The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-04-18
The Constitution General Schofeld-
The Negro.

The Constitution General Schofeld-
The Negro. 1.
The negro and scallawag farce of a con-
vention convened in this city underline order
Of Congress, and which has been played
here for one hundred and four days at a
heavy expense as well serious injury to
the State and the disgust of every honest
and sensible man that has ever heard OF
it, was concluded yesterday, to the general
Joy of mankind. Before it ended its pro-
ceedings, true to its unreasoning and pro-
scriptive character, it performed an act Of
GROWING folly.
We refer the reader to the report Of the
proceedings of yesterday. They are not
only interesting but important. It will
be seen that General ScBoFIELD, who is
fully able to appreciate the political and
social condition Of this State, in q well
tempered and judiciousaddress endeavored
to mollify the proscriptiye spirit Of the
Convention at least SO far as to get them
to omit the iron-clad oath which had been
put in the Constitution as qualification
for office. The General knew the difficulty
with that oath in the way of getting per-
Sous qualified to discharge the duties Of
the public offices and direct State affairs
in manner consistent with the public
welfare. He urged the Convention to
repeal that oath, as we'll for the interests
Of the Republican party as fog the good of
the State. He spoke truly from good
deal of experience and much trouble in
the effort to get capable men for Offices of
responsible character.
He was hardly beyond the sound Of the
debate in the hall before he was assailed
in contemptuous manner by the negroes,
who have, through the madness and bar
barism of the hour, been elected to places
in the Convention. He was called I" King
Schofeld," and his advice spurned as the
introd uction Of" outside influence" His
earnest and well-considered appeal was
denounced as part of q plan to shape " a
Constitution for the white man." while the
negro was to be the victim of treachery-
the white Radicals were charged with
"going back" upon their negro auxilia-
ries. KELso-a very presumptuous mu-
latto from observation-disclosures himself
with many airs, and pledged himself and
his constituents to knock hole into the Con-
stitution il tie iron-clad oath was stricken
out of it. The result vast hat General
ScuoFIELD's appeal, backed by the earnest
efforts of several white Radicals, was en-
tirely fruitless. The" iron-csad OATH re-
mains in Tie Constitution. gasy s.
This manifestation, of negro passion and
presumption is but the development of the
violent and relentless spirit which the
white agitators Of Virginia have conjured
up and let loose upon the State-a spirit
which has kept society in connection and
apprehension for months, which demanded
confscation of white mems property, and 4
dsfranchisement Of white men, with fe- !
rocity that it was difficult for even its au-
thors at all to restrain. It has been more
or less every day in the Convention, and
agitated the characterization black mobs
which have daily blocked up the passages
into and through the capitol and the gale
ries of the hall in which the Convention
sat-idle, YociferatiDg vagabonds, who
should have been, for the months they have
lost, assisting to make bread for themselves
and those dependent upon them.
This turbulence of the blacks in ard out
Of the Convention has given vast trouble
to the white Radicals VINO have been, drill
ing and instructing them in the business of
attending the clubs and voting at the polls.
These whites are really aaegr0 driuers.''
They do not display the lash; but they
have had the negro as complete slave to
party as he every was to his owner. At
last he showed an. aptness in proscriptive-
ness and a ferocity in the imposition of
pains and penalties which even hi in
structors never dreamed he possessed. So
now they see that their bloody Instructions
are flowing back rapidly to plague and con-
found the inventors. They discover that
negroes are prone to favor punishments
and disabilities even when they do not
understand what they are for, and with the
added monstrosity Of visiting them upon
their old masters, whom they know to be
upright, kind, and honest men, and, fur
thermore, their best friends!
The negroes have triamphed. They
have despised the more prudent Radical
advisers and scorned the advice of Gene
raj ScHoFlELD, and their Constitution goes
before the people. Itgoes with the repro
baton of General ScHoFIELD, and viii
meet with tho opposition of prominent Re-
puolicans, including Judge 'SsEAp, the
aolest member Of that party in ths Con-
vention. - r ~ 81 q 5ss-l5si
The Constitution win Be inevitably de
feated, if for nothing else because ~ tha
detestable oathit contains. II = a,,a;ns..
principle that must lie at the hoftn,, -
any reconstruction that may fake place N
Virginia-yiz., that when the war VA.
over there were no i,slirsdnols resisting TIE
Federal Government, and therefore none
can be properly disabled or deprived of
their political privileges. They are the
State, indeed, and must be it's supporters
its guardians, and the administrators of
Its public affairs. The idea Of taking no 4
the slayesof '65 to make them Legislators,