Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1866-05-11
ALEXANDRIA GAZETTE AND VIRGINIA ADVERTISER.
The charge of Judge Underwood.

The charge delivered to the grand jury by
Judge Underwood, district judge, in the Uni
ted States Court at Norfolk, on Tuesday, Isl
rather out of the usual order Of documents
from the bench Itmostly constitutes an elabc-
rate attack on the Southern people, and those
of Virginia in particular, though by the words
he employs he would seek to create the belief
that he was Of the people Of Virginia whom he
thus disparages In the outset, be refers in
his charge to the absence of the Chief Justice
aud to subjects growing out of the rebellion.
He then proceeds, on pretext Of excuse to
the North FORTS alleged complaints OF tardluess
of criminal prosecutions in his court to draw
picture of the ignorant, degraded and debas,
ed condition of the people OF Virginia, and re-
ters especially to the first congressional district
formerly Wises.
Judge Underwood next descends to the IN
mediate topics of the day, the relations
of the white and colored inhabitants OF
the State, charging unequlvocaIly that every
one Of thenumerous conflicts OF races "hlcnIas
he says) have occurred in the State during the
| past year has been the wanton and unproVok-
ed work of wicked white men upon poor, quiet,
unoffending and in most cases. unarmed and
unresisting colored people
Then follows a heightened rehash, OF all the
alleged horrors of the institution OF slavery, the
obsolete laws and customs incident to 1T, Sc:;
for what special purpose it would be dlthcult
to divine as it is not supposed that any one is
to be tried for those old things.
After the Judge had concluded the charge, 9.
Gillingham, the foreman Of jury, arose, and
after making few remarks explanatory OF his
calling "as Il man of peace and good will to all
men, " he respectfully requested the Judge to
excuse him from serving upon the jury, as ne
felt.himself totally incompetent to handle the
tools spoken of in the charge. lie ana not
know how to use them - The Judge held the
request under advisement. Ball. Sun.
METHODIST PROTESTANT GENERAL CONFER
ENcE.- AT the session yesterday, the committee
appointed the day before to consider the sub
iect of commission to confer with the bishops
of the Methodist Episcopal Church South,
relative to the proposed union of the two
churches, reported that in consequence OF the
advanced stage of the session they had not been
able to give the subject all the attention its I'M
portance required, but expressing qualification
at the tone of the communication flom the
presiding bishops Of the Southern Church,
Though profoundly impressed with the frank
ness anu kliJuuCSS GuU COliuUCECC lOOtiOu IL
the proposition Of union, the committee do not
feel prepared to recommend the appointment
of commission to that end on the part OF the
NJ. Protestant church. In their opinion this
General Conference has not authority to act
in the premises, such power alone being with
the people As therefore this General Confer
ence has already recommended to our several
Annual Conferences the calling of general
convention for other purposes, to sit in Mont
gomcry Ala, the first Tuesday in May, 1867,
the committee recommend that the commission
appointed by the General Conference Of the VI.
f. Church South be invited to convention aiorc-
said; or, if urseveral Annual Conferences shall
decline to call general convention, then the
invitation to the commissioners be continued to
meet and confer with the General Conference
to be held in Montgomery the first Tuesday in
May, 1870, especially as by this last named
period the subject Of lay representation in the
NJ E. Church will have been decided either
affirmativeIy or negatively by their several An
nual Conferences, to whose arbitranent it has
been referred by the General Conference. The
report was then unanimously adopted, and the
Conference adjourned sine de-