Smyrna times., 1869-07-14

AohO " ChC pcUplG Vi ODlO, written In the w n
ter OF 1868, which exasperated the Democrats
OF Ohio beyond measure.
THE VIRGINIA ELECTTON.-T Virginia
election, held last week, has been the leading
text for editorials in all our exchanges for the
last several days, and it is interesting to read
the various opinions Of the party press in re-
gard to it. Neither Republicans or Democrats
are able to determine which were the winners
IN the contest, or what point was gained. The
candidates tor Governor were Wells, Radical.
and Walker, Conservative, the latter being
elected by from 80, 900 to 40 900 majority The
regular party names were abandoned. The
issues OF the contest may be briefly stated thus :
The Radicals fought for State constitution
which gave the right Of suffrage to negroes.
and retained the test oath and disfrancbisinp
clause, by which it is estimated that thirty
thousand white men, who had taken part in
the rebellion, would be excluded from voting.
The Conservatives also voted for constitution
conterrng the ballot upon the negro, but aboI-
lshes the test oath and the disfranchising clause
They stood upon Greeley platform-uniyersal
amnesty, universal suffrage. Both of the can
dldates were Republicans and "carpet-bag-
gers, or Northern men. 1t is true that Wal.
ker, before the war, was a Douglas Democrat.
but ne Joined the Republicans after removing
to Norfolk, In 1860. He was considered a good
enough Republican to compete with Wells for
the nomination of Republican State Conven.
ton; and he was nominated by boilers from
that Convention who were dissatisfied with
Wells nomination. The boilers did not nom-
mate him because he was Democrat. but he
cause he was Republican, and because he
was the best exponent Of the Republican SEN
tlment of the State, as they believed. The
Conservatives and Democrats had nothing to
do with the nomination. 1t was sometime af.
ter he was in the field that they determined to
rally around him for the purpose of defeating
Wells. What troubles the Republicans is that
he was supported by all the rebel element:
what troubles the Democrats is that they have
elected prOiessed Republican. While such
men as Hunter, Bocock, Ould, Moseby, and
other noted rebels voted for him, he was also
supported by such extreme Radicals as Hum
nicut, Stearns and Mckenzie, and large share
Of the cOlored vote. The truth is. every man
that voted, whether for Walker or Wells, voted
for negro suffrage, and this is the platform on
which Walker stands. In his congratulatorv
speech In Richmond, after his election, he said.
" am now, as | have ever been, for equal and
exact justice to all men, without regard to race
or color, and claimed to be hearty supporter
of President Grant policy.
This is what the Democrats mean by accent
ing the lLylns Iasues Of the present and letting
go the dead ones Of the past Notwithstand-
ing the result in Virginia, they claim it as a
victory, inasmuch as the ultra Radicals we're
defeated. But they must remember that it
was with the success of negro equality" on
the part of the Republicans, and involved the
surrender of principle by themselves The
whole upshot Of the matter is, majority of the !
party have become convinced that negro suf
frage has got to come and that it is useless to
"kick against the WALL any longer They
have resolved to accept the inevitable. The
Richmond Wing, one of the strongest Conser-
yative papers in Virginia, gives great force to
this opinion. 1t says:
''From this day forward it may be confident |
ly asserted the white and colored people of
Virginia will in the main act together. The
blood line which has been attempted to be '
drawn has LETT but faint traces that will soon :
disappear, and future political parties will, in
all probability, be formed without reference to
race or color. The canvass just closed has Civ !
en- development to results that should be well !
coined by the whole country" c
To this we will add the testimony of the
Richmond Dispatch. 1t says :
1t is plain that parties must be reformed. !
The old issues and the parties that We're formed
upon them must give place to new issues and 7
new parties. We do not helieve there will ever 2
be a Democratic party in Virginia or if there '
should be, it will be so altered in every respect
that it viii resemble the old one in name alone. 4
The revolution is the theory Of our government \
has ken away the main nillar of the Old De-