Year: 1859

ever she requires at your hands, thai


you are to give. Your first love be,


longs to her; she is tho matron who


has nursed you, and the Queen Moth.
er to whom you owe allegiance. A.
an advocate and defender at home o
the doctrines of the State rights men o
the school ofl79S, do not come her,
to ask you to abate one jot or title o
your affection and jealousy for thu
honor and interest of Virginia. ln'
deed, were such an invocation nee
essary, which know it is not, | would


invoke you by the great names fyouI
history, by the memory Of your an
cient renown, by the thrilling associ'
atlons OF the classic soil on which we
stand, and by the present command.
ing attitude which your Common.
wealth holds before the world, to be
true and loyal to what she has been,
what she is, and what she hopes to be.


But how stands Virginia in refer.
ence to the assault which was made
upon her citizens and her soil at Har.
per's Ferry on the 18th day Of Octo.
Der, 1850, and what vindication does
she need at your hands for the out.
ragel Are the circumstances such
as to require the rc.cnactment of the
Mosaic law, repealed by the benign
teachings of the Nazarene on the
shores Of Gallee? Is she required to
say in a stern and inexorable spirit /:


"And if any mischief follow, then
thou shalt give life for life.


Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for
hand, foot for foot.


Burning for burning, wound for
wound, stripe for stripe!'


Not so. She asks nothing of the
kind at your hands. Punishment has
already been swift and sure. The
measure of her vengeance for the
great wrong committed against her is
full, and her vindcation is ample be.
fore the world. She met her invaders
on the spot, and those who lifted their
hand againsther are all of them, in the
graves to which Virginians consigned
them; few bound in her prisons, and
few others wanderers and fugitives
on the face Of the earth. The exccu-
tive and citizens Of your State guided
the bolt which fell upon this mad off,
spring of loathsome fanaticism, and
the invasion pcrishcd at a single blow.
And in the spirit of the answer of
Cushi to King David !, would say to
you: "The enemies of the State of
Virginia, and all that rise against her
to do her hurt be, as these men are
But as the great King of Israel rose
up and went to his chamber, and wept
over the untimely fall Of Absolem, the
rebellious son of his own loins, who
had lifted his parricidal hand against
the life of an indulgent father, may
not the world commend similar emo.
ton in the breast Of a jury Of Virgin
ians over the sorrowlul fate of the
youthful prisoner at the bar You
will probably say that the lives
of your citizens have been sacrificed.
| answer that it is lamcntably true :;
but it is also true that lie has been
taken already to atone for life; that
the blood of murderers, older and wis.
er than the prisoner, has been poured
out in response to the cry of the blood
of your citizens from the ground
You will say that the soil of your
State has been polluted by the foot of
the traitor. | answer that that foot
step rested but as for a moment on
your border. and was swept away bya
whirIwind Of patriotic Indignation
You will say that your law has been
violated; your dignity and honor as a
tree people insulted. | answer that,
alas it is too true but | answer, also.
that it is equally true that your laws
have been fully, thoroughly, and just.
ly vindcated. Here in this court,
again and again, the sword Of justice
welded by an even hand, has fallen
upon the miserable remnant of the
confederatcd band who impiously
mocked the integrity Of the Ameri-
can Union by assaiIing the institu.
tons Of Virginia. The leader stands
at the foot Of the gallows, and on its
heights will expiate many crimes
against the peace and laws of the
country--not least amongst which is
the crime of cnlisting young men,
such as the prisoner in a cruise Of pir.
acy against you and |. and all law
abiding citizens of this happy Union.
Let the leader Of the mutiny on ship.
board perish, but if it appears that
young men have followed false guild.
ance, and been bound in the despot.
ism of an iron will, order them back
to duty, and give them one more
chance to show whether they are wor.
thy Of life or death. Virginia can
thus afford to act. 1t is one Of the
chief blessings of power that it can
extend mercy to the weak; and the
crown jewel Of courage is magnanim'
ity to the fallen.


But there is another point on which
Virginia, though mourning for the
death of her citizens, has triumphant.
Iy met the aspersions and calumnies
of the enemies of her domestic insti.
tutions by reason Of the late outbreak
at Harper's Ferry. The institution
of domestic slavery to-day stands be.
fore the world more justified than ever
before in the history of this or, indeed,
perhaps, OF any other country. The
liberator, urged on by false and