The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-04-23

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that oath to southern people generally, and
questions the spropriety Of using il to ex-
clude even prominent southern leaders in
the war from Office. I. - a,ss, &
The Times cites the complaints Of district
commanders that the oath was a serious
embarrassment to them in. filing Offices
naming especially General SIcKLEs-whose
testimonyis the stronger for coming from
-tim--who wrote positively concerning these
enbarrassments. 80. 90 81 ~
Referring to General MEADE's construction
hatmembers of the first Legislatures elected
under the new constitutions will be com.
PEELED to take the iron-clad oath, the Times
AYERS that it will deprive the States where j,
isprescribed Of the " aid of its most capable
3aaand trustworthy citizens at o time when
Experience, character, and ability will be
Sc presminently required" In Georgia the
test thus ordered by the General for her
first Legislature will be more rigid than her
sse,o Constitution preScribes. 90.
- But the Times considers the situation, Of
Virginia as worse than chat of Georgia.
Congress had done quite enough toimpede
reconstruction; but our scallawag ConYen-
ton, it declares, has prolonged and aggra-
waited the evil done by Congress by making
the test=oath part Of the Constitution, and
says the Times, this should cause there
lection of, The Constitution" 1t adds
'stWhat has been defensible only as tenn
tsporary e1pedient, is to be incorporated
s..into the organic law. Of the State as
''means of keeping the State forever in
<snegro hands. The Governor, Lieutenant
t.sGoyernor, members Of the Legislature,
tsSecretary of State, Auditor, State Urea
Nsursr, Attorney General, delegates to q
g future constitutional convention, andeven
Hthe mayors and councillors of cities and
"towns, are all to be required to subscribe
san oath, which not ten good mem in
Thousand resident southemers can take
"without perjury. The Convention has IN
"t6is qoay endeavored to keep the State
e Government IN the hands ofthe ignorant
"aseqro n,alltitudes, and the knaoish aohite
"adventwers scho seem specially to. a.6kct
".Virgaaia. @ 4 -.a I i Is.
This is the opinion Of an able and delibe-
rate Republican editor. Great must be the
wrong, indeed, when such a man speaks in
the strong and emphatic language above
quoted. s;at.t et..-a4
The Times refers to General ScHoFIELD's
remonstrance to the Convention against the
oath, concurs in his depreciation Of it, and
cannot doubt that the Constitution will be
defeated. In that event the Times sup
poses other legislation will be necessary,
adding: When that contingency arises,
ssit will be necessary to discriminate be-
s'tween positive hostility to Federal autho-
"rity and the resistance to degradation and
"bondage Il, aohiclt the sohite citizens OF Vir-
"ginia aoitlbeJ ssllyjustifed BY TIE provision
" denounced BY General Schofeld. !"
But where is their resistance to :. Federal
authority" Has anybody seen it--any-
body heard of it 2. It is q Pigment OF the
interruptions invention of BUTLER, VASE
BURN of Illinois, LOGAN, FoRNEY, and that
sort of men, who make stories to inname
the public mind and give "a pretext lor .ne
imposition of burthens ana olsao1itles
on the southern people. q stSR{e
When the war was. over every man N the
South. was q citizen Of the United i States -.
far more loyal to the Constitution than an. any
member Of the Radical party-far more to
he trusted. Had the Government been wise
ii, would have at once restored these people.
to the tights of citizens, and thus have
strengthened the Union by. the addition Of
the whole southern white population, with
its energies and intellect to the grand
aggregate Of national power. Instead of
that the ruling party set about making the
South Of their way Of thinking and voting
by DISTINGUISHING enough whites to make
the negroes the ruling population. The
true heart, manhood, and mind Of the South
which gave to the Union in its past days,
its greatest renown were hindered, obstruct-
ed, and put away, while the negroes, with
q few incompetent and degraded whites,
were made to rule the State.
The Times is right. This sort Of recon
struetion is impossible. 1t would destroy
the South and afiict the nation with disas-
tiers. No reconstruction is possible that os-
tracises the capacity, integrity, and force of
the white population of the South. Aslong
as that sor. of reconstruction is pressed
upon US we shall continue to resist, as ne
may, its 8 degradation and bondage, 4
@l: Impeachment.
The decision of Mr.. JoHNsoN's fate is
drawing 90 near that sneculaf;on 10 o,.,o,,ob41