Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-05-08
THE PRESIDENTS PLAN.

laE + hGSlOEN l . I LA n.
The great and important feature of
the new movement" Is that it has
brought the President and Congress in
perfect accord on the subject of the re-
construct on laws, as applied to the
State of Virginia, and their being thus
brought into accord has enabled our peo-
pie to get much better terms from them
than We could possibly have obtained if
they had disagreed as they did under
Mr.. Johnson's administration. By this
arrangement we get the Constitution
submitted to the people, Invested Of its
Objectionable clauses, with the appro-
baton and at the suggestion of both
President Grant and Congress. This
makes vast difference, in reality, to
us, as it virtually says to the colored
people: You must not expect too much;
you must not expect that we are going
to allow you to disfranchise the white
people among whom you live, and
thereby bring on a war of races; and
if you vote for their Acknowledgement
you must expect to incur their hatred
and displeasure hereafter, for which we
think there is no occasion, and against
which we cannot afford you prot ection
IN future therefore, we say to you, now
is the opportunity for you to cultivate
the closest ties Of amity and friendship
with your former masters, by using the
privilege of franchise with which the
Government has invested you, to the
advantage of yourselves and the people
among whom your lot is cast. This and
much more in the same strain is the les
son inculcated in the action of the Pres
iient and Congress to the negroes Of
this State. 1t is virtual surrender CT
much of the radical determination here
tofore evinced towards us by the action
of Congress, and has been brought about
by the com promising spirit of the Com
mittee of Nine, which body was called
into existence by the suggestions of this
paper in November last, that our people
take some action to appeal to Congress
20 grant us the privilege Of a vote on
the Alexandria Constitution, with a
clause added admitting negro suffrage.
| This was the motor that started the
"rew movement" which is about to en-.
able our people to settle their Difficult
ties and get into the Union probably on
the very best terms yet accorded any OF
the seeding States.
The subject is one OF deep AID ah-
sorbing interest to every white and
black man in the State, for it gives us
all platform on which both races can
stand to their mutual advantage. They
are all hero in the State together,
and it is to their mutual interests
that they should cultivate the mos,
friendly relations, and live together in
psace. This, of course, they cannot do
if the colored people are to be seduced
into voting disfranchisement on the
| whites for the whites, in vnting for
the Constitution with the Objectionable
| features stricken out, are virtually vot-
ing to give the blacks suffrage. So the
vote on the Constitution is really to be
g peace Offering from the whites to the
blacks ia our State, and it would be
we'll that both colors should properly
understand it in that light and give the
matter a thorough consideration, so that
neither color may be led astray or in
;antagonism to each others interests.
We believe the whites understand
the matter in this light, and ara de-
termined to vote that the negro have
suffrage conferred on him but we fear
there may be evil influences brought to
bear on the blacks to ia luce them to
vots disfranchisement on the whites, in
which case we are satisfied Congress
will undo their bad work but that we
lear will not restore that peace and
.ha rmony between the races that we
kn ow to be essential for their mutual
in 1erests while they are both inhabi-
tai ats of one soil, and should both vote
an d work together for the good of their
MT hher State.
Now, to carry out this programme Of
a '3peace offering" on the part of the
wb ites to the blacks, in full, the whites
ha ve receded from their first determi-
ma; lion and thrown their own candidates
cv, aboard and taken up one of the Re-
pu' blcan candidates who has been all
alo az in favor OF negro sufrage-a
ger ltlemau of tried worth and inteEli-
gel ace, who is in perfect accord with
Pre- sident Grant and Congress and on
shllN gentleman they propose to see if