Year: 1860




March 2lst, 1860.


In pursuance to a call of former meet
ing, the Republicans of this County
assembled in Convention and were organ
lied by calling John Brown, Esq, to the
chair, and appointing Thomas Bonsal as
Secretary.


The Committee appointed at the last
meeting TO prepare business for this Con-
vention, made report of the following pre-
amblc and resolutions, which were read
and unanimously adopted:


AS citizens of Hancock Co., Va, we
have this day assembled to give expression
to our views and opinions upon the great
political questions now before the Ameri-
can people, and agitated in our Common
wealth. We deem it the right we'll as
the duty of all good citizens to examine
for themselves the various questions
which arise from time to time in pro-
gressive Republic, and to further give to
these questions calm delibcration in
asscmblage of the people at such places as
shall bring these advantages within the
reach of every voter in the land.


While we concur in the distinctive doc
trine of the Republican party, that Slavery
does not exist in the Territories by virtue
of the Constitution, and that no power
should impose it upon them until the
people thereof come, in their sovereign
capacity, 10 form a State Constitution,
preparatory to their admission into this
Union; and, while we shall feel ourselves
bound to so labor and vote as to bring
into power the party who pledge them
selves to carry out these principles, yet
we think that to-day we have n more
solemn duty to perform in our own sovc-
reign State, and that is to examine the
various grievances to which we are sub
jccted, owing to the Constitutional wrongs
and Legislative cnactmcnts of this Com
mOnwcalth.


And what are some of the grievances of
which we complain, and which we think
are attributable to those who uphold the
institution of Slavery, and most directly,
within the last few years, to the Democrat
ic party?


And we ask the careful consideration Of
all citizens, of these wrongs, which, we
think, of the same nature and nearly
equal those of which our fathers complain
ed in the memorable declaration of l77G,
to the resistance of which they solemnly
pledged to each other their lives, their
fortunes and their sacred honor.


And first: The Bill of rights to our
present State Constitution in section 18th,
sets forth :That the freedom of the press
is one of the great bulwarks Of liberty,
and can never be restrained but 10y des-
potic governments" The Constitution of
the United States, in the first amendment
thereto, declares "that Congress shall
make no law abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press" By reference to
the 22d section of chap. 1913 of the code
of 1919, we find that our Legislature has
declared it an offence, punishable by con-
fincmcnt i'll the Jail not more than one
~. g md
ing S5OO,OOO, to assert by speaking or
writing, that owners have not right of
property in their slaves. And further, in
section "a, of the same chapter, it Is made
obligatory upon all postmaSters, under Il
penalty of 100000, to make report to
some justice of the peace, of all books or
other writing received at his Office, which
shall inculcate resistance to the right OF
masters in slaves, and to have the same
burned in his presence, and to further re-
turn ali subscribers to such publications,
who are to be committed to Jail. The
effect of which laws, if carried out, would
be to establish the most Odious censorship
of speech and the press. Already have
some of our citizens been driven from the
State, others placed under ii worse than
French espionage. and it is only because
men, while in the East, refrain from the





pie of the West they are treated as dead
letters upop our statute books, that the
most fearful collisions have not taken
place. Should any portion Of our citizens
seek strict enforcement of these laws,
resistance would spring up over all the
hills and valleys of the West, which,
sooner than anything else, would make us
n united people, and wipe out forever these
stains upon our State escutchcon. The
classic motto and thrilling scene portrayed
upon the great seal of our Commonwealth,
would be verified to the letter in the
triumph of the people over the tyr"nt cen
sor of our rights.


Second: The 22d section of article
of our constitution says "that all taxation
shall be equal and uniform throughout
the Commonwealth, and all property, other
than slaves. shall be taxed in proportion
to its value. Sec. %, of the same article,
saws that every slave who has attained the
age of twelve years, shall be assessed with
a tax equal to and not exceeding that as
sessed on land of the value of three hun
drcd dollars. Slaves under that age shall
not be subject to taxation.


We recognize in this provision the
statement of great and fundamental law
that all taxes should be uniform-while
in the same clause it relieves the slave
holder of his just proportion of the expen,,,
ses of the State. 1t is known that all
slaves over II years are worth from $500,
to $500 each, while those under that age
are worth from $500 to $500.


The owners of this peculiar property
were afraid to state the general PROPOSE
ton of uniformity in taxation, and leave
the details to be brought out in Legislation,
AS on other property, but they have ad-
roitly hedged around the institution, ny
the constitution itself, as it their properly
was of n higher order than the lands and
chattels of other citizens.


Let us here examine the practical work
ing of this arrangement.