National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1875-02-13
VIRGINIA TREASON.
States Rights to be Reasssrtsd in the State
Constitution.
from the Valley ylrslnlan

tFrOm the Nalley NirglnlAnsl
The State OF Virginia In 1859 was restored to
the relations to the Federal Government she had
severed In 1891 by the act Of secession, upon the
conditions implied and expressed Ii the following
clauses OF the bill Of rights OF virginia.
'1hat this state shall ever remain member OF
the United states Of America, and that the pe0s
pie thereof are part OF the American nation and
That ali attempts, from whatever source or upon
whatever pfeteAt, 10 dissolve said UhlgHI OF 10
Eeret ssd hall91 are ghIaatherlled and ought 10
n1hat the Constitution Of the United states
and the laws Of Congress passed Ia pursuance
thereof constitute the supreme Law OF the lAad,
20 which paramount allegiance and ebsdieaes are
due from every citizen, any thiRg IN the e9HsLltu,
iIgn, ordinances Or Laws d any State 10 the eeR'
HaFy notwithstanding"
In these clauses Of the bill of rights the two
Ideas that confronted each other In the late alVi
war are emhFaeed=the one of secession, mega
lively, and that Of the peFPelutty Of the Union,
positively, The war was conflict Of ideas as we'll
- Of arms, The doctrine Of State sovereignty, to
SOUTH that Of consolidation, to the extent that
the Federal power was paramount IN aetsTmlning
the relations Of the state TO the National doVsrn.
The forces representing this latter idea we're
triumphant. The doctrine OF secession was deter
mined BY the aTbltrament TO which It's advocates
appealed to be foreign to the character Of our
political system, and that ever hereafter the SUI
pTemaoy q national over State authority should
Virginia, after asking to be allowed to resume
her discovered relations to the National Govern
ment, accepted this Interpretation OF the oharac-
ter Of our political Institutions.
The people, to whom the question was submit
ted, Voluntarily recorded their affirmation &C the
ballot box by two hundred thousand majority, and
upon the assurance Of the good faith OF this dec
lErRtlon the State was invested with all the I'm
munites pertaining to q coequal Commonwealth
in the Union. The contract was Incorporated into
the fundamental law OF the State, hedged around
and covered over with all the sanctions that
honor, manhood and traditional integrity could
possibly impose. It stands to-day as q solemn
pledge Of the purpose Of Virginia 70 maintain her
assumed national obligations, and as touch
stone of her fidelity to the good faith implied.
Notwithstanding these incOntrovertible facts
these solemn pledges-thosa oAth-bound obliga-
tOnE-We are now called upon to consider the dc.
liberate proposition to strike from the bill OF
faith that attaches to them, and repudiate the
conditions upon which State autonomy was Sc
cured.
The Committee on Constitutional Amendments
have formally determined to report In favor OF
striking the clauses alluded to from the Dill OF
features recognizing the results OF the war and
the conditions upon which Virginia now holds
her position as State in the Union. There has
been no public discussion Of the prOpriety OF this
movement, and consequently we are not In pos
session Of the reasons that are advanced Tor this
proposed perfdious violation Of the public faith
Of the Commonwealth.
We certainly are not aware Of any new devel-
opments, any oppressive Innovations by the other
party to the contract, that would Justify this
premises, and we can conceive of no provocatiohs,
even remotely considered, rs likely to occur, to
relieve the committee and the party It represents
from the suspicion Of perpetrating act that will
stamp the State with ineffsceable dishonor. What
possible motive can be at the bottom Of this reck-
less disregard of public duty we certainly are IN
able to comprehend. 1t certainly cannot be that
the Conservative party Of Virginia are looking
forward to the contingency when the conditions
embraced in the clauses in controversy will inter-
pose an obstacle to State action on national Ques-
tlOns and contemplating q repetition Of the fatal
and criminal falacy Of 1851, which spread destruc-
tiOn and death over the face OF the country.
1t will be we'll for the people to carefully and
seriously ponder the revolutionary character Of
the propositions now pending In the committee
constitutional amendments, and famllarlZe
themselves with q question that carries concealed
beneath its surface the most aggravated dlsas-
tiers that ever sent their crimson currents over
the peace and happiness Of a peOple-impliclting
in the Interior results the very existence Of the
institutions Of this country. 1t is due to the
people Of Virginia and the country that the mean
Ing Of these insidiOus and dangerous proceedings
be explained, and that frank exposition OF the
purposes entertained be had.