The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-11-26
YIRGINLA POLITICS.

THR extreme radical Republicans OF virginia
appear determined to utterly destroy the
party in that State. The overwhelming defeat
which their ticket sustained at the recent
State election does not appear to have taught
them wisdom, and many of them have
arrayed themselves in open conflict with the
mass of the people of the State. The address
to Congress which was adopted yesterday by
their State Convention is an ill-natured and
inconsiderate document, the PRONUNCIATION of
which is calculated to work the Republican
cause in Virginia irreparable harm. Some of
its allegations are truthful, but the majority
of them are exceedingly exaggerated, to say
the least. The assertion that the true secret
of the Republican defeat at the election was
the submission to a separate vote Of the test
oath and disfranchising clauses of the Con-
stitution is utterly groundless. If these two
clauses had not been submitted to separate
vote, there is but little doubt that the whole
Constitution would have been rel ected, and
the reconstruction of Virginia indefinitely
postponed. The action of Congress and the
President in authorizing separate vote on
the test oath and disfranchising clauses saved
the expurgated Constitution from defeat, and
o
to her normal relations to the Union.
Among the points embraced in this address
is one which demands from Congress the
passing of a law by which the whole process
of reconstruction shall be gone through with
again, or the exaction from the members of
the Legislature of the test oath, and the
awarding of the seats of such members as
are unable to take it to such eligible cendi-
dates as received the next highest number
of votes. This ridiculous demand is about
what might have been expected from men
who have shown such narrown of spirit
and lack of craftsmanship as have characterized
the radical leaders in Virginia. Two mem
bers of the committee appointed to prepare
the address supported substitute which con-
tanned some traces of wisdom. They desired
the immediate admission of the State and the
exaction by Congress of a guarantee that
every citizen of Virginia shall be protected
in all his rights under the Federal and State
Constitutions. But the majority of the con-
vention were in no mood for entertaining
such sensible policy, and carried
everything with such high
hand that the advocates of the substitute
finally withdrew in body, among the num-
Der being two of the radical Congressman
elect, the Chairman of the State Central Com
mittee, two radical State Senators, and the
very man who was the father of the proscrip-
tive test-oath and disfranchising clauses of
the Constitution, about the defeat of which
the convention raised such lamentaton.
The result will probably be that the with
drawing members will be forced into the
ranks of the Walker party, and the radicals of
Virginia will thus be consigned to the fate
which their foolish proscriptive policy has
merited The greater number of their leaders
have been men without character, whose chief
object has been the promotion of their own
selfish interests, without much regard to the
| substantial welfare of the State. Not until
they are driven from all stations of power
and influence can the true Republican party
of Virginia be reorganized on successful
basis, and their recent action will tend mate
rally to bring about this desirable result.