I should like to know, first how many reporters it would be necessary to retain. I suppose the party with whom the Convention contracted should designate the reporters to be retained. I certainly had no idea that our proceedings in secret session were not only to be excluded from the public for the present, but were to be absolutely suppressed. I think it would be important to have a record of the proceedings in secret kept. I understand now, that one reporter will be sufficient, and with that understanding, I shall vote for the resolution of the gentleman from Charles City.
The resolution offered by
The Hall was then cleared of the reporters, with the exception of the one
designated in the resolution. PUBLIC MEETING IN THE COUNTY OF
CULPEPER Mr. Barbour, of Culpeper, presented the following proceedings in
the Convention: At an immense meeting of the citizens and voters of the county of
Culpeper, held to-day, the fifteenth of April, 1861, the
following preamble and resolutions were unanimously adopted
: Whereas, the proclamation of the President of the United States,
dated this day, has reached us, by the mail of this morning, and
informs us, of the purpose and policy of the Cabinet in
Washington in respect to our national troubles, as finally
agreed upon, and ordered to be officially proclaimed ; and
whereas, the said proclamation announced to the world the
intention of the President to maintain the Union by force of
arms and invokes the cooperation of the military and civil
powers of the country, to that end and by that means ; and
whereas, in the opinion of this meeting the maintenance of free
institutions by military force, and the preservation of the
public harmony by actual war, is equally impossible in fact as
absurd in theory; and whereas, the people of this ancient county
have on all occasions, up to this present moment, evinced by the
most unequivocal testimonials their deep devotion and sincere
loyalty to the most magnificent experiment in behalf of human
liberty which the annals of human society have recorded, and
have hoped and struggled whilst doubts existed as to the designs
of power, without ever for a moment intending to foment or to
countenance sectional discords or divisions on a question, in
regard to which there is in fact a perfect community of interest
and sentiment. Therefore, this meeting feels it to be its duty
and its privilege to announce promptly and briefly, but
distinctly its feelings and opinions—and accordingly it is
resolved, unanimously, That the means and expedients for a pacific and patriotic
solution of our national troubles are finally and entirely
exhausted. That it is now the sacred duty of all our people, without
reference to any conditions of personal inconvenience, to unite
together and present an undivided and undivisible front in
support of the interest, the honor, and the order of our beloved
and venerable sovereign and mother, the ancient Commonwealth of
Virginia. That with us political parties exist no more—the memory of their
passions and conflicts is delivered to oblivion. Resolved, further, That we will not countenance or permit
contests for public stations, and we do hereby re-nominate our
present representatives, State and Federal. And, finally, be it resolved as the opinion of this meeting,
respectfully expressed to our State Convention, now in session,
That Virginia has no alternative but to reclaim all the
attributes of her original sovereignty, and to announce
immediately, by solemn ordinance, her fixed purpose to seek such
future affiliations as are most favorable and convenient to the
interests and security of her own people. The proclamation of the President was, by general request, read
by John S. Pendleton, after which he submitted the foregoing
preamble and resolutions, which, he stated, had been very
hastily prepared at the instance of a number of the oldest and
most influential citizens ; and he accompanied them with a few
remarks, which were received with much applause. He stated that
he was just from Washington, where he had been for as much as a
couple of days, for the first time in two years, on the private
business of a personal friend ; that he had sought to get from
the highest sources the best information he could ; but that he
had nothing to report, and no information, but what was common
to the whole public by means of the public press. The proceedings were adopted unanimously, and with remarkable
enthusiasm, and ordered to be published, and communicated to the
Convention and to James Barbour and Hon. Wm. Smith. The crowd then called upon a number of gentlemen—Mr. Daniel F.
Slaughter, Richard H. Cunningham; Col. Freeman, Jas. L.
Stringfellow, Messrs. Patton, Gray, Field and Green, of the
Culpeper bar; Gen. Kemper, of Madison county; Mr. Gabriel Jones,
lately of Iowa, though born and raised in Culpeper, and others,
all of whom responded in the same spirit, and in terms which
frequently elicited very great approbation. The meeting was held in the public streets in front of the
Piedmont Hotel, because there was no room in the place large
enough to hold half the crowd.
