Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-05-31
STATE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

Executive Committee con the impending
crisis and the duties and responsibilities
it imposes" The address is signed by
Raleigh T. Daniel, chairman.
This document is very strong in its
recommendations to the people to vote
the test oath and Acknowledgement out
of the constitution, and to elect good
men to the Legislature; and although we
nowhere find specific advice given to
the people to vote for the constitution
yet the implication is all that way, from
the portion of the address we copy in
this place
"Only second in importance to the
successful assertion of our rights as mem
bers of the body polite, will be the cleo
ton of Legislature with the power and
the disposition to avert or mitigate the
various evils designed to be inflicted un-
der this constitution. The taxing power
will bein its hands; the election of judges
and other State officers !: legislation on
salaries, county organization govern
ment Of cities and towns; education, mi
litia, homestead aud other exemptions;
pportionment of representation after
the census to be taken next year; fu-
ture changes in the constitution; all the
great objects Of government may enter
into its deliberations. Can we hesitate
whether to confde power over these VIZ
tai interests to friendly hands or by in
difference and inaction suffer it to de-
volve on such as are alien and hostile2
1t is earnestly recommended that men of
ability and character, deserving the con :
6dence Of the people be brought outand
supported for the Legislature in the dis
tricts and counties. The arrangement OF
approximation in this constitution was
designed 10 exclude such representatives.
from the Legislature. Yet the whites
have the numbers to defeat the scheme,
and can do so if they will. Let them
not be wanting in the zeal, energy and
determination required to effect it,"
The address, only just stopping short
of the means by which we are to have
any Legislature at all-namely, the ad.
op ion of the constitution-next discus
ses the character of the candidates for
Governor, and may be understood as
recommending the election Of Colonel
Walker. These positions of the address
are Just the same which the Day Book
originated and has been all the time dis.
cussing. We quote:
"In Col. Walker autecedents, as well
as in the character he bears and the in
| terests he holds in the community, where
without political design he has made his
| home, we find such hostages as only men
of honor and rectitude can give for right
conduct in situations of trust. He is
understood, while living at the North
to have opposed the excuses of the rad
ical party; here he is known to have re-
ceived large conservative vote for the
convention which framed the consttu-
ton. Believing the political status of the
negro to be fixed, he would deny him
none of his just rights while he is the
earnest advocate of amnesty to all and
disfranchisement to none. His views on
all questions OF State policy are broad
catholic and embracing, without regard
to divisions or sections, giving assurance
that if elected he willrepresent the whole
people. Those who know him we'll at
tribute to him frankness, sincerity and
truth, and this gives him title to be
believed and trusted by people who
regard these qualities as essential in all
who claim their confidence and respect
With his opponent the case is differ
ent. From the moment he entered the
State he has played tho part of a politi-
cal incendiary. Bent on stirring up the
worst passions of the black race against
the white, he began by addressing them
Sin the spirit of old John Brown" and
and has never ceased his efforts to nstil
into their weak and ignorant minds feel
ings of ferocious intolerance and purpo.
ses the most proscriptive. His object has
been all along to rule the State through
the supremacy he has labored to estab-
lish in one race over the other. To this
end he has opposed the repeal of any of
the odious prescriptions and exclusions
in the constitution with that purpose
haunting the radical committee rooms
of Congress, and disgusting even them
with his vile aspersions and misrepre.
sensations of people whose money he
takes ane repays with foul and insolent
abuse. He has persevered in efforts tc
defeat the revision of the registration
whereby one third of the white vote
through failing to register would have
been excluded from the polls. He has
declared on oath that to remove our dis
abilities would be fatal to reconstruc-
| ton.