which she set but the other day may be fol-
lowed, and rapidly followed. by all her sisters
Of the North.


Gentlemen, the responsibility resting upon
this body is an awful one. When I agreed to
be candidate for this ConventiOn-when I
said to my constituents, if it was their pleasure
to give me their unsolicited suffrages for a seat
in this body, would serve them-I said it with
fear and trembling. The people have said
they will revise our work; but still the conse-
quences OF our action here, although subject to
that revision, may be full of good or full of
evil, We may, / trust-and I trust in God we
shall-so conduct our measures here, and bring
them to such q conclusion as that some of our
sister States of the South, who, for what they
believe TO be just case, have wandered little
from their orbits, may be brought back into
the old constellation, to give and receive light
to and from their old sisters am not without
hope that even old Massachusetts,. when she
comes to remember the Past-for she has past
as well as presenr-when she comes to re-
member whose sword it was that was first torn
from the scabbard upon her own soil, and never
returned to the shield until her independence
and liberty were secured. and remembers from
whence he came, will wsken up to q sense of
justice, and, following the example of her SIS
ter, Rhode Island, will expunge from her
statue book that which her own wisest and best
citizens say is disgrace to it.


Gentlemen, this is no party Convention. 1t
is our duty in considering the subjects that
will come before US, to elevate ourselves into
an atmosphere whore party passion and party
prejudice cannot live, and to conduct our pro-
ceedings in a manner and doubt not we
shall, that will reflect credit upon all. I hope
and trust that the result of our labors may re-
dOund to the good of the State and Of the
Union. IApplause