The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-05-21
HOW OUR EYES ARE TO BE BUSTED.
RICH rRoCEEDINGs- TIE CENTRAL
$1,000 COMMITTED.

{" IN these days of live newspapers and en-
terprisiny reporters, politicians, who love
darkness rather than light, because their
deeds are evil, find it hard matter, indeed,
to keep the proceedings of their secret eau
cuses from being spread before the people,
whom they are wire-puling to hoodWlnK'
This remark is suggested by the precautions
taken at q secret meeting OF the " ellis State
Central Committee held a day or two ago
the curtained windows, the locked doors,
the posted scntinclS, and the vows OF Sc
crccv made by every mcmbcr-in spite Of
which full and reliable account Of their
transactions is this morning in print for the
editication Of the voters Of Virginia.
THE suADwELL LETTER.
TO understand what follows it is necessary
for the reader to know that the letter OF
General Wells to Mr.. Garland, OF Shadwell,
wherein he proclaimed his conversion To
the doctrine that all political disabilities
should be removed from Nirginians, didn't
fall with pleasing effect upon tho great body
OF his adhcrcnts. In fact, it was very near
creating IN open revolt III the ranks. FRO
say that Wells had "gone back on the par
ty.." and muttcringS OF discomfort with the
nominee were heard from every part OF the
State: nor did Undcrwood's following suit
make the matter amy better.
Finally, the subject was preached ut the
meeting of the Executive Committee, Hum
phrcyS, of the custom-hOusc, leading the
rebels, and it was through his efforts that Il
meeting of the State Central Committee was
called to take the tcSt-oath and distranchls-
ing clauses under consideration.
Sow, this State Central Committee was
some months ago rcmodelled, and the men,
hcrs londly imagined that they had gotten
rid of all the So-callcd responsibility that
! had embarrassed them in the past. But not
50. They came together on the 18th, and
there, in their old places, were Chandler,
jenkins, Bond, Dudley, and Haskell, fast
, friends of Wells, supporting his Shadwell
! letter, and, with proxies in their hands,
! claiming the right to talk and vote a. men,
/ bcrs. They were ready to fight the outSpo-
ken iptionists from policy if not from
principle.
BURGESS HESITATES.
| The meeting was called to order by Col
! lector Burgess, who is the chairman of the
committee, but before commencing work
he had Il word to say. 1t was known to
most of those present that he had been in
dicted by the grand jury of the United
States court for perjury in taking the IRON
| clad. Under these circumstances he would
! like to know whether there was any objcc-
! ton to his occupying the chair.
A dead silence.
! If any member objected he hoped he
would not hesitate to speak out.
! There was still no response, for it was
rightly considered q bad precedent to eX-
clude man from their council merely be-
cause he was under indictment for perjury.
So Mr.. Burgess kept his seat.
TIE SUBJECT BRoACHED.
phreyS took the floor, and read an address
which he had prepared, and proposed that
the committee publish it to the world. 1t
was paper OF considerable length, emphl-
tically rc&ndor>ing the Petersburg platform
upon which Wells was nominated), and
insisting that the constitution should be
adopted without modification, the prOnun-
ciamcnto Of Wells to the contrary notwith-
standing.
These sentiments were evidently endorsed
by i majority Of the committee, and it
seemed about TO be adopted without de-
bate, when
BOND OBJECTED.
Judge Bond was mfGigncdly surprised
that the utterance of such IN address should
be seriously considered by the committee.
1t would he death and destruction to Go
vernon Wells, and death and destruction to
/ the Republican party. 1t would never,
never, do TO come out openly in favor OF
/ test-oaths and acknowledgements in the face
/ of the feeling ut the North. III the face of
/ the recent uttcrances of the party press in
! Virginia. and, worse than either, in the
face of the emphatic letters OF Governor
! Wells and Judge Underwood. Those let
tiers had not been written without due con-
>ideration, and the committee would act
unwscly to adopt this impolitic address.
Mr.. Humphreys insisted that Wells had
not spoken the sentiment OF the people, and
| had no right to 90 back on his friends ~ he
had.
Several colorcd members spoke to the
same effect, and it was evident that the adj
dress would be carried through in spite OF
the policy view; but ut this llncture there
appeared another figure on the scene.
/ This was our old acquaintance DR.. Sharpe,
once Of the Richmond post-otlicc, now of
the District of Columbia marShalShip, who
was on visit TO his political friends here.
! The Doctor thought the committee were
acting too hastily. Let all things be done
! dcccntly and in order. Don't censllre Go
vernon Wells without giving him Il chance
! TO say Il word Let him be sent for, and let
him speak.
ENTER WELLS.
! So forthwith messenger was dispatched
to the Executive mansion, and presently
hithcr concth Wells. 0Gcdcnt to the sum-
mons. The situation WAS explained, and
without hesitation the willy politician
"Spokc his piece" 1t was not for him, said
he, to dictate the policy Of the Republican
party in Virginia, but he thought it would
! be admitted that he had the good of that
party ut heart. He then reviewed the po-
litical field, and told the committee lust
What had been done and What they were to
expect. The colorcd vote was pretty Sc
cure; ut least, there would be but few deSer-
tons, and bait must now he thrown out
for the whites. From all parts of the State
he received information that many Conser-
natives would not vote ut ALL while others
! preferred the Petersburg to the Richmond
! nominee. The number OF the latter could
be greatly Increased if it was understood
that the Republican party was opposed to
Acknowledgement. But, after all, why should
this little difference interrupt the harmony
! of the party! There was IN easy compro-
mise.
THROW DUST IN THEIR EYES.
Lei the Shadwell letter stand rs the sem
! tilnents Of the nominee, but let it be gene
rally understood in party confidence that
eUcTy man must cote for the constitution arith-
I out modification. Nothing would be easier
than to give instructions to this effect bv
means Of the League" and the other exist
ing political agencies, well known to every
member Of the committee. The result would
! be Il large accession to the white vote for
Wells, 4 solid black vote for the proposed
constitution, and the complete triumph of
the Republican party.
| THE COMPROMISE EFFECTED.
These remarks, of which we have only