The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-04-20
SPEECHES OF JUDGE sNEAD, OF ACCO
MAC, AND MR.. ALLAN, OF PRINCE
EDWARD, AGAINST THE con-
STrTI;TION

We briefly mentioned on Saturday tna'
at the close of the Convention Judge
Snead, Mr.. Allan, and other Radical mem
hers we're called on and made speeches..
Wa nresent in full this morning two Oh
these speeches.
SPEECH OF JUDGE sNEAD.
~s1n responding to your call, shall not
;ndn1ee IN the idle gasconade and vain and
ron;d yaporing which has fallen from the
Inns Of the gentleman who has preceded me.
Here some one in the crowd called out,
& Take him down. The speaker promptly
and defantly replied, =" Some OF you haa
better try it'll >,
I do not profess to be gifted with the ken
of prophecy, or to be able to predict IN a !i,
vance. with positive certainty, what VIII
be the fate Of the Constitution adopted by
this Convention. Like Patrick Henry, l
have but one lamp by which my feet are
cnided, and that is the lamp of experience:
have no way of judgingthe future but by the
mast and viewing this question in the light Oh
experience, and Judging by the past conduct
Of the people of Virginia, and those prlncl-
nles Of high honor and integrity in the
pprd;norv transactions of life which has
ever characterized them, and reasoning
from cause to effect, am firmly persuaded
that majority of the qualified voters VIII
stamp this Constitution with the seal OF
their decided and everlasting condemnation.
They will repel with indignant scorn the
base insinuation implied in that most
abominable, most detestable, and 1nlqultous
imposture and swindle denomlnated the
retrospective homestead, that they can De
bought and sold, and bribed to vote as us
authors may dictate, at the price OF taoo
thousand dollars per head. They will repel
with virtuous indignation the foul asper-
sion. and vindicate their integrity and honor
by rejection of the Constitution
by decided majority. have too
much confidence in their native sense
of Justice and honest dealing to believe
that they will ever endorse any measure SO
unrichteous, so destructive of the primary
objects of Government, as this damna-
bic and damning retrospective homestead
bill. Such legislation can never receive
the endorsement of my vote. 1t is an
atrocity unparalleled in the annals of civil
lied society. I have been credibly informed
that the gentleman from Powhatan and
Chesterfield, during the debate on this ques-
ton which occurred during my recent i'll
ness, stated on the floor Of the Convention
that the States of Minnesota, California,
and Wisconsin had framed Constitutions Sc
curing homesteads that were retrospective
in their operation. That assertion is u mis-
representation of the facts of history,
and 1 stand here prepared to prove it.
To-day took occasion to look into book
containing the Constitutions Of the several
States. In that l find that the California
and Wisconsin homestead provisions are
prospective, and are declared not to be re-
PROSPECTIVE in express and positive terms.
In the Minnesota Constitution it is not stated
whether the exemption Of the homestead
therein provided is to apply to debts ante
cedently contracted or not. 1t is silent on
that point, and the fact that it is silent
renders it prospective only for it is an es-
tablished rule of construction known to
every lawyer that retroactive laws being
odious, contrary to sound public policy and
equitable legislation, every statute Is to be
presumed to be prospective unless the con-
trary is declared in plain and nnequivocal
terms-that the law-maker is to be pre-
sumed to have acted in accordance with this
principle, unless the contrary plainly ap-
nears from the terms Of the statute. The
gentleman has eulogized the Constitution as
being in conformity with the Constitution OF
the United States. That is another grand
mistake. This homestead provision is a
plain and palpable violation OF the Federal
Constitution, which declares that q no State
shall pass any ier post .facto law, or law i'm
~ IF contracts ~ The
courts will SO decide; and the hapless debtor
who is foolish enough to be deluded by us
false promise of "relief'' will eventually,
and in short time, find himself landed
high and dry on bleak and inhospltable
shore of hopeless bankruptcy and lnevlta-
BILE ruin. Should the people of Virginia SO
disgrace themselves and dishonor the State
as to endorse such unrighteous Legislation,
7 will emigrate, and seek an honester COM
munity in which to dwell.
SPEECH OF MIR. ALLAN.
could have wished that at the close of
the arduous labors of four months and
half might have been in position to
stand:before you and announce as the result
of our labors Constitution under which
all the people Of this old Commonwealth
might come and live together in peace and
harmony. But it is with profound regret
that [ am forced to announce, as my purest
conviction, that the instrument we have
Just completed is of such character as not
only to secure it's defeat before the people,
but which will not receive the approval of
the National Congress even in case Of its
ratification here.
1 was elected delegate to the Convention
by q colored constituency, and only re-
ceived O single white vote. 1t did not
cause me much surprise that a people
against whom l had stood in battle array
for three long years should refuse to recog
nize the fitness of such person to repre-
sent their interests in so important an as
sembly as Convention for the purpose Of
framing the organic laws under which they
might expect to live for an indefinite flu
ture. But casting aside all ideas of revenge,
and never entertaining any Of the vindic
tiveness which they naturally expected
would be manifested towards them as re-
suit of the manner in which | had been
treated by them say, smothering every
feeling Of revenge and bitternessI, came
here with an honest purpose Of giving my
aid to the restoration of this once happy
but now blasted and impoverished country,
not merely to her former relations in the
Federal Union, but to coGqual relation
ship in that compact Of States upon the
basis of eoual rights to all men in all re-