Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-03-31
From the Charlottesville Chronicle.
Letter troMa Richmond.
RICHMOND. March ID.


Editor of the Chr0nicb.
You probably want to hear something about
the Convention The character Of the consti-
tuition which will be submitted to the people is
now pretty we'll defined There will be Uni
versal Negro Suffrage. All the whites dis
franchised by the Reconstruction acts and the
constitutional amendment will be deprived Of
the right to vote or held Office Several OBJ
jectionable oaths are also to be imposed on vo
ters and office holders There IS a question
whether the article on suffrage disfranohises al
so all military officers who engaged in the late
war; L am inclined to the opinion that 1t does.
The majority voted to reconsider the clause
which they had adopted disfranchising Con-
federate officers above the rank of Lieutenant !;
that is, the action taken was reqonsidered by
more moderate Republicans became alarmed
lest they might have gone too TAR, The
conservative members were rather indifferent
about the matter but of course voted against
the disfranchisement. The subject is not final
y disposed of. There is a proposition still
pending for sweeping disfranchisement of all
who advocated secession prior to the 17th Of
April '6l but do not think it will pass.
The counties are to be divided into toWnships
after the approved Yankee pattern, and in ev-
cry township there is to be lot of magistrates,
clerks, collectors. supervisors, school teachers,
&C. These, and all county officers, are to be
elected by the people. Each county isave the
very small nnesi IS to have county Judge. =
Albemarle will have some hundred and fifty or
two hundred officers, all elected by popular
vote.
Of course in Eastern Virginia one half of
these county officials will be negroes, and in
many counties they will be all negroes with a
few white negroes).
There will be a free school system to be sus-
tanned jointly by State and county taxation.
| The Governor is to have veto power, re-
| versible by two-thirds of each branch of the
| Legislature
| Taxation will fall almost entirely on property.
| There is a State poll tax of not more than one
| dollar, and any county may lay polltax in ad-
dition not exceeding fifty cents.
All elections will be by ballot
| The report of the Judiciary Committee has
not yet been taken up. 1t is far more conser-
vative than anything else emanating, from this
Convention. The apportionment of Represen-
tatives is also yet to be considered.
| There is a retrospective Homestead article
offered by Mr. Porter of Chesterfield, which
exempts So, 500 of property. 1t will not be ta-
ken up as yet and I cannot speculate as to the
disposition to be made off The radicals dis
like it because the 'rebels' are to get the ben
eft of it, but some of them think it will catch
votes for the constitution.
Another measure intended to catch votes is
the section ialready passed) practically exempt
ing oysters from taxation.
1t is hard to say when the Convention will
adjourn; perhaps by the first of April. There
is no money in the Treasury, and the members
are drawing no pay Scrip will probably be is
sued receivable by the State for taxes, in order
to meet the emergency.
Your county delegates, Thompson and Tay
lor, vote steadily on all questions with the Rad
icals. They have faithfully represented the ne
faithful, which will prove to be suicidal.
leave your readers to decide how they vii
like the new constitution For myself regard
it as infamous.
Will you vote it down? Are you organizing