The Portland daily press., 1869-06-21

14llioas Il igli.l si hepaofcdn stare lommHfse.
tY aoiia Letter, From Wushington. IN.
A6dirs in Virginia-C Crops--Legislation
l5 Politics. lHe h.tiEH4l Hnos1sfI a tfla 81.
aa3 WASHINGTON, d. c., June II, 1885, al
To the Editor Of the Press: ~ We siiai iia
W. Having just returned from brief jauint in
the "Old Dominion" in the absence OF any
special news here, I propose to transcribe
few notes for your benefit. During my Jour
ney I encountered most of the leading Re-
pub!icans. and several prominent Conserva-
tives, for however much the Northern press
may be in the fog on the subject. in Virginia
itself the issues are or seem to be clear and
well defined. At first, owing to the adroit
statements put forth by the, Committee, OF
nine who were in this city last winter, there
was some doubts as to whether they were
loyal, disloyal, or only simply q difference OF
degree in loyalty Under the leadership OF
Mr.. Greeley, the Northern Republican press
seem to forget the old Trojan proverb, put by
Homer into the mouth of suspicious ~
fender of the city--''7smeo donates ct ,eren-
tes" 1t has been supposed possible that a
whole community would all at rdce be COZ
verted from ultra rebelism to ,aodernable ke-
publicanism, II is mistsxe. Though ne
cessity has forced the Virginia leaders to ''eat
DUST when they desired not, and consequent
ly caused an abandonusat of their originally
couraceous nosi.sn Of ultra opposition, it has
onlv be-. 10 reach the result by indirection.
i'he Conservative candidate for Governor,
G. G.. Walker, is New Yorker. a man Of fine
presence, good culture, legal train and busi-
ness experience. In politics always Demo
crat, his Republication in Virginia has been
a pretence for power. Like all speakers here
he acauiescss in negro suffrage, but with bis
confreIes he hesitates not to use threats
against them if the right is exercised adverse
ly to his interests. Gov. Wells, the Republican
candidate, is the acting executive He was
from Michigan formerly, was Brigadier dur
ing the war, is an able lawyer, and possesses
an attractive personal appearance He ID a
man of cool brain, good executive ability, and
clear and cogent speaker, reasoning rather
than infaming. His quality of mind maybe
understood from an incident was told of
e&ahur Riah He HI5 was loag Military Governors of Al
1865, after the surrender, q great meeting
was held there to celebrates. Gov. Pierpont
spoke. He was lerocious.i The rebels were
all to be hanged Every lamp-post was 10
have a human sacrifice, &c. TIE great crowd
cheered uproariously. Gen. Wells followed
in different strain. His first sentence. de.
claring th at the great body of the rebels were
deluded men, and should not be held for pun
ishment, was greeted by hlsses. But be went
on, arguing for generous policy, declaring
that only those who refused to surrender
should be summarily dealt with, and that the
leaders should be turned over to the law, etc.
He finally got the ear of the meeting and car.
ried it too. Though Lewis Mckenzie, (now a
Conservative candidate for Congress) follow
ed in worse strain than Pierpont's, Gov.
Wells calmer counsel prevailed. ls sss.s
The registration begun yesterday in the
State. In my journey found great activity
prevailing. The Conservatives hope TO in.
crease the white registration by at least b.
900, while it is expected that 1000 more col
ored votes will be enrolled. 1t is expected
that the registration viii reach 245 900 OF
more OF which 10000 will be colored, and
the balance white. Every Walker man !
talked with conceded that the colored mer
would vote solid for General Wells, the
Constitution and the Republican ticket. D.
the whites, the lowest Republican count puts
their vote down at 10000, while the Rich.
mond State Journal puts them at not les.
than $4,000, of which four-fifths will be cast
Say $1,000 white votes then, and 95 600 color
| ed; there would then be a clear radical Re.
publican majority. But the white vote vii
not be cast within 10000, and perhaps more
| Of its full strength; SO that the Republican
majority is variously estimated at from 20,
900 to 10000. Walker does not call out tile
rebel strength. The "Impracticab,es' as
they are termed, do not intend to go for a
carpetbagger. Had the Democrats accepted
the situation SO far as the vote on the Consti
tuition is concerned, and renominated theh
regular candidate, Withers, Gov. Wells would
his friends concede, have harder race thar
now. 1t Is understood that the Conservative
managers have virtually given up the State
ticket and are now struggling mainly for tn,
Legislature. For this they are working mos
vigorously, on the principe that to divide il
to conquer. They put forward. wherever pos
sible. disafected Republicans, and the mos
intelligent men of the party own that in
many instances the Conservative candidates
are of a higher order than the Republican
nominees. This is certainly the case in the
Richmond District, and probably there will
be a change there so as to insure Republi-
can success. 1t is feared that that delegation
may decide the political complexion OF the
new Legislature. Looking over the rebel
conservative papers, 1 find that they are
growing more bitter and denunciatory. The
township and county organization, copied
from New England and engraited upon the
new Constitution, seems to excite the most
| furious animosity. The Conservative candi-
date for Governor confines himself altogether
to appeals to elect him and an 'anti-R publ
can" Legislature, upon which result he
pledges himself to nullify that particular arti
Gle of the Constitution, as by the terms of tbs
instrument the Legislature must as soop as
possible put it into operation, and the 0onsti-
tuition cannot be legally changed nnder Two
years, it is not difficult 10 see that II II be
permissible to fail on this subject, it will be
even more convenient to rail on others OF even
more vital importsnce; such as putting the
| common schools into operation, or omitting
co,ored voters in the election law to be franz
ed The especial spite against the township
and county organizations seems to be that 1t
strikes deep at stronghold of old Virginian
power. By the new system fatal blow will
be dealt at the influence of the local mag
nates-the f. F. v. crowd-who have lorded
it, each in his neighborhood. over the younger
men and the poorer whites. The principal
/ po;nt prasanfad aa an objection to the new