Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-06-28

votes, to the iron-clad despo-
tism we now have, which, by
the operation of the test oath,
excludes nearly every decent
white man in the State from
any participation in public al
fairs and delivers the people OF
Virginia over as lawful spoil to
Wells and his birds of prey. So
l say, then, that you are re-
duced to choice between two
evils, one or the other of which
you are bound to take.
It is beyond my comprehcn-
sion how any reasonable man
can for a moment hesitate to
accept this offer to allow us a
voice in the administration of
affairs, when the necessary re-
suit must be to continue the
carpet-bag rule to which we are
now subjected.
The great objection | have
heard urged against voting tor
this expurgated constitution is
that in doing so we give our
sanction to negro suffrage,
which we have always opposed !;
and those persons are accused
of inconsistency who formerly
opposed but now acquiesce init.
But this sort of reasoning is all
faliacious, and the Inconsistency
is only apparent, but real.
Negro suffrage, fellow-citizens,
already exists, independently Of
any vote you may give, by the
paramount authority of the
Federal Government. 1t was
ordained two years ago in the
reconstruction acts of Congress,
and the Northern States, by
overwhelming majorities, have
ratified them. The Supreme
Court has been appealed to in
vain to relieve us. So that ne
gro suffrage, as fact exists, no
matter now to enquire whether
rightfully or wrongfully-1
recognize the fact. A year ago
l would have opposed the adop-
ton of this constitution in any
shape, because a powerful party
at the North was struggling
for supremacy, with fair hopes
of success, which promised to
reverse the reconstruction po-
licy of Congress. But we were
all previously disappointed !;
that party was beaten every
where. But | would not even
then have been willing to ac-
cept it. Why -? Because at
that time we had a judiciary
composed of learned and up-
right Virginians, and our own
laws administered by faithful
and efficient officers. Twas,
therefore, unwilling toexchange
the order of things then exist
ing for the experiment of negro
suffrage. But Congress saw
that we were too contented
with that condition, and that
we would never accept their
terms of reconstruction unless
they made us a little more UNI
comfortable. So they turned
the screws a little tighter, and
by a resolution passed in Feb
ruary they require the applica-
ton of the iron-clad oath to all
our officers. You know the
result. Thus in the place of
law and order they erected the
standard of ancient night and
chaos Virginia then became
the paradise of carpet-baggers,
who come like the foul birds
that rose from the funeral pyre
Of Memnon, to partake Of the
feast which had been prepared
for them.
Yon must therefore compare
the expurgated Constitution
with the condition of affairs as
they exist now under the ope-
ration of the iron-clad oath land
not as they existed one year ago.
And it is just as fair to accuse
a man who votes against this
Constitutions giving his sane
ton to carpet-bag rule as it is
to charge the man who votes
for the Constitution with giving
his approval to negro suffrage;
but 1 do not charge that the
practical effect of voting down
the expurgated Constitution is
to continue Wells and his pira-
tical crew in office.
True wisdom, therefore, seems
to me to dictate the acceptance