The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1867-10-28
SPIRIT OF THE PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS OF THB LEADING JoURNALs
upoN CuRBBNF ToPICs-CoMPLED EVERY
nav FoR THE EVENING TELEGRAPH.
HALL VirRInIat

nom the NJ Y Tribune. ..r...
The Mother of States records her verdict in
favor OF loyal reconstruction on the basis pre-
soribed by Congress The struggle has been
oxa,ous. and the result doubtful; for the
7voalth and social power of the State were
,,oarlv all against us. The press was against
us. bitterly furiously, venomously. Even
the Richmond Wing, which would be Repub-
1ioan II it burst, was coerced into supporting
the conservative" ticket at last. Probably
not six journals in all, and they mainly new
ones, stood un1inchingly by the Republican
eolors whiles esixty or eighty were doing their
utmost to defeat a Convention and to elect
conservatives" thereto. The leading organ
of the reaction called Justify on those whites
who employed blacks to discharge every one
who should vote the radical ticket; yet ninety
nine in every hundred cOlOred voters would
vote no other, and nineteen of every twenty
would not be deferred from voting. And thus
every district which had majority of colored
voters on its registry, with several others, has
chosen radicals to the Convention, giving us
a clear majority of at least twenty delegates,
and carving the Convention by over ten
thousand-perhaps by twenty thousand-Re-
publiean majority. The white prepOnderance
over the blacks in the State exceeds twenty
thousand men, of whom not more than six
thousand are disfranchised for conspicuous
treason by the Reconstruction acts and these,
we trust, WILL upon giving evidence OF pre-
sent loyalty, soon be restored to all the rights
of freemen.
1t is instructive to note that the most radi-
cal counties and districts are those which, in
the times now happily past were the strong
holds of slave-driving Democracy. Halifax,
Brunswick, Mecllenburg, Louisa, Caroline,
etc. etc., were Democratic Gibraltars, when
none but Shareholders and their white satel
ites were voters; but now that the laboring
class also vote, they are citadels of radicalism.
Rockingham, Shenandoah, Page Warren, etc.,
which were Democratic without being prepon-
derantly slaveholding, constitute the only
notable exceptions to the general rule. We
may iOyfully expect to see the districts hereto
fore represented in Congress by Meade, GoOde,
Dromgoole, and other vehemently pro-slavery
fanatics, henceforth hOnoring and blessing the
republic by sending to her councils apostles Of
liberty and equal rights for all.
And it will be found that the Convention
just elected is not only radical, but, in the
truest sense, conservative also. We did hope
to see Governor Pierponts name head the Re
publican ticket in Richmond, for we believe il
would have insured the choice of that ticket
by large majority, and would have been {
pledge to the people generally that liberty fol
all would be asserted and secured withou
giving Just cause of alarm to any. Mr.. Hun
nicutt has probably said some of the harsl
things about Rebels that are attributed to him
but we are confident that, should he seek t.
inaugurate a policy of confscation, or any
thing like it, he would find himself in YER
small minority.
The Convention will strongly assert tn
equal rights of men, but it will be moderat
and cautious in so using the triumph
genuine democracy as not to endanger it
perpetuity. Reconstructed Virginia takes he
place among Republican States, and there sh
will remain. Her arstocracy, stimulated b.
exaggerated reports of the recent achieve
ments of its confederates in California, Ohio
and Pennsylvania, did its very utmost to re
tain its ancient power and prestige, but
happily, in vain. Henceforth Virginia, whic
embosoms the ashes of so many gallant son
of the Republic eonsecrates herself to tn
maintenance of that Liberty and Union whic
they laid down their lives to maintain. Lon
live the regenerated Old Dominion!