Speech of Mr. Russell at the African Church.
--Pursuant to announcement, and in response to a request of a number of influential citizens of this city,
the Hon. Charles W. Russell, the eloquent Representative of the
Wheeling District in Congress, addressed a large gathering of the people at the African Church last night.
We have not space for even a brief outline of the speech, which, from beginning to ending, was marked by true eloquence and patriotic devotion, and received by his hearers with manifestations of favor and applause.
The several subjects which now interest and agitate the public mind were discussed with rare ability and with an earnestness that attested the speaker's sincerity.
The currency was the first subject referred to, which, in the opinion of the speaker, was not beyond the reach of remedy.
Its inflation was attributable to three causes: 1st, a scarcity of many of the commodities upon which we are compelled to rely; 2d, a redundancy of Confederate money; and 3d, a decline in the credit of the
Government.
The measures adopted by the last Congress would, in the judgment of the speaker, when once in effective operation, have a tendency to reduce the volume of the currency and re-establish, to some extent, the credit of the
Government.--But our success in this struggle was not dependent upon our finances.
A persistent perseverance in the war would end in the achievement of our ultimate independence.
It was not desirable that peace should come now. Peace too early might not be lasting or honorable.
We could not expect the
North to grant an honorable peace at the present time.
With the termination of the war now we would lose
Maryland,
Kentucky,
Missouri, and perhaps
Tennessee, and perpetuate the partition of our own grand old Commonwealth.
By persevering in the war we would eventually compel the reluctant
North to acknowledge our independence.
We had nothing to expect from foreign intervention or from the peace party of the
North.
Foreign intervention would only come when foreign interests required it; and the peace party of the
North was a barometer of battles, which rose with
Fredericksburg and fell with
Vicksburg.
That party was powerless to accomplish anything for us.
The late hour at which the meeting dispersed prevents us from making any fuller notice of the speech this morning.
