The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-07-17
MIR. BOUTWELL, ON VIRGINIA.
From the N. Y. Tribune.

rTOW He W. l. ITtOUIte.
That the Secretary of the Treasury has, in
Cabinet council and otherwise, taken ground
decidedly against the Walker party in Vir-
ginia and kindred movements in Mississippi
and Texas, we hear in so many ways that we
cannot doubt it's accuracy His precise views
are of course not made public, but we pre-
sumo those set forth in our Thursdays Wash
ington despatch were substantially, a part of
them We propose to reconsider the whole
subject in the light thereby afforded.
Promising that Mr. Boutwell's disposal of
his official patronage is not an object of con-
cern with us, and that this article has no rela-
tion thereto, we begin by recapitulating the
more important facts
!. The conservative" or ex-Rebel party in
Virginia had very respectable State ticket
long since nominated, with General Withers
at its head, and was in fair way to fight mag
nifcent battle and catch a superb thrashing,
as it did two years ago; when
II. The radical Republican party held a
State Convention at Petersburg, got into a
squabble, nominated fair ticket, headed by
General Wells, and adjourned.
Ill The dissatisfied minority bolted and
nominated another personally respectable
ticket headed by Gilbert c. Walker, of Nor
folk-a Northern man by birth, and a Douglas
War Democrat, who had already declared for
universal amnesty with impartial suffrage.
The residue of the ticket was unquestionably
Republican.
" 1t was obvious from the outset that, in
an old-fashioned party fight, the Walker ticket
must go to the wall and the Wells ticket pro-
badly carry the day.
V. The Conservative party, on full view
of the situation, resolved to do what any party
must do occasionally if it is to live-suppress
its fools, or send them to the rear. The men
of to-day consulted and refused to play out a
game already lost. They agitated till they got
together a new convention, whereby their
State ticket was drawn out of the way, and
the entire Conservative strength concentrated
on the Walker or bolting Republican ticket,
with an understanding that they would vote
for the new Constitution, but against the pro-
scriptive clauses which Gen. Grant ! at
their request, submitted to q separate Vt "
VI. This movement prevailed, as it s
fated to do from the first There were ..t
least twenty thousand Republican votes
pledged to Walker, and the conservative vote
added to this made sure thing of the result.
The Walker ticket has at least twenty thousand
majority; the proscriptive clauses are voted
down by at least thirty thousands and the
Constitution, thus amended, is adopted by
from one hundred and fifty to two hundred
thousand majority.
| VII. There is no pretense, on the one
hand that the conservatives thus acted
through any change of heart; yet it is clear
from thousand indications that they acted
in perfect good faith. They said to the blacks
everywhere, ''Do not prescribe us; we shall
not prescribe you;" and they won over thou
sands of their number. 1t is easy now to say
that the ignorant blacks were coerced or mis-
led by deceptive ballots, but they are not 81
ignorant nor SO dependent now as they wer,
two years ago, when no dodge or coercion
suffced to get one thousand of them to vot,
IL 4,
voted with the conservatives was mobbed b,
! his own race; now, they so voted by thou
sands with perfect impunity. Then, tn
blacks felt that their political existence was a
stakes now they do not.
= VIII. Mr.. Walker canvassed the State o.
the broad platform of Universal Amnest
} with Impartial Suffrage He everywher
} avowed himself a friend of Gen. Grants ad
= ministration, in favor of the XVIII Amend
ment, and opposed to all disfranchisement
or prescriptions of white or black. By tina
: sign he conquered. And now he holds tn
same ground, and has proclaimed himse
} since election in favor of Universal Educatio
} as well as Universal Suffrage. And the Cor
/ servative journals unite in resenting all al
| tempts of Northern Democratic journals t
represent the Walker triumph as DemC
3 cratic victory.
1 Such are the circumstances under whic
l | Governor walker presents Mnlsell aI Wasl
q ington. He wants no offices for his friend
or his party. What he does ask is that u
], new Legislature of Virginia shall be subjecte
a to no test-oaths that have not been exacted
9 the Legislatures of other reconstructed State
q but that the members shall assemble, tai
4 the oath to support the Federal Constitution
= organize, and ratify the fifteenth amendmen
e and that the members elect to Congress shf
t thereupon be admitted to seats and the rest
0 ration of Virginia perfected.
n The Walker party is not Democratic NJ
% an anti-administration party, though larl
j. portion of its members were once Rebels, al
e were nresnmntivelY faYorable to the electiI