The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-04-19
The Truth of History Again.


the main issue. 1t is The Enquirer that
flies from it, and, avoiding the three issues
made by us, flies to fourth, which can be
disposed of, we think, in short meter. Let
us go back to the positions taken by us, and
summarized, no longer ago than yesterday,
by our neighbor as follows:
First. That these measures (the test-oath and
DISTINGUISHING clauses of the constitution were
favored by bare majority of the Republicans in
the convention only.
Secondly. That no man favored them who has
not since been thoroughly repudiated and thrown
overheard by the Republican party.
7htrdiy That the Republican party of yir-
ginia long since repudiated the doctrines involv-
ed IN those clauses of the constitution.
These several positions we have fully
maintained, and The Enquirer's first as
sault on them has left that journal so
thoroughly discounted, that it falls back
to-day on this single line of defense: that
Mr.. James Morrissey is ''still an honored
member" Of the Republican party, al
though it calls him the seruus seavorun, of
the party. How high an honor this is, in
the estimation of The Enquirer, can
only be inferred from the scholarly
Interpretation Of its own misquoted Latin.
1t takes refuge. however, in this hastily
constructed Redan after being driven back
from the Ma1akof of our positions viz
that some eighty thousand votes were given
for the Constitution as it came from the
hands of the Convention. Now, this was
nowhere made the "main issue" by as, as
our readers will see by reference to our
own and The Enquirer's columns. 1t is q
little extemporized bomb-proof in which
our neighbor takes refuge after being driven
from our triangular entertainments. But
we are willing to face even this bomb
proof, and meet the question of this vote
squarely in the face with The Enquirer.
And here is precisely where we want no
lodging, or flying from main posi-
tons " to those which are
merely collateral in the way of defence.
Now, nearly three-fourths of the Conser-
vatlves in the Convention, or seventeen out
of about twenty-four, voted for the test
oath clause in the constitution, and what
evidence has The Enquirer that they did
not afterwards vote, and use their influence
to have others vote, for the very clauses
they sought to engraft upon the organic
law of the state? We make this inquiry,
because we are informed that in one coun-
ty--that named by us as giving only one
vote for the retention of the DISTINGUISHING
clauses-a Conservative, thoroughly dyed
in the wool, gave the vote as cast, and
made no bones of claiming it as his own;
and if one county could boast of such a
Conservative result, what might not ninety
or hundred other counties have done?
We will lay no particular stress, how
ever, upon this point. Facts must speak
for themselves, and if three-fourths of the
Conservatives voted in convention for the
obnoxious clause, it is not exactly in
good taste for kettle to call pot black,
when referring to the unseemly record.
All that we care to claim In reference to
the "eighty odd thousand votes" cast in
favor of retaining the DISTINGUISHING clauses
IS, that those who advocated them in con-
vention probably advocated them before
the people; but their influence was so
broken by defeat, and overborne by
the liberal sentiment of the Re-
publican (not Radically leaders, that the
only political recognition they received
afterwards was that shown by the Conser-
yative party, which tried to honor them
with more conspicuous positions than they
could ever have expected to reach in the
ranks of the Republican party. Hence,
we see Hunnicutt, Bayne, ct id om,ae, scam
pering off from Republican recognition to
the more coveted honors of Congressional
nomination at the hands of the Conserya-
tives
But this charge of The Enquirer comes
with very bad grace from the only party
in Virginia that ever did impose disabilities
upon its citizens. 1t was the Conservative
elected at the same time with
Governor Walker, which unanimously mo
negative) voted for the ratification of the
and fifteenth amendments, which
imposed the only disabilities ever put upon
the people Of the state by her own citizens;
aid these disabilities Republican Con-
gress removed. r
AS to the position of Governor Wells in
Inc canvass, and his speech to "the
negroes Of Petersburg on the night be-
fore the election" we think The Enquirer
consults its imagination for its facts,
and puts little finer point
upon that violent speech y than
t will even bear at this late day. We
ire assured, on what we deem unpreiu-
Iced authority, that what Governor Wells |
lid say on that occasion with reference To
he negro vote was this That, in an in
erview which he had had with General |
ochofield, the General asked him how the |
,olored people were going to vote on the
'roscriptiye clauses, when he replied that
lad he asked that question two weeks be- |
ore, he should have replied nearly IN solid
'ody for striking om /; but since the
utterances of the Conservative |
peakers (some of whom he named and
heir threats to straighten out things
n Virginia, he should not be surprised if
he colored vote was larpaIv aoa;net all,