The Van Buren press., 1869-06-08
Party Intractability.

present day is attributable everywhere to
the stubbornnesss of individual members
who refuse to be guided by the warning
and directions of their own sentinels and
pilots because they do not see and can
not know without seeing what their senu-
nels and pilots know, much OF winch
cannot be told without disclosing the Sc
crets OF the camp to the enemy, and plac-
ing the camp in the cnemys power, Now
if ever men were honest in political
leadership, appointed leaders should be
listened to and needed. The Richmond
Enquirer Of the goth, reads an excellent
lesson to'the Conservative party Of Vir'
pinia, on their intractability, which is
lust such as VIC have experienced in Ar
kansas:
at is pleasant enough to grapple in
honest argument---to wrest the spark OF
truth from the stubborn flint; but IT is
wearsomc to have to meet cavils. we
do not mean to be discourteous, but we
must be plain. Is this time to be an
swering captious questions and replying
to difficulties forged in the heart--and
not the head? We nave seen persons,
most worthy persons avowing desire
To believe. bring up all sorts OF oblec-
tions to the inspired word-hardly con
scious themselves that they did not in
tend to believe. We all are uncandld at
times; it proceeds partly from intellect
ual pride, partly from that suilen humor
which results from care, from the sense
of Injustice, and the daily jars and worry
of life. And yet after all there is moth
ing lovely but truth and one never ac-
complishes anything by obscuring It's
precious ray. And yet how strangely
men trihe with it; how rudely we all
handle 1t; how many Of Us pass through
life tampering with our own spiritual
eve sight--creatng for ourselves sort
of spiritual strabismus.
1--WE could give many examples. 1t
is more common in connection with re-
Figieus truth than in any other matter.
But men of science also indulge in it
warped by the thousand subtle influences
that go to determine an act Of the will.
We see it also very, very often, in the
fiudpments we frame of the people around
us-which are generally very harsh in or
der that we may enjoy favorable com
,parison OF our own characters with theirs.
ave see also great deal Of it in poll
tics. How bitterly we differ with each
other-and how strangely we often reason
in order to stay anchored by some cher
ished position. There is fermenting
prejudice in politics that needs especial
watching in such angry periods as the
present. Men sometimes become stone
blind; driven by passion---sclf-involved
in darkness that shuts out the universal
rrusvratrou rIgnU NJ nstuu,
We are told by some true and noble Nir-
ginians, men as devoted to the welfare o!
our beloved commonwealth as any to be
found within its limits that they do not
intend to vote between Walker and Wells
because their plan of campaign is to vote
down the Constitution in every form, ,and
therefore, they aver, there can be no oc-
,casion 10 vote for either Walker or Wells
They are agree with us in urging the peo-
pie to register and vote, and to vote
against the obnoxious articles to be sep
arately submitted but they declare they
will not vote for Walker. For, they say,
if we can rally the people to vote out the
obnoxious clauses, We can rally them to
vote down the Constitution--and then
there is no occasion to vote for a guber-
Material candidate, for we will have nc
Governor.
Now is it necessary to reply to such
sophistries The sophstry is instantane
ously obvious to an outsider. The argu.
ment assumes that if there are l20, ,00C
votes against the test oath, there will be
100000 votes against the modified Con.
stitution, when We Aaow that at leas,
twenty thousand, possibly msny more,
white voters are going to vote for the
modified Constitution, who will vote
against the test oath; and that thirty
thousand more white voters, who will
vote against the test oath, are willing to
be silent on the modified Constitution and
to let it 90 by default. We have not the
slightest idea of voting ourselves for the
Underwood Constitution in any form, but
we see it to be a palpable fact that it is
going to be adopted in modified form.
Who, in the present position Of the ques-
ton, expects to defeat it ? and yet these
gentlemen are with their eyes shut, and
in spirit of most dangerous reckless
ness, going to vote against it--and there
stop because the same vote which re-
jects the test oath could reject the Con
stitution.
"And, even admitting that we may
poll votes enough against the detestable
instrument to defeat it, why not fire both
barrels? Why not take the precaution,
in case sce may not rote dozen, to get a
good Legislature, and Walker for Gov
ernor?
"Ccrtainly we may fail TO vote it down
and why not then have something to
fall back on better than Wells and a ne
gro Lieutenant Governor?
"The Conservative party, as these gen
tlemcn allege, may have been grievously
delinquent; they may have acted with
great impropriety another course might
have been far handsomer but this is to-
tally irrelevant. We have TO deal with
the case as it stands. The majority of
the party--a decided majority--thought
the present programme the proper one
and ninc-tcnths of the press Of the State
are now urging this programme warmly
and what effect but one can result from
one mule in the team kicking or lying
al .ls -, -. H..