The national Republican., 1869-01-07

Pv"N" ~ hHst thEt vs.
ConSress-TheA Aims of the virginia
Conservative Farty - what Con
gress Reaulres OF yirGinia-The
virEtnia fenssitutien Soon 60 be
suhntitteN 90 me Psopie-Its Foo
turcs shss Are Objectionable 20
the Renettonists. &C.
JASuARY 0, 1850.
To TnE RRPuBLICAN! The Conservatives"
las they now style themselves) of Virginia are
at this time In a great stew over the proba.
bllity OF the adoption Of the Radical constitu.
tlon on which the state is soon TO be called on
to vote. The Conservative" party OF YIr-
glnis is composed OF all within her limits who
aihere to the ante rebellion ideas OF States'
rights to that OF the God-ordsined inferiority
Of the negro brain to the brain OF white men OF
but equal culturej to the patriotism, right and
Justice Of the rebellion, and TO the hope Of be.
ing able to accomplish In the Union what so
recently failed Of accomplishment by force of
arms. II also embraces those alleged devoted
friends Of the Union cause who subsequently,
became the bitterest and most active rebels In
the hope Of regaining their prominence before
the Southern public, which they lost by re-
fusing to strike the ball OF treason at Its nrst
hop. Indeed, all In virginis belong to her
Conservative party who hate or mistrust the
theory Of the equality OF all before the law,
which is the basis Of all distinctive American
liberties, ~ now understood. The men who
would cheat the lsborer out Of the sweat OF
his browi those who disdain labor with their
own hands, and those who sigh after a state Of
society that can never again exist anywhere
under the Stars and Stripes, are all Of this
same Conservative party. A handful Of Its
leaders, selfelected, have recently been in
convention In Richmond, to the end Of devlsing
some scheme to induce Congress to submit to
the voters OF the State for adoption, along
with the constitution framed by the eonven.
tion called some time since by Congress itself,
a form OF constitution really designed to re.
| nit the States Affairs wholly to the keeping
of vlrgInias "Conservatives." The folly OF
| this waste OF their time became so apparent
as that even those Virginia fossils eompre-
hended the fact on concluding their eonsuita-
tions. So they determined to send commit
tee Of nine OF their number here, to look after
the interests OF the Virginia Conservative"
cause before Congress.
From their published proceedings II 10 evil
dent TO me that they contemplate playing the
Georgia game. They propose to accept the
extension Of the franchise to the blacks under
protest, repeating their denial OF the justice
or propriety OF so doing. They declare their
willingness to accept 1t only as an expedisnt
to enable them to get their State back into
the Union on the terms on which New York
is now one OF the United States. They are
deeeivinE none but themselves. All Others
understand distinctly that their aim 10 but 10
divide the negro vote In order to get control
| of the States affairs, to enable them, acting
| as . Sovereign" state, to reduce the blacks
Of virginis into the political condition OF
i ~ ann Ht4
| murder and other outrsges they have already
temporarily deprived the lately eufranehised
of all civil and political rights accorded them
| In the State constitutions on faith In the
adoption OF which Congress consented to their
| re-admission as States OF the Union instead
| OF treating them as conquered provinces. ]
predict for this Virginia conservative COM
/ mittee OF nine such q reception by the msjoi-
| ity of Congress as will speedily open their
| eyes to the fact that the National Legislature
| does not propose to be cheated by Virginia
| conservatism as Georgia and Louisiana con-
seryatism have cheated Congress so far.
/ They will soon learn here that the National
Legislature intends that every conquered
Southern State shall be made to carry out the
spirit as well as the letter Of all the recon-
struction lswsj that until experience proves
that labor is being IS honestly dealt by In the
| South as In the North, East or West, and
until speech upon all conceivable things 10 as
free in the South as in New York, Massachu.
| setts or Michigan, and human life there IS
amply protected by courts and juries and pop
ular sentiment as anywhere else under the
| Jurisdiction OF this Government, their State
| reconstruction will not be accepted by the ma
| tion or by Congress as thing accomplished.
Until It becomes certain that they will not
abuse the privilege of seltgovernment to the
end of denying equality of rights to others,
and numbering or exiling them for seeking to
avail themselves OF such equality OF rights,
neither Congress nor the incoming admins
trstion will recognize their restoration to or
oo-equAlity In the Union. The Virginia con-
| servAtlve party are not yet educated up to the
point Of accepting the reeonstruction laws In
the spirit In which those laws were enacted.
Congress designed them as the rule Of justice
| between man and man, aud between the oiti-
zen and the State upon which the resenera-
tion OF the South 10 TO be accomplished, and
prosperity speedily to be restored to her. vlr-
ginis "eonserystism," as everywhere through
out the South, regards them simply as the
| means by which the original desigus upon
Southern society, OF the original confederacy
couspirstors, may sooner or later be worked
out, as far as they can be after the advance
geneies and incidents Of the war
The points or features OF the constitution
for Virginia framed by her last State oonven-
tion, against which her CONSERVATIVES" COM
plain so badly, are simply those which 10
Northern State constitutions have been at
the bottom OF the increased Intelligence,
thrift and prosperity OF their several popula-
tions. Their main objection, strange to say,
| la In ha nFnyiainn larlarina hat IA. h.
province OF the property OF the State to fur
nish common school educstion for tho chill.
dren Of the State. This is the great outrage
| upon the property holders OF Virginia, which
bids fair to break the hearts of her conserva-
tive leaders. l need hardly say to your read.
era that such = provision forms the basis Of
| all educational Improvements In non-slAye.
holding constitutions that now have efficient
| common school systems, all of which would be
utterly worthless, practically, without It,
The other Questionable features Of the pro-
posed Virginia constitution were one and all
taken bodily from Northern and Western State
constitutions, wherein the interests of all
classes Of the States population are pro
tscted and fostered, rather than those only
Of an oligsrohy. This new Virginia constltu
tion, In simply striking down the provisioni
OF vlrginia's former fundamental law, de-
signed to make slaveholdIng and slaye.breed
ing the only interests to be fostered by the
State, has given mortal offence to those who
believe that none but her former oligarchy are
| at to be trusted with the management Of hei
affairs, or to be In any manner fostered by the
States policy or legislation.
Notice 10 Mariners.
OFFICE OF LIUHT HoUsR ISsPECToR,I
FlTTH DI6TRICT.
NoKFOLK, VA, December %, 1888.