Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1869-07-22
The Virginia Election.

There are some mysteries past finding
out by ordinary mortal, though they
have 4 fair share OF common sense. and
have also had much experience in a mat
ter of fact world. Bread and butter.
Goldfish and potatoes, pork and beans
personal eXcrtion and the exercise of
ordinary care and prudence. Honest
effort and pcrsevering labor never fail
to bring these prime necessities uf our
common nature: but there are two or
three other moving wheel, within ihi.
great ovcrshot one. which all OF n have
to understand. Root hog or die, : or
TO be less obscure in the smile. ordina-
~ mortals have 10 work or starvc. But
a we never could quite grasp what the
great DIR. Bushnell was ALWAYS driving
at III his essays on the Moral t'ses of
Dark Ihlngs, 80 we cannot for full
half of the time, fathom the height aud
depth OF many things that are taking
place in the political world We az
sisted 10 tic the Davenport Bows once
and did our best to detect where the
jugglcry came in but failed to DO 20.
Neverthcle~s we believe them successful
cheats. - We have watched the course
OF events in Virginia for the past few
months, but to-day fail TO be iully con-
WINGED as Ia the fact of who j. cheated
in the recent election. The conservative
branch of the Republican party. GER
tainly elected its nominee. nv a large
majority. but a. Ia what i lost or gain
ed by the result Of the election we are
as much puzzled 10 understand A. we
ever were at the protrnding OF the deli
cate hand from the box that held
the Davenporis. What complicates
the matter i. that Walker the great
elected. is carpei-bagger. of the simon
pure order. He i. also in favor OF the
fifteenth Amendment. of Grants Adj
ministraiion. and of protecting the
rights oi the negroes. These are all
good Republican virtues. The Tribune
also seems To put its stamp of official
orthodoxy on the whole transaction
And yet its Washington correspondents
assures the world that Nj Boutwell,.
the Secretary of the Treasury does not
believe in the political soundne,s Of the
successful party. Let us give the sum
ming up of the Tribune:
/. The Conservative or ex-Rebel
party in Virginia had a very respeeta-
bic State ticket long since nominated.
with Gen. WiGhers AT it, head, and was
in a fair WAY To fight magnificent bat
tie and catch superb thrssshing. AS il
did two years ago; when
III. The Radical Republican party
held State Convention at Petersburg.
got into a ~quabble. nominated "A fair
ticket headed by GOV. Wells. and adj
journed
iii. The dissatisfied minority holted
and nominated another personally re-
spectacle ticket. headed BY Gilbert G.
Walker orNorfoik-a Northern man by
birth, and Douglas War Democrat.
who had already declared for Universal
Amnesty with Impartial Suffrage The
residue of the ticket was unquestiona-
bly, Republican.
~. IL was Obvious from the outset
that, III an old-fashioned party fight. the
walker ticket must go TO the wall and
the Wells ticket probably carry the dav. !
V. The Conservative party. on a |
iuil view OF the situation. resolved 10 do |
what any party must do occasionally ii |
II Is 10 live-suppress its fools, or send |
them To the rear. The men of to-day |
consulted and refused to play out a game |
already lost. They agitared till tbey |
got together a new Convention. where |
by their State ticket was drawn out of |
the way, and the entire Conservative
strength concentrated on the Walker or |
boiling Republican ticket. with an un-
that they would vote for
the New Constitution. but against the
proscrptive clauses which Gen Grant
had al their request, submitted 10 a
separate vote.
VI This movement prevailed, As il
was fated TO do from the first. There
were at least Twenty Thousand Repub-
lican votes pledged to Walker. and the
Conservative vote added To this made
a sure thing of the result. The Walker
ticket has at least Twenty thousand
the proscriptive clauses are
voted down by at least Thirty Thou
sand, and the Constitution. thus amend
ed, Is adopted by from One Hundred
and Fifty TO Two Hundred Thousand
majority.
VII. There is no pretense, on the one
hand, that Conservatives thus acted
through any change of heart; vet il is
lear from thousand indications thai
hey acted in perfect good faith. They
aid to the Blacks everywhere. do not ,
pros US; we shall not prescribe
you; and they won over thousands ,
II their number. 1t is easy now TO saw ,
hat the ignorant Blacks were coerced ,
" misled by deceptive ballots, but thew .
re not so ignorant nor so dependent
low IS they were two years ago, when
70 dodge or coercion sufiiced TO yet :
)ne Thousand of them to vote with the
Then, q negro who
oted with the Conservatives was mob z
ed by his own race now, they 90 voted =
Y Thousands with perfect impunity. .
hen, the Blacks felt that their political !,
was At stake; now, they do
OF.
VIII. Mr.. Walker canyassed the State .
the broad platform of Universal :"
.mnesfy with Impartial Suffrage. He
TeryWhere ayOwed himself q fr;acd ofI