The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-03-25

u. II. van Aukeu, III Tic houSe Vi beie
gates, yesterday, in support of the protes
of the Republican members of the Genera
Assembly against the election of county
Judges by the present Legislature.
-
speech of Mr.. ]. HI. Van Auken, OF
Sussex, in tho House of Delegates.
i'm Favor Of spreading the Republi.
can Protest upon the Journal.
Mr.. Speaker-As one of the minority
whose name is attached to the protest
under consideration, rise to yindicate my
self from the charge made by the gentle.
man from Amherst of being revolution
list and asecessionist, and do this, sir, with
great diffidence in view of the array Of tai
ent on the other side, thachave expressed
themselves in opposition to this protest.
Now, sir, who are the revolutionists in this
matter?. Tits that party who, to accomplish
a partisan end and perpetrate one of the
most terrible despotisms that free people
ever endured, by seeking to fasten these
petty despots County judges upon
the people beyond the hope Of relief for
the next six years, and how have they
gone about it? Why, by changing the
time of meeting of the next General As
sembly to the first day Of January, 1874,
right in the teeth of the constitution,
which provides that the General Assembly
shall convene in season to open and count
the election returns, and to declare who is
elected governor, before the first day of
January, so that he may be able to take
his seat on that day. Now, sir, two
wrongs do not make right. The second
wrong is logical sequence of the first,
which is cloak-a mere screen--behind
which they seek to hide this great usurpa-
ton.
[Mr. V. here read an extract from the
editorial columns of THE STATE JOUR-
NAL of Saturday, as expressing his views
better than he could himself.] aaR
Now, sir, we could not cohscientiously
become party to any such movement. If
we nominated candidates in opposition, we
would become participants in the very act
which we are so anxious to be placed on
the record as having been condemned !!
We could not vote negatively, therefore we
had no remedy but to protest. And we desire
that this protest be entered upon the jour-
nal, SO that we may not be placed in the
false light Of having seeded, or shirked
our duties, as charged by the gentleman
from Amherst. Now, sir, if this is revo-
lutionary, make the most Of it.
Sir, [ hold the right of minority to
protest equally sacred with the right to
petition, and, sir. can but regard the
opposition to entertaining this protest as
an outcropping of the old virus of slave
ry, that in pro-slavery times would have
denied, and attempted to deny on the
floor of Congress, the right Of the free
people of Massachusetts, to petition that
body on the subject.
The gentleman from Amherst ridiculed
the idea of the small minority being the
better judges of the right than the major
ity. Sir. we are the sole judges of this
question of right, in accordance with our
conscientious convictions of duty. The
gentleman said "that had not General
Grant changed his policy towards Virginia
and the South after the reception of that
famous telegram Of '69, sent by that CO.
lossus of Conservatism from Richmond
city, congratulating him upon the success
of his policy in Virginia" he would have
received many more kilograms. Sir, deny
that General Grant changed one iota. The
Conservatives sailed through that cam
paign under false colors. They
stole the livery Of heaven to
serve the devil in; they called themselves
''true Republicans and under that guise
they were successful, but the moment sue
cess was attained, they dropped the mask,
turned out every Republican holding office
in the state, filling them with the most Bit
ter partisans +; denying to a large body of
our citizens admission to the jury box,
followed up by the most relentless social
prescription of Republicans everywhere,
and, dropping the name Republican, as
sumed that of Conservative.
Mr.. Speaker, again last fall they tried
this little game, assuming the name of
'Liberal Republicans, "but it was blocked,
and General Grant did receive other tele-
grams from Richmond again. One glad
shout echoing from every hilltop and up
from every valley of Virginia redeemed,
disenthralled! saved!! Virginia, placed in
the line of progress with her sisterhood Of
states in the free north, with her future for
tune and prosperity linked with theirs.
That great colossus of Conservatism,
whose bugle blast has rallied the Conserva-
tives SO Often to victory, now finds, like
Othello, his occupation gone. He finds
tuaL party W eluuTc III tuc duCCtlouS VI
the people, must be founded on something
else than prejudice and hate. 1t must have
some better rallying cry than Opposition
to Radicalism." =
Mr.. Speaker, well remember the ludi-
crousness ola great party, some two years
since, sending its heroes, its sages, its
statesmen, and towering above all these,
as high as the Alps and the Pyrenees, and
above the Pyramids of Egypt, the Virginia
Gentlemen0-(well, it is a very good
thing to be Virginia gentleman, or a
gentleman from anywhere else, but |
don't see the use of reiterating the
phrase so often, unless it be that we fear
people will doubt its TRUTH suppose the
phrase was used in that convention l ZOO
times) to meet IN convention in this city.
Sir, they sat in convention for two long
days 1.-THE mountain was in labor two days
and brought forth a mouse) and adopted as
platform Opposition to Radicalism, I"
which meant opposition to every step in
the line of progress which the Republican
party had fought for and gained in the last
ten years. They enunciated no policy upon
questions of finance, of education, or OF
developing the great resources of this great
old commonwealth-nothing but "Opposi-
ton to Radicalism.o
Sir, the minority on this floor have sat
here day after day, and fought shoulder to
shoulder and voted with the liberal element