Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1870-02-02
NEW SERIES--V0L. 10, NO. 2S
OUTRAGING VIRGINIA.
Extracts from the Eloquent Arguments Of
Hon. =. x. Cox, Of New York, upon the
Virginia Reconstruction Bill.


Virginia Reconstruction Bill.
After some witty and sarcastic pre-.
llminary remarks, Mr.. Cox reached
bis earnest argument:
My amendment strikes out the
second section. Iwould | erase it, first,
because it destroys the integrity of
the States second, because it is mop
crative except for mischief; and third,
because il is unrepublican in spirit, if
not in form.
1t provides for the destruction Of
the future autonomy of Virginia in
matters where she has full right under
the Constitution to decide for herself.
IL says to Virginia, "You shall not
change your Constitution so as to
change the present qualification for
voting and Office {" this, too, before
tho fifteenth amendment has been
adopted as part Of tho Constitution.
This plan would force, indirectly, the
fifteenth amendment on Virginia. IL
is new way of amending the Consti-
tuition, and is not the prescribed
mode.
1t says further. "You Virginians
shall come in, but you must not change
your present qualifications for jurors,
or your present benefciaries of the
school fund. You must recognize
this as a fundamental, irrevocablc
condition forcver!'
True, it provides that Virginia may
change her Constitution, If the altera-
ton is equally applicable to all voters,
as TO the time and residence; but as
to the qualifications and as to Jury
trials and schools, never 1t thus
makes by Congressional action a per
manent code for Virginia in defiance
Of her present constitutional right TO
regulate such matters for herself
Allow me to illustrate. Suppose the
people Of Virginia, in that future
which will represent advanced ideas
Of education, the basis Of advanced
republican liberty, or better codes Of
jury trial, the basis Of equal justice,
should be unanimously of opinion that
a change of her present system should
be made, do you suppose this clause
will bind themY Suppose you place
upon the limbs of Virginia every liga.
ture which diaboical ingenuity can
invent, bind her hand and feet, muzzle
her mouth, and blind her eyes, do you
suppose such people are powerless :
Is there nothing TO be learned from
her own history in that respect?
1t is no part of my purpose nor
necessary TO my argument that ]
should inquire what these present
qualifications of voters, and what
these school and jury systems are. ]
care not whether black or white are
excluded or admitted, either as to
voting or schools whether, like Mas
sachusctts, voting and Office. holding
are limited by education or residence.
For all that | care in this argument, 1
Virginia NAV refuse to admit to suf- |
frage all who can read or write, or
she may limit it to those who under
stand Boston transcendentalism or the |
integral cauculus. Ny argument is
that her statehood under the Consti- 1
tuition, which the bill processes to re
vivo, is impaired and destroyed in its
essential life by this fundamental con-
dition. Her statehood being thus
annihilated, all the States are in that
regard injured. Through these wounds
upon Virginia, New York, California /
-ay, Massachusetts stabbed.
OF course such a condition is inop.
erative and void, and never can be
executed except by n porversion of
power. 1t is the very system OF
Utopia. Sir Thomas More made all
the Utopians conform TO his precon.
coivod idea Of a State He made
them uniform in all social and politi-
cal privileges and the satire of his
work consists in tho absurdlty of
adapting to divers conditions an mex.
orable and Interchangeable rule of con.
duet and duty. If the Supreme Court
ever has the courage TO march up TO
its convictions regardless OF the frowns
and storms of Congress all such con.
ditions will soon lose their permanent
and fundamental quality.
Such conditions are unrepublican in
spirit. IL is not only foolishncss to
be tying down for all the future the
States Of this Union by laws of an
irropealable character, not only unpro-
gressive and null, but it is the very
essence of despotism Processing to
make a republican State, it enaots the
changelcss code Of the Medcs and /
Porsians, the dcspotism of the ancient
Orient.
Who will say that convention |
made up of the Underwoods, Wellsos,
and Chambers (the successors Of JEFF /
fcrson, George Bason, and Madison,
forsooth y who incubaled that sys.
tenn Of iron-clad tests which even |
the military Schofeld derdod and the /
people rejected, were Ct Legislators OF |
all the agesy Oh, yes they knew il
all and for all time When they and |
their indorsers here die, all wisdom |
dies with them Laughter I Your bill /
says "neverl' "ncverw shall their |
work be changcdY A convention /
where ignorance was representing
intelligence, and where spite prevailed /
and not charity; and even the mulatto F.
barbcry and black ield-hands, who /
had sharpened their minds on the |
razor-strap, and cudgeled their brains /
with their ox-goads, laughter and |
had learned some lessons Of kindness
toward their old masters, were con
strained to belle their loving natures
by white bravaoo and cunningham
such n convention work better than
Providence His heavens are to be
rolled up like scroll, but we make
the work of these men eternal. The
season shall come and 20 in their beau
tifhl procession along the blue tinted
mountains, but this Radical structure
shall outlivo their rocky ridge In
that grand future down which the
historian Allison gazed whom he saw
- anritieh rraafnnsa snffiner in fha Dld