Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1869-07-15
The Result in Virginia.


T, Daniels to telegraph President Grant that
his policy had triumphei in Virginia!
Forucy aud the Ra6i:al Home Brigade,
who DO wonders in tire Bombastes Furioso
vein, giyesoat ,act the game is not so sure for
the Conservatives. lie aud Van Wyck and
other i,incraut spouters have spou;cd IA vain,
auH Eco Che midst Of his ycxation he declares
tl,at ~all Is not lost in Virginia. Congress
holds the key Of the citadel That is to say,
u,igWcap orer-ri,Ie riyit and some pretcxt
may le found to set aside the result Of the
election
President Grant is not plastic enough in
some respects, but this is asking a little too
much. lie can hardly be s'servel from the
path deliberately marked out for himself, by
the silly clamor about rebel democrats" and
their disposition "tSpcrsecute every citizen,
white aud black, who supports the republican
party The wailing and gnashing Of teeth Of
the ul;rascau avail nothing now. Their pangs
are drawn.
The following extracts from f.jr-minded
journalists are appropriate aud just:
From the y. Y. Journal of Commerce, iudl
The decisive triumph Of the conservative re-
publican or Walker party in Virginia is in
itself a great event. 1t is greater still in its
bearings on the future. It is a victory of
moderation aud justice over fanaticism, blind
prejudice and the unchivarous treatment Of a
conquered people. It is the substitution Of
order for chaos, Of energy for lethargy, Of life
Tor death. No political occurrence since the
war has been more significant than this. The
issues Of the contest may thus be briefly stated
The radicals, headed by Wells, fought for a
constitution which gave the right of suffrage
to the negroes, by the agency Of test-oaths and
DISTINGUISHING clauses deprived a majority of
white citizens Of that privilege, thus throwing
the whole machinery Of State into She hands Of
blacks and carpet-baggers; the conservative
republicans, led on by Walker, voted for con-
sGtuti1n which conferred the ballot upon the
negroes, and by abolshing test-oaths and other
tricks Of Acknowledgement, restored the whites
Of Virginia to fun citizenship The radicals
would have put the blacks above the whites,
reducing the latter to q state Of pitiablo inferi
ority-to political ser.lom, in hct-wh,le the
conservatives desired equal rights for all, ask
inc nothing for themselves that they were not
willing to conceJe to the freedmen.
The real party Of progress Of Virginia, in all
that This ought to mean, are the conservatives
who have elected Walker as their Governor,
have stricken Of the political letters from thou
sands Of DISTINGUISHED whites, and made them
and the negroes equals at the ballot box and
before the law. From this day forward we
look for a new era for Virginia.
From the y. Y. Times, rep.l
a State ticket has been elected which repre-
sents The character, theintelNgence, lie wealth
and enterprise Of the people as distinguished
from organized ignorance and visciousncss.-
And Legislature has been chosen, whose
members, eligible under the law, are prepared to
finish the allotted task by atiying tie pend
ing constitutional amendment. result in all
respects satisfactory is thus assured.
The triumph of one set Of men or the defeat
Of another set, is Important chiefly in relation
to the affairs Of the State To thccouutry the
result has a broader and deeper sisniGcauce.-
1t is marked by the ascendency of liberal aud
conciiutory views, aud by the defeat, with the
help Of colorel votes, Of those who counseled
prescription and hate.
From The Philadelphia American, rep
While we are enabled to rejoice over the
adoption Of ;be new Constitution in Virginia,
with the tcst-oath and Acknowledgement clauses
omitted, and the substantial completion Of re-
construction thereby, by some &C, 600 majority,
it is rs yet impossible to get at a final concu-
sion in regard to the election itself. The con-
stitution is the one adopted by theralical con-
veutj1n ia October, 1867, when the 7cprcseu-
tatiou was 20 republicans to IS conservatives.
This result viii calse general rejoicing by
an who desire the reorganization and improve
mcut Of Virginia 1t is an important step,
and it not in all respects what we might have
desired, is so substantially satisfactory that the
deficiencies may be overlooked.