Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1868-02-04
Correspondence of the Spectator.

| RICHMOND, JAM 20, 1868.
| Mr.. EDITOR :-Since the date of my last
letter, the farce of High Life Below Stairs
has been performed daily in the Capitol, before
an admiring crowd of idle blacks who fill the
galleries of the hail. At twelve o clock pre-
cisely, the President, having already since sun
rise undergone the labors of Hercules in his
Court room, takes the chair, and in the bland
est tones calls the Convention to order. The
burly and apparently good natured Secretary,
the famous George Rye of Shenandoah, is safe
" ensconced behind his desk The Chaplain,
who is exceedingly meek and sleek in appear
ance, goes through his part of the performance,
occasionally remembering in his petitions the
poor Eek Confederates The Assistant Sec
rotary next proceeds to read the journal OF the
previous day. This official, by the way, gets
our printing quite readily, but stqmbies sadly
over manuscript. All this being done, thou
sand resolutions, more or less, are forthwith
precpitated upon the chair. A score of mem
bers, white and black, shout "Mr. President
all at once and at the top of their voices. A
dozen more, led on by the white gentlemen
from Norfolk, rise to pints of order" The
Sergeant at Arms, who has probably heretofore
oficiated as cryer in Court of Justice, but
certainly never before spent an hour In dellb-
erative body-raps vigorously with his maliet
and calls, Order gentlemen" ''Order gentle
|
to pitch in generally, but creating more disorder
than every body else. By this time the Presi-
dent is grievousy perplexed He tries to de-
eide the various points of order. Sometimes
the chair is in doubt" and asks to be advised.
At another time he announces his decision, or
at least "the chair is inclined to think SO. =
Forthwith one dozen copies of Jefferson Man
ual are drawn upon him. The Chair begins to
hesitate-he believes the gentleman is right, :"
| takes back his decision-retracts monument
ly-and looks as humble as Urlah Heep. Thus
| You read the proceedings OF the Convention
as they are reported in the Richmond papers,
and know how far the work of framing Con-
stitution has progressed At this moment the
subject of taxation is under consideration, and
gives rise to much debate This subject, as
you are aware, has occupied the attention of
the ablest political economists and statesmen
for many centuries; and l congratulate the
world that its true principles are about to be
settled at last by competent tribunal u
Bayne whether NJ D., L. L. d., or ID. ID.
lighteued us on the subject. The questions
presented no difficulties to his vigorous and
clear intellect He spoke for good hour,
shedding food of light upon great variety
| of subjects. He told us about the bears and
painters in the Dismal Swamp near Norfolk,
| and declared his determination to have free
schools established there We may therefore
confidently anticipate highly educated race of
varn,ia.ts in that section of our beloved old
| Commonwealth.
Another topic upon which the Doctor en-
lightened US, during his speech on taxatlon
was the mode of constructing pig pens and
chicken coops in Massachusetts, Taking up a
printed document which was lying before him.
he bent it into the shape of a model, the orig
inal of which was no doubt brought over by
the Pilgrim Fathers in the May Flower, along
with ali other useful institutions, l am salts
fed that our new Constitution should provide
for the introduction of the Massachusetts, pig
pen and chicken coop into this State without
delay. DR.. Bayne informed us that in the Bay
State one little boy fed all the pigs while here
it took four men and five women and odd
master to boot.
Now Mr.. Frank Moss, of Buckingham coun-
ty, gets the floor on the same subject White
Radical-"Wil the gentleman allow me a
minute?' Mr. Moss-''No, [ amt gwine to
low you marry mint" The very black gentle
man proceeds to say that he has SGT here and
| bern EN- talk about taxation &c. He goes
for laying the burden on land. So do all the
colored members and some of the whites,
avowedly expecting by this means to force the
owners to sell or give away part OF their lands.
If understand DR.. Bayne, however, taxing
the lands heavily will cause pigs to grow much
faster and larger. He saw a pig In Massachu-
sets, only nine months old, that weighed four
hundred pounds.
Another member-and white man this
time-advocates a capitation tax, but is entire
" opposed to poll tax !! A mischievous Con-
sentative politely asks the speaker to explain
the difference, and we are told that "a capita
ton tax is on the head, )" and "a poll tax is for
roads These are our Constitution makers !!
The indications are that we shall have no
capitation tax except for school purposes, and
that not exceeding one dollar head. Counties
and towns will be prohibited from taxing per-
sons at all.
| have a suspicion that some OF the white
Radicals are getting sick of their black allies. =
The white leaders expected the blacks to be q
very tractabe set of voters SO excessively III
love with 1.-The old flag and so thoroughly
loyal as to give all the good fat places to the
pale faces. But genius will assert itself-the
star of Africa is in the ascendent, and the light
of its civilization is dawning upon U.s. The
new era beginning with equality before the
law" has now reached the stage of manhood
suffrage" and the contamination of no dis
tinction anylohere ION account Of race or color
is Fastening on. No, not exactly that-there
is to be distinction, for the blacks seem to claim
the honOrs and enOluments without bearing
the burdens of government The black speak
ers scod and hector their white associates whom
they suspect of an indisposition to toe the mark
| Some of the latter cover and cajole, and do ev
erything possible to conciiiate. Others OF the
whites, however, are evidently FESTIVE. They
have caught Tartar. One of them com
planned recently that his party, instead of lead
ing the negroes, was led by them. Another,
while conversing in public place with a sable
compatriot, brandished his arm and declared
that he would concede to black men all that
white men claimed, and nothing more This
unnatural utilization will be broken up. White
men aspiring to responsibility will not be able
to endure it long And mark the prediction
these Radical whites will turn out the bitterest
prosecutors of the black race. The deluded ne
eroes will then discover who have been their
true friends.
You would like to know when the Conven-
ton will adjourn. [ cannot inform you, nor
could the wisest seer foretell. 1t is rumored
that Radical leaders say they will get through
about the middle of February.
| While the Convention continues to sit, the
Government Soup houses are of course kept In
full blast in order to feed the horde OF patriotic
Africans whom regard for the public veal in
duces to linger in this city. On soup days a
large crowd of both sexes and all sizes and ages,
among them many able bodied men, may be
seen filling the streets on which these houses
| are situated. WHITMAN.
Is 1T A "CHRIsTIAN INsT1TUTIoN?"- My