Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-06-09
The Constitution.

The Constitution.
Occasionally you hear some poor, timid,
whining wretch suggest, eff we do not take
this, they may put something worse on u.s. -
Well-let them put something worse on us
What else can they put on us !? They can
put US to the sword, and is that any worse 1t
Is better if we should have to continue any long
time under such state of things that will exist
when the proposed Constitution goes into opera
ton.
| Something worse. +" Here is State in
which the Whites number 100000, and the
Blacks some $4,000 The whites ontnumber
the blacks more than 100000. Now let us see
| how the State is to be governed under this
| Constitution. 1t would be bad enough if the
Blacks constituted only potential element in
the government of the State. But let us see
how things are liked under this 'Constitu-
ton which, we are told, might" be
| worse. j
First, the Negroes have majority of t,centy-
one in the Legislature This in State where
have the Legislature by an irresistible majority
to begin with. They can pass what laws they
| please. They can tax at pleasure. OF some
three millions to be raised under the Constitu
ton by taxation, 1t is estimated that about
$40, 900 will come out of the negroes. H
Secondly: they have allowed all negroes to
vote, even paupers. They have disfranchised
some $4,000 white voters. All negroes are
eligible to Office There is no qualification what
ever.
Thirdly: the counties are cut up into Town
ships, and the Townships into Road and School
districts. With two exceptions, all county Of
ficers of of every sort (some two hundred, per-
haps in Albemarle) are to be elected by popular
Nbo box oh II, j.
of these officers. In Louisa they would have
all. In Buckingham, across the river, they
would have ALL In Orange they would have all.
On the Southside Of James River, in nearly
every county, they would have ALL In the Ii le-
water country, In nearly every county, they
would have all. As they would lay the taxes
In the Legislature, SO they would lay the taxes
10 the Counties where they ruled. They would
build school houses and poor houses to be paid
for by the whites. We should have negro
sherltfs, negro constables, negro magistrates,
negro supervisors, negro assessors, negro col
lectors, negro school trustees, negro overseers
OF the poor, negro overseers of the roads-in
the towns, negro mayors, negro councilmen,
negro scrgeants, negro policemen.
just here: at present a proportion Of a1hite
scallawags will get office but when they have
made a sure thing OF it, do you suppose they
are going to bother themselves with mean white
folks? Do YOU suppose the negroes are going
to vote for white man to represent them,
when they know that they can safely elect ne
gro? The Legislature Of South Carolina just
elected stands 64 whites to 90 blacks.
Fourthly They thus hayethe Legislature, and
majority OF the counties and towns-and we
have not yet come to the Test OaM By this
oath out Of the 2700 white males in this coun-
ty, twenty one years of age, $500 are excluded
IL & b.. NH.
are pushed out of the government altogether
and we are governed entirely by negroes. We
can vote, but we must vote for negro so that
in reality we can neither hold office nor vote,
because there is no voting unless there is some
choice.
Afraid Of something worse?' You mean
hound, what could be worse? If the Federal
Government proposes to cut away the tail of
your coat and to remove the seat of your
breeches, and to make you pass through life in
these accoutrements-woul you accept it
for fear they might put something worse" on
you?
They are going to have schools, and plenty of
them-and you are going to be made to pay for
them, If your property does not lose all value
With twenty one majority in the Legislature
and the whole matter remitted by the Constitu-
tiou to the Legislature, what is to prevent them
from having mixed schools2 Perhaps they
wouldn't put mixed schools on you? You
admit you are at Meir naercy-the tender
mercies of Lewis Lindsay and Bayne and Peter
Jones with all the power in their hands.
But if We do not adopt the Constitution
Congress will put it On u.s. Then, let Con
gress do the foul deed. Are you going to jump
into the well of privy, because if you don't
jump there freely, somebody may throw you
in?
You do not know that Congress will put the
instrument on US. The State, if admitted into
the Union, might, and could, vote for the
democratic candidate for the Presidency Will
Congress help it to do so?
Again, if we ratity such Constitution will
the Northern people help US to get rid of it p
Will they not say-"Oh, they voted for tit
can't be so bad Charlottesville Chronicle.
THE YELLED PROPHET in letter from
Syria We find the following apparently reliable
description Of the habits and habitation of that
great impostor whom Moore invested with such
exciting and poetic interest:
Fourteen long years Mokanna is reported to
have lived In this fortress, consuming his time
with women, in drinking and carousing The
Arab Field Marshal, Said Hersi, had at last
driven him into straits The outer part was ia
ken, and there was only the inaccessible citadel
on a higher eminence With the extinction of
his ascendant star, Mokanna was abandoned by
his followers, and when he saw inevitable ruin
nigh he decided, in order not to fall into the
hands Of his enemies. rather to destroy himself
with his women and treasure He gave to the
women at the last carouse strong dose of poi
son in wine, and challenged them to empty
goblet with him. All drank but one, who pour
ed the wine into her bosom, and as an eye wit
ness, told later the whole catastrophe. Accor-
ding to her, Mokanna after all the women had
fallen dead cut off the head of his faithful
page, and quite naked, burned himself and his
treasures in furnace, which had been heated
for three days He announced, BEFORE that he
wished to go to heaven to call the angels to his
help. Il have long watched the furnace,
said the fortunate woman who escaped but he
never came back in that fashion" After the
death Of Mokanna there were many sects and
creeds, but they concealed themselves from the
ever increasing power of Islam. Under the
Samanldes the doctrine of Mohammed spread
more and Transoxanian countries soon became
famous for their religious zeal.
GREAT MEN Homer was beggar; Plau
tus turned mill Terrence was slave; Boz
THUS died in Jail Paul Borghese had fourteen
trades, yet starved with them all Tasso was
often distressed for few shings; Cervantes
died of hunger; Camens, the writer of ''Lu-
slad, ended his days In an almshouse and
Vangelas left his body to the surgeons to pay
for his debts. la England, Bacon lived life
of meanness and distress Sir Walter Raleigh
I,0Jo fT1il