The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1868-04-29

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VALLEY vIRGINIAN..
WORK OF THE VIRGINIA CONVENTION.
The Features of the Proposed Constitution
Radical Opposition to the Dfsfranchisin.
and Other Clauses-Address of the C0nser.
1 yatiye Members, SC.
As already stated by telegraph, the Virgin
ia convention, composed mostly OF Northern
men and foreigners, who hal been drifted IA
Virginia by the wars, of native AFRICANS, and
a few native radicals, with moderate sprnk
| ling OF conservatives. which has been in ses
sion for nearly five months. concluded its la
bors on Saturday. the 18th inst. The dav
before its ADJOURNMENT, Gen. Schofeld, es
corted by his staff. entered the hall Of the
convention, aud made an address from the
! Speakers stand, in which he told the mem
bers plainly that The extended disfrauchise
ments and Disqualification for Office which
they had embodied iu the constitution would
in mis- judgment, prove fatal to that ustru
ment," aud that 1T is practically impossible
| to carry on government in Virginia predi-
Gated upon that basis" Gen. Schofeld then
went into some explanatory details derived
| from his experience in administering the laws
| under the reconstruction acts for more than
year. to establish his opinion that suhi cient
| number Of men cannot be found in the coun-
ties of Virginia capable Of filing the offices
who can take the test oath He used some
| very strong language stating that the provis
| ion, if left in the constitution would not only
| be opposed to the wishes Of their friends but
fatal to the constitution, aud perhaps to them
selves.
| This was the first time he declared that he
had attempted to exercise the slightest iuhu-
snce over the actions of the convention. but
ne feltthat it was his duty now Ito convey to
them what he conceived to be the effect OF
such a law, its practical bearing upon the 20
litical affairs Of the oountry. and upon the in
| terests if they pleased, Of the party to mhich
they belonged" The Generals appeal, how
ever, had no effect, and the provision was re
tanned
At the final close Of the convention On the
18th. several speeches were made by radical
members. among them Judge Suead, who
was Union man throughout the war, aud
declared he was firmly persuaded that 4 ma
jority of the qualified voters will stamp this
constitution with the seal Of their decided aud
everlasting condemnation. The speaker was
especially severe upon he retrospective home
stead provision exelnpting two thousand dol
lars worth Of property from execution Of
debts antecedently or subsequently contracted
Mr.. Allan, another radical. Union soldier
during the war. who received but one white
vote when elected to the convention, denounc
ed the constitution, on account of the dis
franchising clause, in the most bitter terms
and said the clause referred to lis Of such
character as not only to secure its defeat be-
fore the people, but will notsfeceive the ap
prevail Of the national Congress. even in case
of its ratification here" MIR Allan warned
the coored men that the only boon the con
stitution. if adopted, would secure to them
would be to have the power for few wears
of rewarding ambitious men with Office, and
leaving as a legacy their children the ha.
| tired Of every white man where they live
ADDRESS OF CONSERVATIVES.
The conservative members of the convention
have published lengthy address to the people
Of Virginia. in which they thoroughly analize
the various features OF the constitution which
the convention has propounded
These are negro suffrage. under which no
prepayment OF a poll tax is required as hereto
| fore in Virginia, and paupers are not excluded
| county and township organ z,tions (the latter
never heard Of before iu Vlrginia) with sub
division OF townships into school districts aud
road districts, creating thereby in the s,.al-
| Ter counties about sixty petty officers. and in
the larger about tive hundred. all Of which bv
/ the operation Of the test oath, would in large
! majority OF the counties east OF the Blue Ridge.
| be negroes or such white men as would come
nnosr her control the refusal, while uniya.
sal suffage has been given 10 the blacks. 81
universal amnesty to the whites. 5y inoorno
at'ng in the constitution the iron clad oath
applicable to all officers from Governor !,
oEerseer of road, and watch not che white
man IN thousand in the State can take 1:
the adoption OF a basis OF represen alton and
airport ollnent by which, with white major
lty Excluding the distrznchised) O, 35, 900 il
the State, the blacks will have majority Of
twenty one on joint ballot in the Legislature
| the almost exclusive assignment to the white.
OF the payment OF the taxes; the appropriation
OF large sources of revenue to schools which
| the property owners who support them canno
enjoy the benefits of. Says the address:
M An effort was made in the committee OF
education, and afterwards on TWO several oeca
slons in the convention, to procure declara
ton that separate public schools should be pro
vlded for the white and black ehrildren. L
was voted down in every case The negroe
desired mixed schools, and their white assoei
ates feared to offend them"
II was finally agreed to leave the Legisa
ture, where the blacks will have majority d
twenty-one to deal with it. Other features q
the new instrument are the excessive and re
troactive homestead exemption above reierre
to; the militia and jurors, IN which 10 distine
tions are made OF race or color, except tina
none but those who are made voters have tn
right to sit on juries, thus excluding from i
ries the disfranchised white voters Of the Stat,
the guarantee of equal 'spublic privileges,
which is understood to hedasigned to SECURE
HAsrass ftte spcssx to all hntsas. railroad 4,