The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-03-13
Easily Satisfied.

~.
Certain parties who declared tnss " sO'
: ,aor ,he sherman bill would be 70 ae-
r..ds ourselves and dishonor our Leading
o,.n arc now In fine humor because we are
- have the privilege Of acting under =
more stringent law. When all could con-
scientiously vote who were not ai''is
oh;sed by that bill, these gentlemen ae-
claimed with much eloquence agaihss .ne
accentance by Virginia Of propos''ioni
- hrn,iliatips. But now, when none can
~ 80 cent those who are willing to swear
49,. thew are sincerely attached to the
Union. the situation is changed; recon-
.truction must 90 on ; we shall soon be
represented In Congress; and all faint Of
dishonor will be removed. We beg these
gentlemen to remember that the decision
Of the question has merely been trans
ferred to o different tribunal. 1t is mere
change of venue. The people, instead Oh
the General Assembly, are required TO &C.
cent or reject the proposed terms. Ana
N. oues,ion still remains to be DECIDED
Shall we close in with this offer! What
Gov our contemporaries Do they propose
70 advise the people to pursue the course
which they recommended to the Legisla-
ture Or will they, like reasonable men,
admit that the best thing we can do under
the circumstances is to organize new Go
yernment under the provisions of the Sher-
man bill9 That is still the question before
the people.
After the above paragraph was written
the WING of yesterday brought US the fol-
lowing pointed sentences:
GA WORD OF CAUTIoN.-Since conven-
tions are to be ordered in the southern
States by the commanding generals instead
of by the Legislatures, we sincerely hope
that those who have urged the policy OF
inaction on the ground that there would
be dishonor in complying with the require
ments of the Sherman bill will review
their opinions and change their advice
for it is manifest if the Legislatures could
not provide for the elections without seem
ing to sanction the iniquities of the Sher-
man hellabarger scheme, and without
| seeming to consent to their own degrade
ton, that the people cannot vote in such
elections without giving the same sane
ton and mourning the same degradation.
The cases are precisely parallel, and if the
arguments against the proposed action by
the Legislature were worth anything, 1t
would be fatal to all hope Of success at the
polls. 1t is of the first Importance that
nothing shall be said to discourage, but
everything to encourage the fullest posi-
BILE vote on the part of those most con-
cerned in the welfare of the State. Every
man of the class who have hitherto con-
trolled, allowed to vote under the act Of
Congress, should be brought to feel that SO
far from dishonoring himself by casting
that vote, it is his most imperative, most
momentous, and most sacred duty, not
only to vote himself, but to use all the in
fuence he can exert to induce as many as
possible of the newly enfranchised to vote
with him. If any man in or out of public
position has the hardihood to talk now
about "inaction," "passivism," "accept-
ing dishonor," and such nonsense and rub
bish, we hope he will be rebuked into
silence and shame by those who are too
wise to be imposed on by pretentious i'm
becility, and too honorable to be deceived
by an affectation of superior sensibility to
honor"