The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1867-04-03
Three Courses Of Policy.

from the Charlottesville {Va.) Chronicle
There are three courses for tie Legisla-
t,rre to take: The first is to fight. The
second is to fold arms and do nothing
The third is to call q State Convention.
There woald be Is unanimous voice in
favor of the first, if we had any power to
make decent resistance.
The question is between the second and
third The third leads to an acceptance of
the cruel and merciless terms imposed
upon us. The second leads to the same
thing-and to nnch more.
The question now is: who shall get the
control Of the State under the new dispcn-
sation OF universal suttrage-the whites or
the blacks!
The Provisional Government with uni
yersal black and qualified white suffrage is
already Hpon us. The court house bells In
all the counties will summon white and
black alike to the polls. In addition to
this, while ths Provisional Government
lasts, we shall have martial law in Virgin.
lathe liberty Of every man in the hands
of Federal officers.
1t has been said. that we had better
have military law than submit to such de-
graduation as is implied III the acceptance
Of the terms. This is true ten times over.
But military law is not the alternative.
It is military law and negro suffrage and
the prescription of Our leading men. These
three things come upon us without Ourlift-
ing finger
This is not all: there will be conven-
ton to ratify the terms proposed: if we
stand off, where is Bolts and Hunnicntt,
and Underwood, and $4,000 negroes?
They will have a convention, and they
will put the State back in the Union, and
they will give US a State constitution
That constitution will be like the consti-
tuition of Tennessee; it will perpetuate the
power in their hands.
There are 100000 whites in Virginia.
We can control the State; we can guide, if
we cannot arrest the storm And the more
rapid our movements, the more complete
will be our mastership Of the situation
Wait-and wait-and wait, and the Radi-
Gals will organize the negroes against us.
A State Constitution can be framed, in
literal compliance with the actof Congress,
which will take all minor elections from
the people-leaving only the Governor, the
members of the General Assembly, and
members of Congress to be elected by the
popular vote. And it may be that pro
perty and educational qualification can be
secured as q condition of holding Office of
any kind.
We are, therefore, for Convention-at
once 1t is not worth while to resist the
deluge; the man who trusts in God will
build an ark that shall float upon the tenn
pestuous waters
1t is only the weak that are Supplied by
the blows Of fate. Christians and Anglo
SaXons we must conquer civil order once
more Suicide in q sea Of trouble may
have been Roman-but it is not Chris
tian or an English virtue. To do nothing
now is social suicide; it is despair.
We are very far from despair, black as
the prospect is. The immediate aim ofour
State should be to get back into the Union
as quickly as possible. There we shall be
measureably at least shielded from the
radical storm. If we stay out much Ion
ger, we shall have confiscation added to
negro suffrage. There we have at least
reached Il resting place There we can get
control Of our State atfairs-there We Gun
make another State Constitution.