The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-14
r,,e pe.e;rsburg Charter.
rhe WASHINGTON Star says:

| The petersburg Charter.
The washington Stur says:
r uGoyernor Kemper has wisely vetoed thl'
ant;.demoeratic as well as anti.republicsaI
measure, which might, if carried out, nave
recoiled at some time upon the heaus Oh u
originators."
IRON, the washington Republican,
i Governor Kemper, Of Virginia, nay ,r ns,
4 toed the new Petersburg city cnarter. III lI,:
gratifying intelligence is cspeciaiy . Mnn. ~
y. 81 .i.ahIe nI,rnose on the part OF the
Governor not only to adhere strictly TO tDt
la,tor and shirt of the Constitution, ou'
aIso r. deal fairly with interests OF the Whoit
,,aonIe of the State rather than DilDdiE foi'
puut tho hchests of reckless and Wlltul par
tis,ns The plain, and indeed the aYoWed.
s Issue az the new charter was to get rid oil
oty Government obnoxious to many OF the
1,.oaithier citizens on account OF its Republi
can nolitics. 1t provided for the appoint
n,ant of commission by the court to rule
the citv. thus robbing the people of all voice
in the selection of their municipal officers.
The Governor seems to have wisely con.
| Guided that it was inimical to the spirit of
nonl1lar government, and would prove to be
an unsafe precedent to establish, and one
which, moreover, might some time return to
plague the inventors.
/ from the Baltimore Americana
General Kemper did brave act yesterday.
As is well known, the Democrats have COM
plete and absolute control in the State of
Virginia. When the Constitution of 1868
was framed care was taken to vest as much
power as possible in the Legislature and to
| give that body and the Executive Depart
ment the authority to fill the most important
offices. This was done to get rid OF the in.
fluence of the local Democratic majoritles IN
some portions of the State. The Republican
| leaders found out their mistake when 1t
| was too late to remedy it. The Democrats
got possession Of the Legislature at the first
| election uuder the new Constitution. and
used the power which their adversarleS had
placed in their bands with remorseless rigor.
| The Legislature elected the circuit judges,
and when their terms were about to expire
| law was passed, in plain violation OF The
Constitution, which provided for the re-
assembling OF the old Legislature before the
| meeting of the new body to be chosen in
1872, to the end that Democratic Judges
might be elected and sworn in for the ensu-
! ing term. 1t turned out that the Republic
cans did not secure majority in the Legis-
| lature elected in 1872 aud the Democrats were
not under the necessity of carrying the out
rageous law into effect. AS far as we know
| there are only two Incorporated cities in
Virginia in which the Republicans are in the
majority namely: Petersburg and AleXan-
dria. The Democrats, however, were not
satisfied with possessing all the State, coun-
| ty, and municipal offices, except in these two
! towns; they must also have the corporation
Offices in Petersburg, although the Republi-
| cans have very decided majority OF the
voters. To.carry out this purpose the Lee
gislature repealed the charter OF the city,
and passed new charter,-in which the Go
vernon of the State and the Judge of the
Hastings Court for that circuit were invest
ed with the power to appoint and fill all the
principal offices. Governor kemper has had
the courage and manliness to veto the bill.
from the Petersburg News.l
TUE GOVERNORS VETo.--That the Co.
vernon OF Virginia-now that Virginia is
once more free-should have dealt, Of his
own will, mortal blow to one of the truest
aud most lied Of Virginia cities no man be-
lieved to be possible.
Such blow Governor Kemper dealt to
Petersburg on yesterday.
That he did go honestly, from his own
point of vieW-that be did SO conscientously,
and even with some sort Of regret-we
would be reluctant to question.
That Governor Kemper is brave man,
his career in the army fully proved; that he
is man of probity and honor, bis private
life, so far as we know, has proved in equal
degree. But We may as we'll be candid and
say at once and frankly that his action on
yesterday must raise, even in the minds OF
those who were his tirmest supporters, grave
doubts as to bis political foresight and bis
ability to grasp delicate questions of critical
moment.
Let us recapitulate in briefest fashion:
l. Here is a charter which the ablest JuriSts
in Virginia have pronounced constitutional
2. A charter which was eagerly urged by
euery sinqle respectable citizen Of Peters,
burg, and opposed only by the political and
social scum of this unfortunate city.
3. a charter dprop6s of which proof has
been furnished that OF the t,oenty t.co hun.
dred negro uoters Of this city t.centy-o"e hun
dred and sirtyJire paid no tares.
1. A charter the need for which was pro.
claimed in trumpet tones by the disgrac
disclosures made in these columns touching
the municipal administration of the adven-
turers, who, without calm to gentility, intel
lIgence, or character, have tor years past
pIundered thus city with inSolent impunity.
S. \ charter winch, after the sharpest
scrutiny and most enYenomed Radical oppo-
sitiop, has triumphantly passed by large ma
joritieS both houses OF the General Assem-
bly,.
Such are the bare facts, which no human
being can controyert, and such is the charter
which Governor kemper has seen ut to veto,
thereby deliberately handing over city OF
his -Vrginians, city OF no mean
wealth, industry, and intelligence, TO be
plundered with redoubed greed and lorded
over with redsubed insolence by the ire
spopsible government OF ignorant negroes
and dlsreputable whites, which have cursed
us as with balefui blight for 80 long time. |
His reasons for his action in the matter |
are such as we should have expected from
the gushing spread-eagleism OF MIR. James
Lyons or Colonel John S. Mosby, but
which, as We have said, suggest painful
doubts as to General kemper's independence
of political thought.
IT'S the old cry-the State Government
must be in accord with the General Govern
ment at Washington. That this whole liue
of policy is Il delusion and q snare the eXpe-
riepces of our unfortunate sister States
should have made as abundantly clear to
Governor kemper as they have to
every true Conservative. Has such
subserviency ever wrought any good thus
far to the PROSTATE States of South Carolina,
Mississippi, and Louisiana! Has it ever ad-
yauced one whit the interests OF Virginia in
the past? One TO read Governor Kemper's
message would imagine that be had forgot
ten that he himself was elected on the