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Show ROEBUCK. 70 de at the door, the • ('f' been n1n ' rl·oclamntion havlno t house-all except those d . t the cour - .. eople gathere lll o tl form~tion of a. colnpany ;vho w~·e too intent npo~l l:f war hacl been deter-f nvnlry. The questlOll l t it had been forced o c.~ '" . they thoug1' , . . . 1 nu. ncc l , or r~the. i' asT he qucst10. 11 of seces 'lOU I en1n.mec by thci.r encnucs. . d d The house ·was soon to be cliscus~ec1 nn d deet e. b·1 a.O'e included C·l t·l zens. of 11 n.m -ftlll · The dense anRdSCitDi1o ns.0 II'1 ~,.. .h ~nlil 1Cl lo,v, nch ,n~ 1 1 (n o~- es ' classes ancdl CaOn c1 u nJ 'n-· ttei·cd ' "' re packed ~nd poor, len.rne ' . ces ex rcssed every degree too-ether. The upturned. fat nric~y of character ; but ~ nd a O"t e~ v of intel1igence a H tl. re c b d t n dozen men "'ere ,I1C t f ccs an no •ll • all were earnes a ' lie under any te1nptatton. . Who 'vould have told a b . . nn 0f the U1eetmg t nl a c aumc.~~ Accordin 0' to cus o ' 1 t d for that office . o The person se ec c . b 'vas appoln.ted. 1 . the presiding jnstlCe of t e was Captmn W al (ei' h teppecl forward on the County Court. 'Vhon e sh .. the ,vholo assembly J'nstices' beneh t ~ tal'\".. e ~th e ]c . au nnd stoo<.l nntl'l he rose in token of . oct .lOr 1nn '" , f 1 esp . 1 . . . ::tt he spOl{e a cw was seateLL., . 13ofore ta1ung 11::; so .. ,yor/1 <::. h k ou for this honor, but "l\Iy countryn1en : I t an ! . d at the birth of I . . l dness I reJOlCe ' ~ lf accept It 'vlt l sa . f the grave myse ' . . N on the verO'e o ... d I the U mon. ow, . h b 1 'V onld to Go I anl sun1nloneu to lt~ ?eat - ~\ have liberty with· 1 d 1. cl fir t' But lt lS better o ' 1 a c 1e • • 1 . b t , out un1. on th.".. n union w·Ithout 1 er Y· - ROEBUCK. 11 CIIAPTER VII. SECESSION. So:\tE of the speeches delivered to the n1eeting ·were long and elnborate, but they have not been presen.~ed in fnll. Brief notes, taken by the editor of the '~Tobacco T.Jcaf," ·wore publishc<l in the next issue of that journal, and thus the hea<.ls of argmuout can 110\V be reproduced. They will be given 'vith their in1per-fect brevity, but in the connected fonn of speeuhos rather than in the n1auner of detached 1nemorauda, as they appeared in the ne-wspaper. 1\it·. Williams first addressed the n1eeting: "You :u-e yet a free 11eople," he began, "you arc assembled, not as conspil'n.tors concenlecl by dn.rkne s nncl bound by clandestine oaths, nor as subjects overawed by bayonets, but ns free citizens deliberating in open day according to ancient usage upon the affairs of your country • Whatever may be yonr decision this day or at tile polls, you wm,. in deciding, exercise a hereditary right in a lawful manner. You will perform tile gravest duty tilat ever hns devolved upon you as citizens. Decide for your country. "You love the Union. Only a few weeks ago, at tho eJection of members of the convention now in _session, you gave a new and conclusive proof of your devotion to it by your votes. Even to-day, though your j uclgmeuts may be con viuced that secession is necessary, yet in aavoca!ing it I may shoe~ the sensibility of your life-long attachment. In no State has the Union been cliCrishcd with more sincere affection than in Virginia.. But you will not shrink from c.luty because it is painful. |