The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-09-17

1
comfort to enemies of the United States
&c., &c. and | do solemnly declare ths
this oath and parole are taken and give
freely and willingly, without any ments
reservation or evasion whatever, and wit
full intention to keep the same. -
This was the platform Of all the peopl
of Virginia in 1865. / myself took it sol
emnly, deliberately, and with honest inten
ton to keep it. went wandering owe
the country for weeks after the fall O
Richmond to avoid it. And l did no
make up my mind to take it at all, until
also made up my mind to abide by an,
maintain it. have kept it in goot
faith. l defy all impeachment of M,
fidelity to- it. from the day it wa
| taken, until now. / knew the incoasisten
| cy which its taking and faithful keeping
involved. 1 had for four years been
against the Union, against all the laws
and proclamations mentioned in this oath
| had been for the Confederacy and for all
those doctrines and principles of govern.
ment which had been staxed upon the
issue of war, and had been lost.
This oath required a rght-about-face
from me, and from every honest citizen
who took it. It required from me that
act of Inconsistency, that only act, which
my enemies so much and so continually
condemn. Yet, every one of them COM
mitted the same inconsistency in 1866
which l did. / took new position then !;
and have stuck to it like an honest man,
like a loyal citizen. like a faith
full patriot. Have this party done SO +?
Let us see:
That oath was an acceptance of the
verdict of the war on all the questions of
politics which we had staked upon the
issue of arms. It was an abnegation of
the Confederacy, Of its cause, and of the
distinctive. principles of politics on which
the Confederacy had been maintained by its
friends. 1t was an acceptance of the
Union, Of the abolition of slavery by
arms, and Of all the logical results which
should come from re-establishing the
Union, and from abolishing slavery.
{, You illrecollect that we all took well
to our diet of humble pie for some time !;
and that none seemed SO content with their
rations as the persons who now
are the most rampant Conserva-
tives. You will recollect that
the clemency Of the government was
subject of thanks and praise in the mouths
of all and that Andrew Johnson's policy
Of ''making treason odious" was promptly
abandoned even by himself. You will
recolect that after year or two--John-
son having grown fat the opposite
policy began to be manifested by
some Of our present Conservatives,
namely, the policy Of ''making loyahy
odious." think l can justly claim
to have done as much to prevent treason
from being made odous by the authorities
as any Virginia man; and doubt if there
is q Virginia man who has been more viii
fed than myself by those who for the last
five years have been trying to make loyalty
odious.
The year 1867 came on. You may
recollect that Democratic conven-
ton was called to meet in Richmond
in December to organize against the
adoption of O state constitution. not one
line Of sohich had then been aDritten. This
Democratic convention met and it con-
tanned men who felt extremely awkward in
o Democratic conclaye. They were such
Ten as Mr.. Baldwin, Mr.. Stuart, and
other old Wings. So it was resolved to
call the convention, and the party it organ
lied, the Conservative convention and party
of Virginia. Then was organized the party
which we Republicans are fighting to-day.
| have given the oath of allegiance which
its members took. Now behold the chief
plank in the platform of this new Conse,v-
atice party! s94
TIc-CONsERvATIvE PLAT
FORM OF DECEMBER. IL. 1867.
ssThis convention doth distinctly declare
that the governments Of the states and
Of tho Union were formed by
white men to be subject to their |
control and that suffrage should be so
by The states as to continue the |
federal and state systems under tho control |
and direction of the white race.s'm
Observe the ingredients of which this |
new-fangled platform was compounded. |
They were stdte-rigbts.ism and plsite-man's- |
party-ism. State rights had been virtually
repudiated by the members of this party |
in their oaths of allegiance to the Union,
after a war in which state7fghts-ism had |
been staked aud lost. Misrepresentation
had also been virtually .repudiated by them
IN swearing to the same oath. But here these
logmas are dragged forth again to light,
It is pretended that the Republicans of /
Virginia are responsible for raising this
ssue Of race and color. But the
,esolution just quoted discloses that
IS early as 1867 the Conservatives made
Vigginia for white Vugmians the chief
blank in their platform. You will see that
he authors of this platform, having sworn
allegiance to the Union in 1865, and re-
the principles which mad been
taked on the issue of arms, now turn
.Ound in 1867 ra-hoiet tba ctota r;,,ht,