Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-08-31
TUESDAY MORNING, Aug. 81, 1869
THE TEST-OATH.

L
by their action in the recent election, In
electing Northern man and Repub-
lican as their Governor, noble deter
mination to prove to the whole North |
that they had buried their war feelings
and prejudices, and in accepting the
status of negro suffrage at the same
time, that they were prepared to throw
aside the past entirely, and join hearts
and hands with the Irrational idea and
30 on with the whole people for progress
and advancement. 1t was movement
of the people, independent entirely O.
their politicians and former leaders who
generally opposed it almost to the Bit
ter end, characterised throughout with
entire truthfulness and faith, trusting
and hoping to be trusted in; it was, IN
fact, the pure and simple outpourings
and PRAYERS of the ehastened people
eager to escape from further chickering's
and political tn moils, and in order to do
81 merely asking from the party in pow
er the price they should pay down for
the coveted boon of peace, in order TO
pay it over in full. This is what the
movement of the people meant in the
recent election in Virginia, and it met
with an honest response from the hearts
of the people of the Union. Its moral
force was and is to this day irresistible,
though politicians have interfered to de-
lay its fulfillmen,; Tit means only delay,
to the people, though defeat to the in
termeddlers.) For the written law is
too plainly entered on the statute books
and its spirit too indelibIy impressed
on the hearts of the people, to be wiped
out or obliterated by the politicians or
place-hunters.
Patience is what is needed n w on the
part of the suffering people. Circum-
stances have lately favored those who
would rejoice to defeat the wishes of the
people, but they have only been favored
to the extent of obtaining little delay,
"a temporary respite from the crushing
blow that is to hurl them down. Look
at it: the reconstruction law provides
for this whole matter of bringing the
State of Virginia back into the Union;
it is not Gen. Canby's law or will that
is to govern, if it was, the official result
would long since have been promulga-
ted, and under his will or law we should
ere this have had the legislature in ses-
sion, composed of Gen. Canby's choice
spirits only, those who. could not take
the test-oath being elected, and those
who the people did not elect, but who
were picked up by Gen. Candy to form
Gen. Canby's legislature, filling the
positions. This would be Gen. Canby's
Legislature, and its members being Gen.
Canby's minions would of oourse carry
out Gen. Canby's wishes, elect Gen.
Canby's U. s. Senators, and vote Gen.
Canby's ratification of the fifteenth a.
mendment. But all of this would be
the action and will of Gen. Candy, and
not what is contemplated by the law of
Congress, which looks to the action of
the people of Virginia for their ratlfca-
ton of the fifteenth amendment, and
making choice of Senators, ETC.; and as
Gen. Candy is but military satrar, a
tool of the powers that be, Congress, he
knows, will not be willing to 60 before
the country with Gen. Canby's recon-
structed Virginia, and present it to the
nation as the reconstructed Virginia Of
her own people. That would never do
The hereafter involved in the matter is
too momentous for that; and Gen. Cam
by knows it. He knows the opponents
of his party throughout the country
would hail such action as a Godsend to
them, as it would utterly overthrow the
main power of the Republican party, by
rendering illegal the ratification of the
fifteenth amendment. 1t is only these
considerations that stays the sacrilegious
hand of our military tyrant from carry
ing out what he has SO plainly indicated
as his will in the rejection of men from
the formation OF our legislature because
they cannot take the test-oath Men
who were elected by the people while
laboring under the impression that by
cones were to be by-gones, and their re-
representatives. were to be received as
the messengers of the compromise, and
harbingers of restored goodwill and
fellowship; ''rebels" as they had been,
according to the term used to designate
their status,) they were sent as represen-
tatives Of. a people wh0 had likewise
been "rebels," to enter into compact
with the "loyal" for future good faith
and Union. Are these representative
men-these chosen instruments of COM
promise-to be met at the door Of the
council chamber by politico-milltary
blunderer, and turned back from laying
their peace-ofering on the affairs of our