Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-06-15

Ill.
Enquirer and Examiner, would be positively
despair. We do NOT see how our poor people
could bear it. And if the returns shall come
in unfavorably from the election on the 9th of
next month, We really do not know what is to
become of us.
Think Of the Underwood constitution lex
purgatedl administered by that crew of hungry
carpet baggers and the negroes for four years.
The first step would be to give us in its most
rigorous form the County Organization article.
Its details would be prepared in the spirit in
which the outline was conceived. In our heavy
negro counties we should have Immediately a
swarm Of negro officers Negro constables and
policemen would come down with their official
batons on the white race. Negro magistrates
would try their late masters for imaginary Of
fences. Negro assessors would get your pro-
perry list; and negro supervisors would rate it
for taxation; and negro collectors this is one
ofthe new county Offices would collect the taxes
You will pay over to the negro collector the few
greasy greenbaeks you have left-you will not
have many-times will be hard, far harder than
any you have seen yet. Whether he will ap.
ply your taxes to build school-houses for his
children, and poor house for himself We leave
to conjecture. His official bond will be like that
of the sheriff referred to by Mr.. Wallach, can
didate for Congress in the 7th district the 9TH
er day-who collected about $4,000 of taxes,
&C., and whose securities paid about SO cents
taxes.
The next provision of the constitution to be
carried into execution will be the Education
Article, under which you will be taxed about
$4,000 probably to educate your children
and theirs. You will have nice little school
house about mile from your house (if you
have house at that time, and there will be
some of those colored gentlemen whom you
will know as the School Trustees, who will APP
point teacher-a hungry-looking fellow from
Connecticut who talks through his nose and
says dooty or perhaps an educated colored gen
| tleman. This functionary will whip your chill
dren. Perhaps the colored Legislature will, by
virtue of the authority delegated to it by the
constitution, provide for mixed schools, and
your boys and girls will go to school with the
black children of the neighborhood, and bump
their heads against theirs on the same form. -
This is the law under the reformed state OF
things in Louisiana.
Then they Will have to see at once about the
Militia. You know Brownlow could not keep
the Tennesseans straight until he got his loyal
militia. 1t has been suggested that Lindsay
will be commissioned to run this part Of the
machine.
They will then enforce by appropriate leg
islation'' the clause of the bill of rights which
provides that ''all citizens Of the State are de-
clared to possess equal civil and political rights
and public privileges and when you go to the
Circus, the crowd will be mixed
The Legislature will then proceed to lodge the
| judicial power of the State in the hands of men
| like Underwood and Bond and Chandler. They
will elect all the county judges (for each coun-
ty is to have a judge,) all the circuit judges,
and the judges of the court Of appeals. They
will also have the Secretary of the Common
wealth, the Auditor, the Treasurer, the Board
Of Public Works, and the Board of Education.
In 1871 they will re-apportion the State fol-
the Legislature, and consolidate their power fol
| ten years longer.
| You will be arrested by negro sheriff on the
complaint of negro, committed on negro evil
dence by a negro justice, convicted by negle
jury, and lodged in the penitentiary under a
negro jailor, and not be pardoned by Governor
Wells or Governor Harris 81 a
AS your schools will be managed by negro
trustees, your roads will be kept in order by ne
gro overseers, and your poor houses will be gov
erned by negro board-you footing the bills
| Your University, your Military Institute
your Asylum for the Deaf and Dumb and the
Blind, your Lunatic Asylum, will be destroyed
Or kept up for the benefit of the blacks at your
expense The colleges of the State generally
will probably be closed under the clause about
equal public privileges
You will have all this in few months
if you permit the negroes to elect Wells ano
ing you can avert all except the expurgateC
constitution. Securing the Governor and thu
Legislature, you secure the Judiciary the BoarC
of Public Works and the Board of Education
You control the militia, the school system, the
county organization, the whole field of State
taxation, and can regulate the selection of jurors
You elect two United States Senators !; you re
apportion the districts for the Legislature you
hold the veto power and the pardoning power
In other words, you administer the Constitution
''Let ME make the songs of nation,' sons
one has said, land don care who makes tn
laws. With more truth it may be said, lie
me make the laws of a State, and don't car
who makes the Constitution. The power Of
legislative body is illustrated by Congress; wha
does the Constitution amount to? 1t has nj