Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1869-08-19
Ti,e New York Tribune OH Affairs in
Virginia.


Virginia has held an election by virtue OF an
act of the present Congress, which expressly
authorized the President to submit her new
Constitution TO popular vote, with such ex
ceptions or in such parcels az he should deem
nroper. General Grant ;hereupon excepted
from the body OF the instrument those sections
or clauses which provided Tor the continued
Acknowledgement and exclusion from office OF
all who had taken a prominent part III the
great Rebellion. He was urged to except also
the section providing for al apportionmcnt d
the State into Townships; but he decided tha'
this vas not vital matter, while dlStraGchiSe-
ment was. and he should submit the Constltu-
ton accordingly. The result was the adoption
of the rest Of the Constitution by nearly -oo'
900 majority, while the proscrptive proVlsiohs
were rejected by over Forty thousand.
The opponents ut Prescription OF course car
RED the State, electing Governor, Legislature,
Sc. Their State Ticket was originally nnm''
mated by Republicans, aud was entitled rue
Republican, bul wa supported by all tne
conservatives" as well As by many Kcpubil'
cans White and Black. Probably, It's l2O,dOo
votes were cast by %. 600 Republicans and lVV'
600 Conservatives: while 100 U0b Repuo lean
votes were pOed against 1t;
A short time before the election, when II had
become evident tha, the Walker combination
must triumph, it was whispered about that
Gen, CANDY, commanding in Virginia, would
imposc the Iron clad" oath on all who should
he chosen to the Legislature ami, on inquiry
this was found to be true. Inc "ConserV
"atives" thereupon consulted ana decided tha'
they could not change their candidate" l. 81
late an hour--that they must vote their
tickets as they had nominated them, and
Il N, oh All
doNs at the polls, Gen. Candy 5 purpose, thus
| c0ndenaed by the voters, would somehow DC
overruled. So they went on with their can
vass, and chos, large maority OF the Legs
aturc, all OF them eligible to Office urder tie
NlVth Amendment Of the Federal Consttu-
| ton, but a good part 6 whom cannot take the
iron clad oath.
1t is now given out that tin result ~'ii .p'I
| be officially announced the nt.w Legislature
! thereupon summoned to meet the iron clad
oath administered, all who cannot take 1t ey
cluded IRON seats, and their defeated autago
nst4 installed in their stead. The ne profit oil
| the operation is to be the the choice OF twI
Wells Republicans to the L. s. Senate.
| We protest. against tins programme a. III
| vovng perGdy, iriqui!y, and a most stipend
Gus blundcr. The only party that can ht
harmed by it is (as in Georgia. that which
conceived and executes it. We have IN over
whelming Republican majority in the Senate
| so that there is not even the poor, rasealy cT
| cuse OF necessity for penetrating 1t. II IS
resort prompted By the modification OF defeat
but the Republicans of the whole country can
not afford to sacrifice themselves On the ALTA
of Wells discontinue.
| No doubt, Il cunninp lawyer can make ont
case in favor Of the proposed pr0gcri ption, al
| he can III favor OF almost anything but VI
| all know that The Government lust CONSTITUTED
| in Virginia t. IA no proper sense provisional
| such a. was contemplated in the Reconstruction
| acts where they prescribe the "iron-clad' oath
| II is created by the largest vote ever p0lIed II
the State though some thousands Of the lead
| ing "Couservativca' were denied the EiPht o
| Suffrage because Of The nd they gave 10 th
! Rebellion The voters were jHst those whom
| Congress has seen fit 10 make snca; The i''u1
| were well ranyasscd and understood the cleo
ton was peaceful, and the result - unIue'
| toned. Congress authorized and the PresIden
directed the separate submission aud the pe0
pie had fair right to presume that since the'
| we're expressly required to decide whether the,
| would or wOud not have Prescription Tor he
bellion's sake perpetuated, their decisiol
| was to be rr>I,c.rI, AT least 30 lar as regard
| their own domestic government. To oVerrul
| that decision at the Outset, and thus force tn
choice Of Senators Gbn0XioustO the a'ccrtane'
majority, will he crime and b!under at wa
| with The very corner stone OF fcpub.iclni>m