The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1869-01-28

body Of the white population Of Virginia.
The provision of article eleven relating to
church property is an attempt to reverse the
settled policy Of Virginia, which restricts the
ownership Of church property in amount,
and confines it strictly to the local religious
congregation. The purpose is to enable
ecclesiastical bodies" outside of Virginia,
in opposition to the legislation of the State
and against its Judicial decisions, to take
the churches Of Virginia from the local con-
grcgations who bnilt them. The provision
opens controversy full of all the combined
bitterness Of party, and section, and sect, over
every Presbyterian and Methodist Church
building in Virginia.
The next modification suggested by us is to
strike from the proposed constitution, and
thus to leave to legislative enactment or mod
iication, the whole of the cumbrous machin-
cry for local organization, government, and
police; which, in our judgment, is clearly
untitled to the condition Of the State, and
if fixed in the constitution will be cause of
embarrassment and difficulty and strife, Sc
riously affecting the public peace and the
harmony and good order of society.
The population of Virginia is very sparse
ly and unequaly distributed over the terrific
~ of the State, and physical and geographic
cal features Of the country are such as to rem
der wholly impracticable any arbitrary plan
Of subdivision for local purposes. The most
we have been able to do thus Ear is to make
the counties the units Of local government,
and to give to the county courts, composed Of
all the county justices, the control and direc
ton of the local government and police.
In view Of the init o luction into our sys-
tenn Of so large political clement so un-
equally distributed as to result in the COM
pletc prominence Of the whole white race
in one section Of the State, and Of the colorcd
race In another section, we are very earnest
ly of opinion that any system of local govern
ment and police engrafted upon the eonsti
tuition, and placed under the absolute control
of limited districts, will naturally incur the
distrust and excite the apprehensons of the
local minority and tend to collisions calcula-
ted to impair personal security and to endan-
ger the public peace
The same difficulties surround the subjects
of local taxation and education, in regard to
which we are satisfied that the proposed sys-.
tenn will be found unequal and inefficient in
its operation, and in its results intolerably ex-
pensive and oppressive.
The solution of these difficulties which we
propose is to strike the whole system from
the constitution and leave it to the Legisla-
ture, in which all localities, interests, and
classes, will be fully represented, to regulate
the whole subject by laws, which will be at
al! times open to modification and improve
ment, such as experience may suggest or the
public interest may require.
The next modification proposed by us is
to strike out the provisions in article eleven
relating to homestead and other exemptions.
The laws of Virginia now in force provide for
homestead and other exemptions, prospective
in their operation. The provisions of these
laws are believed to be not materially diff
fercnt from those in the proposed constitution,
except in regard to past Indebtedness, as to
which We regard the proposed provision as
clearly in conflict with the Constitution Of
the United States The chief Importance
which we attach to striking out this provision
grows out of its injurious effect upon the
minds Of the people, whose necessities already
incline them to look with favor upon any sug-
gestcu of relief from pecuniary obligation
The only remaining suggestion of modlii-
cation is as to the maximum of taxation for
local free school purposes, in article eight,
section eight.
It will be observed that we made no object
ion to the school system proposed except SC
far as it depends on the local organization, tc
which we have already referred.
No objection is offered in any quarter to
the establishment of thorough system Of
free public schools, at least as rapidly as the
proposed constitution requires !; and although
we have asked to strike out the mode Of local
taxation proposed we have suggested modi
fication which avoids any diminut.on of the
amount to be raised by taxation for public
free school purposes.
In suggesting tile notifications referred tt
we by no means wish to be understood as con
ceding that the proposed constitution is fret
from what we regard as important defects il
other particulars, but we do not understand il
to be the purpose of Congress to interfere ii
such matters further than may be required by
high considerations affecting the integrity Of
the constitution and the maintenance Of jus
tice and domestic tranquility We have
therefore, confined our objections to provis
i,ns of the proposed constitution falling prop
erly, as we believe, within the scope of sucl
an interposltion.
The clauses which we ask to have stricken
out from the proposed constitution are of diff
ferent degrees of Importance; but the lcas
important, we think, will be found to involv
some grave public mischief or injustice. Thos
included in our first suggestion could not hu
| plunge our State into civil anarchy aud dis
cord, and disturb the general and GROWN;
harmony Of the two races Of our people, i
not to array them in deplorabe hostility t
one another. They would arrest immigration
paralyze all forms of industry, destroy our dc
nestle peace and hope of prosperity, and rem
der us burden to the Union, instead Of al
important addition to its resources, wealth
credit, and power.
In our personal interview with the com
mittec we called their attention to provision
Of the proposed constitution, and especiall