The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-12-29
The suggestions made BY" sESEx" will

of course call forth q variety ofcomments ano
opinions from the press and people of Viz
ginia, The subject is an interesting one,
and should receive the attention of every
man. We give, therefore, as indices Of pub
lie sentiment few paragraphs from suco
articles as have reached us in the papers
published in other places. The Petersp"rs
Express, whose comments were inc ni''
that passed under our eye, is utterly op.
posed 70 the adoption of the plan sugses.eo
bv sESEx." That journal advocates It's
own side of the case with much ingenuity.
We quote the conclusion of its long article:
ar negro suffrage is forced npon us, let II be
forced but, for the sake Of all we ever heio
dear, let us not MS Virginians go down on our
Snees like cravens and ask for 1t.
"avyay with your cold, calculating, unspir-
ttualizing. ponderabie, materialism In pohtics
rs In religion
political iconoclasts; but leave MS some image
of The old household gods, some spiritual remi-
niscence Of the Virginia past, whence we are
derived, that will elevate us above the un-
sanctified and mundane, the carnal ana earth-
lv-minded and benumbtng consideration OF
the present only. Where is the spirit that
mated all the fathers of the great American
Revolution. north and SOUTH The spirit 10
endure and suffer. Do you not hear the ecno
of the voice Of the immortal henry resounu-
ing in the corridors OF the capitoi wneh hs
conrselied and implored that Virginia shouia
not sign away her liberties by adopting the
Constitution of the United States? ana,
think you, do you imagine that ne OF nls
god-like compeers.then present would, ii awe
to-day, now counsel us to ask the present
IN a.
versa, suffrage 'and-negro ellgiolA'y W
boots'n
The Enquirer Of this city is "unable to
"perceive any method Of giving permanent
apeacs to the country which does not re-
"cognize the absolute and essential in
"equality of the negro race as the basis
"of adjustment" We might make the
same remark though we approve of the sug-
gestions made by "SENEx." We are not
SO sanguine as 10 expect to see any sort
of reconstruction measures adopted by
Congress which will give "permane'st peace
to the country"
The Petersburg Inder makes but few
comments. We quote all of them
"WEAr SHALL DE DONE ION the first page
of to-Gay's issue will be found pohtical com
mun!cation which appeared simultaneously
in the Wing and Dispatch on Friday morning,
with the accompanying remarks OF those
Journals. We publish il as coming from nigh
source, and commend it as indicating gene.
rally the line Of action which seems proper
for Virginia TO adopt.
with the purpose and principles OF Be
Mex 1--WE are heartily in accord But as he
has detected and indicated some practical ODD
iections to the manner of carrying them into
effect proposed by Philos in these columns, SO
we have some difference with Senex as TO the
mode in which an end desired in common shall
be reached. The principal of which is this
That while the framing Of constitution
should undoubtedly be the Work OF rev, us
confirmation and presentation to Congress by
authority Of popular convention appears 70
us essen tial 10 the effect sought TO be produced
upon that body. Again: As TO time, we MINK
every moment precious.
But the appearance of this letter is graft
fying It gives tangible form and expression
to the public sentiment, and opens the way
not only for intelligent discussion, but decisive
action"
A correspondent in Albemarle county
writes to us as follows:
In the Dispatch Of the 25th instant writer
-rf.rt rrrrssrr5 rrrrr'rS ue. rcccpfcu vor'
gress. The plan is good one if Congress
would accept it; but there lies the rub.
Tounderstand our present status it is pru.
dent to look back on the past, see what has
produced it, and how far those causes and theil
effects still exist.
For thirty years prior to 1861 the northern
mind aud the world had been filled with Will
fication of the southern people-in books
pamphlets, paragraphs, letters, speeches, In
the forum or from the rostrum, sermons from
the pulpit messages Of Governors, reports OF
school commissioners, pictorial representa-.
tions; in fine, every circumstance and every
subject was apropoS to feed the morbid appetite
OF northern people for the widest and foulest
calumnies against southern shareholders,
until they convinced themselves and the world
that the southern people were outside barba
rians-monsters of iniquityand crime; that il
WAS an errand OF mercy TO rouse the slaves Is
fire the dwellings and slaughter the families
OF their masters, and That the Constitution OF
1887, being " q league with hell and covenant
with the devil" should no longer be permitted
TO exist as the mantle of so much crime. Sec
tioual hate had placed the semi civilized negro
on more elevated platform than the gallant
Pole or the classic Greek. In their familiar
conversations they maintained that miscege-
nation would be wrong with the Yankee be-
cause he was superior TO the negro, but right
with the southern white because he was in
ferior.
When Giddings announced on the floor of
the House Of Representatives that there were
hundreds of thousands of our fellow citizens
North and West, who would rejoice to see the
servile instruction, gloating over the fanced
scenes Of burning dwellings, panc-stricken
masters, and the wild shrieks of women and
children; when Seward announced that the
war upon the South was .irrepresSible,"
that there was a higher law than that Consti.
tuition under which we bad hoped protection ::
when Chase, Hale, and Seward In the Senate
february 1850, voted to receive petitions for
the dissolution of the Union; with similar
acts and declarations from other quarters suf.
ticient to fill volumes we vainly hoped that
these were but the utterances of heated parti-
sans or the rawlings of Ianaticism and not the
matured feelings of the masses. Subsequent
events taught us the error OF these opinions.
The raid of Brown we hoped was the act
OF isolated fanaticism. Its endorsation by the
masses North and West, the declaration-re-
ceived in Fanueii Hall, Boston, with bound
less applause-that his execution had rem
dered the gibbet as holy as the cross, his del
flcation for his attempt TO inaugurate servile
instruction in our midst, was the first thing
that startled us for our safety. The feeble
Union meetings gotten up in Boston and New
York-the getters-up characterized by Sena-
tor Wilson as political eunuchs-need scarcely
be noticed. The subsequent elevation of the
party OF John Brown 10 the control of the
National Government, the general demand
North for freedom Of speech South to be pro-
tected by that Government In other words
the license to preach instruction 10 our
slaves, backed by assistance in men and
means, which, Judging Of northern feelings by
their resolutions and speeches, would have
been abundantly supplied.
Thus was placed before the southern States
the sad alternative Of civil war or servile in
surrection. With all the horrors OF our pre-.
sent situation, some of our wisest men think
our choice honorable and wise. 1t was better
that men should fall with honor on battle
telds than their wives and children perish in
the horrors OF serviie instruction.
Subsequent events have demonstrated that
the election OF Lincoln was the proof and the
elimination Of a revolution which had occur
red In northern opinion, in favor Of popular
tunately for us. this popular despotism was
sectional, hostile, fanatical, and ignorant
That ignofsnce is the most fatal where the