Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-04-13
TUESDAY MORNING, April 10, 1869
RECONSTRUCTION.

! y
the administration and Congress to the
I people of Virginia, Ia copy of which
we publish to-day,) is worthy of their
serious consideration, because it opens
the way and provides the means by
which the State may be restored to
the Union uader government of the
people.
The DAY Book has been the steady
and consistent friend and advocate of
reconstruction ever since the laws of
Congress passed in the Spring of 1857,
which were the enabling acts by which
six of the Southern States have been
admitted to representation in Congress,
and restored to their former rank in the
| Union of the States. When the State
of Virginia was called upon to act un-
der those laws, portion of her people
were refractory. They were unwilling
to recognize the power of Congress in
the premises; they refused, under the
counsels of certain of their leading men
and democratic presses, to register and
to vote, and by this course Of conduct,
they surrendered into the hands of
aliens and negroes the constitution
making power of the State Oh Virginia
Even after considerable majority of
> white people were found to have regis
tered, despite of IT, ANNOUNCEMENTS,
the refractory presses advised them not
to vote-and thus they became oower-
less to prevent any oppression or dis
honor to which the State might be su D.
! jected Accordingly, when the consti-
tuition was framed, it contained both
oppression and dishonor, and the white
men of the State were Immediately or
ganized to oppose and vote it down.
The election was happily postponed by
| General Schofeld-fo in the existing
state of the public mind. at that time,
We very much doubted whether the
white majority of - or $4,000 could
have been rallied for the rejection Of the
Underwood Constitution. So matters
Rested ior over twelve month.
| But the Norfolk Day Book, true to
| lis reconstruction record, in October and
! Nove nber again commenced the recon-
srruction agitation, and proposed the
resuscitaticn of the Alexandria Consti-
ton, adapted to the views of Congress,
by the insertion of those articles which
were required in conformity with the
provisions of the reconstruction laws.
I The subject being thus re-opened, the
action of the Committee of Nine fol-
| lowsd, the favorable consideration of
| the administration was obtained which
eventuated in the late message of Pres
ident Grant, responded to by the latest
reconstruction act of Congress which we
| publish to-day. i..s..
Now, we think that after all the DIS
comfort, and turmoil, and uncertainty,
and Inconvenience of the last two
years, our people ought to be prepared
for practical reconstruction under the
plan proposed in this bill. That it is
not all we would like, we freely admit;
but then it is all that we are likely to
get, and it is infinitely better than what
we expected twelve months ago, But
its chief recommendation is, that by it
we shall be enabled to obtain, with our
State Legislature and Government, a
constitution-amending power, by which,
in the course of time, an instrument
shorn OF its worst features, but still OBJ
jectionable, may be conformed to the
views and principles which have gov
erned the State Of Virginia heretofore,
in all respects except those into which
we are coerced by the controlling power
of the government represe ing the
progress Of the age. And this would
always be the case. Time will always
adapt the organic law to the genius Of
the people it is intended to govern,
For the action of the people on this
subject, no new organization is neces-
sary. The principles of this bill form
the platform upon which the g True
Republican" party las been organized,
and Col. mel Walk" the candidate for
Governor, stands upon it. All the
friends of reconstruction in the State
all the c0nservatiyes-r-c can stand with
, MIN against Wells a7d the Radicals who
adopt the underwood, Constitution un~
abridged-because the first desire of all
good Virginians should be to sustain
this administration of President GraLt,
and prevent the State from falling un-,
der that alien influence, which would
deprive Virginians of their rights, and
run the government of the State for the
benefit of the ofice-holders and the
plumber of the people. e.s 4.,.. .-
A number of citizens OF Georgia,
IT. u