The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1875-08-19
Senator Morton.


cause of the Republican party, as presented
between the policies represented by Gen.
Hayes, the Republican nominee for Governor,
and Gov. Allen, the Democratic nominee, has |
been the occasion for unsparing and vitupcra-
tive denunciation OF the part of the Democrat
ic press of the country. Tie Richmond dis
patch' loses its temper, and denominates MIR.
Morton "a dog" The reason for this is, that
the Senator, combating the views of Hon.
Alex. H. Stephens, ofGeorgia, that the estates
arc sovereign declared that the doctrine of
States Rights, as maintained by the South
previous to the war, is still an issue before the
country, and that the people would be called
upon again, in the election Of 1876 to deter
niue whether the theory of government thus
implied is to become the accepted doctrine OF
the United States, in the election of a Demo-
cratic President.
There is not an honest minded man in the
South, who understands the purposes OF the
Democratic leaders, who can conscientiously
deny the assumption of the Indiana Senator
Occasionally we find democratic speaker or
editor, with more honesty than policy, who an
nounces that the national idea compromised
in the amendments to the Constitution and the
reconstruction measures, is usurpation, and
that the country can never be restored to quiet
until the State Rights theory is substituted, the
original constitution restored, and the Demo-
cratic party placed in power. The only re-
proof such enunciations receive is, that the au-
thor OF them is guilty of great imprudemce.-
That is the harshest term that is applied to
them. That is, it is not polite, so soon at
ter the acceptance by the States of the irrever-
sible facts of the war, to revive the issues that
precipitated the conflict. The object is to gain
power, and then the time will have arrived,
when the exploded doctrine of State Rights, as
understood by the Democratic leaders in the
South, can be asserted and maintained.
1t is known to almost every man in the
South, especially those who carefully observe
the outcroppings of the sentiments of the DEM
ocratic leaders, that if that party is invested
with powcr-the control of the Executive and
| Legislative branches of the government-the
legislation of the country, since the close of
armed hostilities between the sections, affect
ing the relations of the States to the Federal
government, will be reversed, and the perni-
cious doctrine of State Rights to the extent
that it comprehends the peaceable withdrawal
of a State from the Union, will be substantially
re-asserted. The committee of the Virginia
Legislature, to propose amendments to the
State constitution, have already formally rec
commended striking out of tn e Bill of Rights
those features that expressly declare the per-
petuity of the Union, and that no State has the
right or power to secede. II it were the pur-
pose to abide by the arbitrament to which the
South appealed, why seek to disturb the recor-
ded evidence of that determination? There
certainly must have been motive for the Com
mittee's recommendation, and what else could
it have been but to repudiate the idea embraced
in the objcctional clauses? 1t is true, the Legis-
lature has not yet adopted the recommendation
of the committee. It was premature. 1t was
impoltic, at least for the present, and the rec
ommendaton stands suspended, at least fol
the time being.
Here is the evidence that select committee
of deliberative body of so prudent State as
Virginia, did not approve the idea of the ma.
tioEality of the government, the logical deduc
ton from which is that they do endorse the
State Sovereignty doctrine preached by Mr.
: Stephens and combatted by Senator Norton
There las been no adverse sentiment proclaim
ed by the Conservative press OF the State-not
a word of dissent from the report of the COM
mttee was heard as to the principle involved,
from single member of that party in the body
which the committee represented. On the
contrary, the leading minds of the Legislature
approved the sentilnent-the Dispatch approx
ed it-and but for the question of policy, the
amendments would doubtless have been adopt
ed and recommended to the people.
Senator Morton has taken no position in
reference to this subject not justified by the
proclaimed sentiments of leading conservatives
in Virginia, by the Dispatch itself, and nour-
ished by the Democratic plotters throughout
the South.