Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-05-17
THE COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS

LIZ COON / GENERALIZATION
Some of our contemporaries seem to
take 1t for granted-forming what may
be a hasty conclusion from late tele-
grams from Washington-that when a
vote shall be ordered upon the Coustitu-
ton. only two clauses will be submitted
to separate vote the test-oath and the
DISTINGUISHING clauses. We are not now
able to say, with certainty, whether the
article providing for county organiza-
lions will be included among the excep-
tons or not. That article is not accept
able to the people of Virginia, and the
objections are numerous. The township
system has long been established at the
Norcb, and among dense population
it has worked well, and become a neces-
sity. But it is not adapted to sparse
~ populated State like ours will be at
tended with many inconvenience and
its expense will he more than the people
can bear for long time to come. Be-
sides, in many counties in the Eastern
part of the State the colored voters have
the majority, and it will not be possible
to secure intelligent and competent off,
GERS to carry it out. The whole thing
will be failure and a nuisance.
The doubt thrown over this particu-
lar clause has been quite nut fer the
opponents Of reconstruction to crack.
The Bourbon presses have taken a new
lease OF life, and one of them ia our
Immediate neighborhood, on Saturday,
awoke from silence OF many days du-
ration and became quite loquacious.
The President having expressed HIM
self strongly against this county organ
lzatlon clause, as one which ought to be
rejected, we had hoped for its subms-
sion separately-and as the kilograms
from Washington have lately been very
deceitful and unreliable, we still hope
so. The matter will be one of certainty
in a day or two.
In the meantime we express the opin-
ion, formed from what we know, and
all that we can learn of the present
temper of the people of Virginia, that
the Constitution will be CARRIED, modi-
fed or unmodifed. Many, no doubt,
will make this clause fundamental OBJ
lection, and vote against the Constitu,
ton which contains it, who would have
voted for it without it. But this clause,
after all, is different in its nature from
both the test,oath and the disfranchise-
ment, The first is requirement, and
the second a prohibition, and both 60 at
once into operation by the force of the
Constitution ITSELF But the county or
ganization will be cumbrous machinery,
and in regard to it the Constitution is by
no means self-executing. 1t will require
the action of the Legislature to complete
and put it in motion. And this fur
nishes us with an additional argument to
urge upon our people the great impor-
lance of thorough organization with
view to the election OF members of a
Legislature to be vested with such deli
cate and important interests, that they
should be exceedingly careful to put up
such men only as can serve if elected,
and to take care that none shall be cleo
ted who are not thoroughly identified
with the views and feelings of the pee
pie of Virginia, particularly in this, as
well as in all other respects. This mats
ter, of great importance at all times, be,
comes vitality so now.
We have not at hand the debates in
the Convention bearing upon this coun-
ty organization question-which is of no
great consequence, as we suppose no
Virginian will ever appeal to them upon
question of Constitutional law-but |