Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-04-30
ADD r E S S
OF He
CON VATIVE MENU R 8
OF THE
LATE STATE CON ENTION
0 + T II E

At the election conducted in October last by
Major General Schofeld and his officers, the
undersigned were chosen by the Conservative
voters in their respective districts, members
of the State Convention ordered by Congress,
for the purpose of framing q new Constitution
for the State Of Virginia. Moved by The con-
siderations which induced their constituents to
! participate in that election, they took their
seats in the Convention which assembled in
Richmond on the Sd day OF December, ANNA
ted by sincere desire to contribute all in their
! power towards the establishment of civil order
and the restoration of Virginia to her place in
the Union upon the basis of the Federal Con-
stitution and fair recognition of the results
| of the late civil war.
| Conscious of their numerical weakness, but
sustained by clear convictions of duty and by
| the concurring judgment Of eminent and en-
ightened citizens in all parts Of the State, they
continued to labor during the session Of the
| Convention TO secure Constitution calculated
to protect the rights and interests of all classes
OF the community, to harmonic upon basis,
diacrimn ating and just, the conflicting ele
ments of society, and to confirm in manner
Satisfactory 10 the Federal authorities the ex-
pressed sentiment of the country IN favor Of a
perpetual and ndissolubs Union.
| The Convention having completed its work,
and propounded Constitution adverse in its
whole spirit to the procurement of these ends,
and defeating by its extreme provisions the
objects contemplated by even the stringent
programme prescribed by Congress, the unders
signed deem it appropriate to lay before the
people Of Virginia brief account Of this in
strument, and the thorough subversion Of all
existing relations which it will effect in cur
| society.
I The Convention consisted Of l05 members,
of whom some 35 were Conservatives, some IS
were Radicals, and the remainder doubtful
The Re ideals were composed Of ~ negroes, II
native Virginians, Is New Workers, Pennsyl
vaniau, / from Ohio, from Maine, l from
Vermont, from Connecticut, l from S. Caro-
| lima, l from Maryland, from the District Of
Columbia from England, l from Scotland. l
from Nova Scotia, and l from Canada. Of the
Il white Virginians belonging to this party,
some had voted for secession, others had been
in the Confederate service, others are old men
whose sons were in the Confederate army
hardly one had Union record. A large pro-
| portion Of the Northern men and the foreigners
were drifted here in some non -combatant capa-
| city by the war.
| Tie Convention organized by electing New
Yorker president A native of Nd was elect
ed secretary. A Marylander was elected SER
geant-at-alms. An IrishmaL, resident in Bal
| timore, was elected stenographer. The assis-
tant clerk was from New Jersey. Two negroes
were appointed doorkeepers. A clergyman
| from Illinois was appointed chaplain. Even
the boys appointed as pages, with one excep-
| ton, were negroes, Or the sons OF NortheI II
men or foreigners; while the clerks of the 90
standing committees, with two or three excep-
| tons, were also Northern men and negroes.
10 f,,or he how w, :
in this Convention listening to encomiums upon
the Negro race, to wholesale denunciations ag-
ainst the whites Of the South, to propositions
and speeches levelled agains1sproperty, and
addressed to the cupidity of emf smchised slaves
suddenly invested with the controlling power
in the State. 1t our aim to secure a good
| Constitution, and to this end we labored thro'
the greater part Of the session until we relin-
pushed She effort in despair Of getting any
thing that was even toerable. 1t gradually
became obvious to both sides of the house that
the more violent element in the RADICAL party
had obtained the mastery over those who were
inclined 10 more moderate measures. This was
accomplished in the caucus which sat almost as
regularly as the Convention, and what was de-
termined on there was pushed through under a
call for the> previous question by the united
! party in the Convention.
ing the progress of the Convention that tie
negroes were more and more intractable The
reported debates of the Convention will show
how active they gradually became in the pro-
ceedings of the body-altho', in this connec-
ton, it is proper to observe that correct idea
Of The speeches and conduct of the negroes is
,,nly to be obtained by reading the press reports
OF t,,.,a Richmond newspapers. The decorsus
| harangues in the ialreports of the Conven-
ton were nvs. led by the stenogapher.
Another matter " hich attracted our attention
was the utter iisregpsc. which the Northern
leaders in the body paid TO a. that had hereto
fore been distinctive in the funu~s mental law
OF tie State. They by no means eo,.tehteo
! themselves 10y securing to the negroes the Goa.
troll Of the future legislation Of the State, but
in wanton and reckless spirit, overthrow
whatever had been consecrated under ali pre-
7ious Constitutions in the affections Of the
! people, or whatever such men as Madison and
Marshall, end Leigh b ad deemed Of prime ina.
portance in laying the foundation Of our social
I, organization. Ruthless innovation was indul-
ged IN where there Was object to snbserye,
and ploug hshare was driven over the nonu
ments Of the past in the temper of confident
and Irresponsible power, and with the rude
ness and heartlessness of o barbarous con-
! quest.
SUFFRAGE.
! We will attempt now very briefly as we have
proposed. TO explain what will be the operation
OF the new Constitution if il shall become the
law of the land. The pivot of the system TO
be inaugsrated is, of course, negro suffrage
The instrument submitted provides for this on
The widest basis. There is universal negro
suffrage. without limitation, except that the
party shall be male. of sound mind, 81 years
of age, who has not been convicted of crime,
and resided twelve months in the State and
three months 10 the county where he proposes
to vote. We could not secure any educational
or property qualification whatever, not even
the prepayment oftaxes; not even the prepay
meat of the one dollar poll tax. We could not
even persuade them to exclude paupers. But
this universal suffrage vas confined to the ne