The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-01-11
The TirgiaaiG Contention
ORDERED BY CONGRESS TO
FRAME A STATE CONSTITUTION
TWENTY-SECOND DAY.


FRIDAY, January 10, 1868.
The Convention met at the usual hour.
Prayer by the chaplain.
A question arising as to the proper in
sertiop in the Journal of the remarks made
by Messrs. HUNTER and LIGGATT on yes
terday, those gentlemen explained that
thew made the remarks because those OF
Mr.. HUNSIcUTT reflected on every mem
Der on their side Of the house who enter
tanned similar opinions with Mr.. HUNTER,
and they considered themselves called
upon to resent them.
Mr.. HUNNICUTT said that the remarks
were uttered in political sense, and were
not intended to be personal. The matter
was passed over.
PRINTING.
Mr.. ALLAN, from the Committee on
Printing, submitted the following:
"The Committee on Printing, to whom
was referred to report to this Convention
what progress, if any, has been made by
the stenographer of the same in reporting
and printing the debates thereof beg
leave to report that manuscripts Of the
proceedings and debates up to Friday,
January g, 1868, have been furnished by
the stenographer to the printer of the Con-
vention, and that sixty or seventy pages
of those debates have been already print
ed; that all job work has been executed
and the Journal printed from day to day,
and laid upon the desks of members. The
committee beg further to report that they
have made arrangements for the printing
of the extra copies Of proceedings and
debates, as ordered by the Convention by
resolution on the 9th instant; and that a
COPY of that work, as far as progressed,
will be furnished to each member of the
Convention on the next day of the Con-
vention."
The report was laid on the table to be
printed.
STATE METROPOLITAN POLICE.
Mr.. BowDEN submitted, from some citi-
zens of Norfolk, petition asking for the
provision of a uniform system OF police,
to be styled the Metropolitan Police OF the
State of Virginia.
ANTE-BELLUM HUNNICUTT.
Ifr. GIBSON, according to his privilege,
arose to bring forth the past record of Mr..
uUNN1CUTT's loyalty. He said that the
gentleman had brought the attack on him.
self by talk about rebels, traitors, etc.
He had had an opportunity to defend him
self, and had, although he (Mr. G1DsoN)
had made no such charge against him,
gone on with long rigamarole about his
not being an original secessionist, which
he concluded by acknowledging that he
voted for the ordinance of secession, claim
inr to have been forced to do it. Now, as
regarded the members proposing plans for
capturing Fortress Monroe, he had in his
possession a published copy of commu-
nication from Major Barton, highly re-
spectable and honorable gentleman Of FIRE.
dcricksburg.
Mr.. GIBSON read this, and produced a
file of the Christian Banner (Mr. HUNNI-
QUITS paper), belonging to that gentle
man, from which he read lengthy article
severely denouncing the idea OF an African
church in Fredericksburg.
We give below extracts from the article
read by Mr.. GIBSON:
eve are decidedly opposed to any and
all African churches south of Mason and
Diyon's line. In the present state OF
things, and at this particular crisis, we
think it exceedingly impolitic in the
southern people to allow such organiza-
tions TO exist in our midst. The time for
such unhallowed assemblages is not yet.
Nor is Virginia the place of rendezvous
for such dangerously mischievous, ungodly
masses of crude mind and matter to con-
gregate to concoct and execute tnelr nela-
rious schemes Of religious villainles."
Again, in the same issue OF his paper, ne
saws. speaking of the colored people OF
the State, and of the South generally:
aThey are ignorant and superstltlous to
a proverb. Depravity, ignorance, and SUI
nerstition form dangerous compound,
and such compound is the black popula-
ton of Virginia.
uAn African church in Fredericksburg
Who is to take the Episcopate charge OF
this African church at its ecclesiastical or.
oanization An African, perhaps. Then
we are to have an African clerical frater-
nity imposed upon us-African parsons
strutting up and down our streets, wear.
ing black kid gloves, glossy boots, beaver
| covering for their empty skulls, velvet
cloaks thrown loosely over their deli
cate shoulders, after the parsonic or
der, waving carelessly in their hands ivory.
utdttu CduCS, dbu oPoApihS "ioh elSii
golden watch-guards. These clerical
knayes must be handsomely paid for their
services; they must live the petted, pam.
pered African clerical lords of the land
having the care Of undying souls COM
mitted to their trust sHush,' says one,
we are not going to have colored preacher.
Who, then, are you going to have Why
some clergyman of Anglo Saxon blood, of
course Very we'll, in either case the
preacher must be paid, if the widows and
orphans are starved to death in order
to accomplish it. Where's the money
to come from to pay for the ministerial
services in the African church Never do
you mind about that !; We'll see to it, Yes,
the public will be taxed to raise funds
to support the Fredericksburg African
church, and the modus operanG of levying
this tax we leave our readers to divine.
We honestly believe that decently con-
Quoted theatre IN the toaon of Fredericks-
burg aoould be a curse Of less magnitude
tn tbe cO7n7nunifu 0enerauu than an fyicnn