Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1872-08-06
For the spirit Of Jsasr.o.s,.l
Letter from Berkeley Springs.
BERKELEsY spR:1l5s,es,
july 80 1872

this place Isaw the nametof Mr.. d. B. Lucas
of your county. Mr.. Lucas has been occn,
pied, as you know. for some time past 10 de>
'llyering speeches to the people of this Con-
gresslonal District. in favor Of the new Con,
stitution, the DemocraticsC Conservative State
Ticket, and the nominees Of the Cincinnati
and Baltimore Conventions.
He had engaged to speak in this place on
Monday. July 29th, (last night) aud upon
the ringing of the Court House bell, wendell
my way with the crowd in that direction
9 w hen the audience had assembled. the meet
ing was called to order by Mr.. Jos. Duckwall
OF this place, who spoke freely, but pointedly
OF the importance of the subject to which
they were invited to give their attention. and
ended by gracefully introducing Mr. Lucas as
the orator Of the occasion. The views pre-
sented by the latter gentleman upon subject
of such intense interest and vital Importance
to the people of this State may we'll claim
place in the columns Of your next issue -
They were lucid and forcble, and presented
with such fuency of diction, grace and earnest
ness of manner as etfectually to catch and
hold the attention of the audience.
He spoke of the earnest demand for Re-
form, and said that the existing Constitution
had received Judicial Interpretation from the
highest tribunal OF the State, and was to be
taken, subject to such Interpretation, az part
OF it. He dwelt forcibly and at length upon
the fact that under such Interpretation. all
the unjust and oppressive legislation under
which the people grosned was sanctioned by
it. As interpreted, the galliug and obnoxious
Registration Boards and Test Oaths were au-
thorzed by it and received its fullest sane
ton, by means of which the voice Of the ma
Jority could be effectually stAed, and the
State committed to the hands of an Oligarchv.
With power to perpetuate their rule, and suf.
hciently base and abandoned to use their rower
tor the purpose of self-agrandizement TO the
detriment OF the vital interests of the State at
large, and OF the most sacred rights of the
citizens as treemen. Harrassed and CALLED by
such system OF government, the people
loudly demanded Reform. The utmost exer-
lions we're used to secure a Convention for
the purpose OF remodelling the Constitution.
by that Convention the new Constitution was
drawn up and submitted to the people in
that Constitution are embodied all the great
Reforms demanded, and it contains not
single new feature which can be considered an
insuperable objection. He said, aud as we
thought most truly, For those who demanded
reform, now to vote against it is to stultity
themselves, and to impeach their own capacity
for self governmeut.'
In speaking oil the Exemption clause. urged
as an objection TO the adoption of the new
Constitution, he said that those who advanced
that objection seemed TO lose sight of the fact
that there has arrays been an exemption of
the widows dover that land was never liable
t"the levy of a fer .foctas. or sale under ex>
ecutton. He called attention to the existence
Of such an exemption in the Western States and
the beneficial influence it had exerted on i'm
migration. and said, "such an exemption was
deemed necessary to place us on an equality
with the Western States, and to stop the
he"'morhdge Of emigration to tie West. Our
laborers will be encouraged to buy small
houses, instead of being migratory or nomad
10, to build our internal improvements and
develop our mineral wealth. Among the adj
vantages secured to US by the new Constitu>
ton, he noticed. an independent and pure
Judiciary, protected from intimidation by the
legislative branch OF the government perma-
nent security against the seizure of the pov
eminent by an Oligarchy, the latter being the
result OF the prohibition of all Boards of Req
lstratlon, and of the abolition of Test Oaths
whether religious or polHical-two provisions
IN the existing constitution which have long
proved the fountain head of radical usurpa>
ton Perhaps one of the greatest reforms
dwe't upon by Mr. Lucas, was the control and
regulation of corporations. and of the tax nm
travel and transportation by Railroads. In
speaking of the Free School System he said
that, in his opinion. education should be free
to White and Black, but that the new Con-
st'tution wisely provided TOR the permanent
separation Of the races, IN the public schools,
and thereby guarded us forever against the
danger OF amaigamation. Limitation of power
OF local taxation for internal Improvement;
safeguards against corrupt and private legisla
ton ; together with many other wise and salu
tary reforms not to be found in any other
written Constitution, were in turn forcibIv
dweit upon by the gentleman. OF these re
forms ne said, 6 We should be proud of the Old,
porfnn'tv, and jealous Of the Aonor Of 5eing
the first State to adopt Mem" He goes on
t" say OF the new Constitution There are
no serious objections to be urged to it. The
counties are lett free to adort whatever system
OF local self-governmens they may choose
Inns Is new and important provision, and
may be called the perfection of self yoyern,
memt On the other hand, the individual is
LETT free to vote by ballot or yiva yoce as he
prefers, which is the perfection Of ind;,i3uoi
liberty in exercising the franchise. Upon the
whole, while no human work is perfect this
Is, in my opinion, the best written Cousti,u>
ton in the United States, being the latest
embodiment of American experience in the
science of self government"
have already occupied so much of your
space IN reporting Mr. l. e remarks on the
new Constitution, that shall have to review
very briefly his treatmen. of the STATE and
Presidential Tickets
With regard to the State Ticket, he por-
trayed with earnestness the necessi.v of nm
holding the party organization as the onlv
method of building up aud preserving the
party itself. Virginia (uuder The old reoime)
and Massachusetts were cited as examnles If
influence obtained by loyalty TO the oreapiza.
tons of their respective parties. Under the
old regime in Virginia there was never an in.
dependent candidate for the Guberuasorial