been following her like the ghost of Banquo
which will not down at any bidding, ever
since, and will follow her until the Federal
arms are successful again, and she is restored
to the Union from which she was thus ruth-
lessly torn.
My friend from Prince George's (Mr. Belt)
the other day drew a painful picture of the
desolation of Virginia. He spoke of women
and children out on the hills near Fredericks-
burg, watching the flames of their own dwell-
ings ascending to heaven. I sympathize with
the misfortunes of those who were thus situ-
ated. I say again, as I said just now, I have
no delight in such scenes. But the gentleman
forgot to draw the reverse of that picture. He
forgot to go down in those dungeon-boles of
Richmond, where strong men are confined in
the damp vapors of their cells. He forgot to
go to Belle Island, over the entrance of which
ought to be written the celebrated inscription
which Dante represented as written over the
gate of the infernal regions, "who enters
here leaves hope behind," where he might
have seen brave men, ready to go to the
cannon's mouth without fear, weak and trem-
bling and cowardly, bow before the resistless
march of the demon starvation. He might
have gone a little further and represented to
us the remorseless butchery of Fort Pillow,
which made a carnival of death, and where
chivalry was canonized among the saints of
darkness. These are pictures he forgot to
draw; but truth will write them upon the
pages of history for the consideration of those
who shall come after us.
There can be no peace until this wild and false
theory of State rights is exploded, and the au-
thority of the Government is fully recognized
until the insult upon her flag has been wiped
out, until her power has been vindicated all
over her territory. When that is done, when
the people, the mistaken American people,
carried away by the ambition of their leaders
have come back, they will be received with wel-
come arms. It is an error to suppose that
there is a wide gulf, an impassable barrier be-
tween one section and the other. We are
united by too many interests to be thus drag-
ged apart. What God has joined together
let not man rend asunder, seems to be written
upon the stars as they twinkle upon the riv-
ulets as they roll down with harmonious mu
sic to the sea. I believe as they come back
they will appeal for enjoyment and protection
to this Government, and will never yield
their destinies again to the hands of wicked
men. As the brightest lightnings are kindled
in the darkest clouds, so out of all this horror
of civil commotion and anarchy, there will
come peace, calmness and quiet and rest.
The mother cannot forget her dead. The
father's heart will ever ache with agony a
the loss of his child. But in dreams will come
to them the sweet and comfortable solace of
the sounds of the voice that is stilled, and the |
touch of the hand that is vanished, and
they will have that sweet communion which
will be but a prelude of a higher life far hap-
pier and eternal, after the scenes and strifes
of this world are over.
We cannot thus tear ourselves remorselessly
from the memories of the past. We can go
and look at the Bunker Hill monument that
rises to meet the sun in his coming, feeling
that we have an inheritance there, as well as
any other people. We can go down to Mount
Vernon, and gaze where George Washington
lies, abiding in the gratitude of his country-
men, and feel that we have no right to stand
there and say that he was all Virginian; but
that he was the father of his whole country ;
and that the Marylander, the Massachusetts
man, and the Maine man, and the Ohio man, all
have a right in his bistory, in his glory.
Men from Maine and from Massachusetts can
come here and gaze upon that scene depicted
there, [the painting in the Hall,] Washington
laying down his commission, and go away
without faltering and saying, "we thought
that wag a picture in which we bad a right to
participate; but it is not so. Massachusetts
is an independent State. She has no author-
ity that Maryland wishes torn away from her.
But her common history is banished; and
though in the Revolution, and in the war of
1812 and 14, and though in the Mexican
war, with linked shields we marched against
the foe, yet we must with bowed head go forth
from that majestic presence and acknowledge
that it is for Maryland alone." It cannot be;
it cannot be.
When this nightmare of despotism and ruin
is passed away, all these things will be righted.
People's minds will be restored to their proper
balance, their hearts to a proper appreciation
of the right, and an appreciation of the
wrongs which they have suffered; and at last
there will grow out of this trouble, the great
eternal "Peace, be still," and over the clouds
shall come again another bow, as true as that
which in the olden time past, signified there
should be no more flood, saying there shall
be no more war, but peace, prosperity and
happiness, an earthly trinity shall sit en-
throned without a rival in this land forever.
Mr. JONES, (of Somerset.) The brief arti-
cle which is underconsideration by this Con-
vention, I desire to read, with the view of re-
calling the attention of the Convention to the
question which is really before us, because it
is to that only that I propose to address my
remarks. The article reads thus:
ART. 4. The Constitution of the United
States and the laws made in pursuance thereof
being the supreme law of the land, every citi-
zen of this State owes paramount allegiance
to the Constitution and Government of the
United States, and is not bound by any law
or ordinance of this State in contravention or
subversion thereof.
If I mistake not, the real question which is |
