The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-09-07

counties have DCCll IcCclNCu. IuC vote Is
generally very FULL The Democrats claim the
State by from 40, 900 to $4,000
>---
The Constitutional Amendments.
We publish summary of the Constitutional
amendments to be voted on next November,
taken from the Richmond Dispatch of the 22d.
We do this simply as an niintory step to the
discussion of the propositions, between this
time and the day OF election, promising to give
the amendments in full in another issue of the
VIRGINfAN, The second amendment reads
with reference to those not entitled to vote
first, idiots and lunaties; second, persons con-.
victed of bribery in any election, embezzle-
ment, treason, felony. or petit larceny; third,
no person WHO while IL citizen Of this State has
since the adoption of this constitution fought a
duel, &c.
There are several features of these amend
ments to Which we desire to call attention at
this time, and ask our readers to charge their
memories with them.
LIST. As to the poll tax. There is fraud not
only written over the face Of this, but over
several other of the propositions. The Com
missioner of the Revenue whose duty it is to
list the persons qualified to vote, may purpose
ly fail to do so and there is no remedy for
this, whatever. If the citizens name does not
appear on the list Of tax payers, Of course, he
would not be asked for his poll tax by the tax
gatherers, and therefore would be disqualifiedto
VOTE. We do not think any designed omission
to list the citizen would occur in the Valley of
Virginia. Fortunately, we have. been free
from the curse of corrupt officials, and politi
cal swindlers, balot-box Suffers, and their
kiEd. But, when we remember what has oc-
cured il Richmond, Petersburg, Portsmouth,
Norfolk and Iaynchburg, we may reasonably
conclude that Il democratic commissioner
would no. hesitate in falling to list many col
Ored men, for the purpose of deprlving them of
suffrage. 1t is very evident that this amend
ment was purposely framed to compromise
manhood suffrage Supplying alike to poor white
men and negroes-the tendency OF which is to
establish property dcspotism at the expense
of the unfortunate poor mcn OF the State. A
man owning property may be q delinquent, so
far as that is concerned. This does rot work
disfranchsement, if he pays his poll=tax, but
if the citizen should be SO unfortunate as to be
reduced in circumstances, so that his family
expenses clothing and food for his children,
doctors bills, house rent, &c.,-would exhaust
every copper his labor might accumulate, leav-
ing nothing with which to pay his poll-taN,
then his right to exercise the elective franchise
is wrcnched from him. We ask the poor men
of this Commonwealth who are compelled to
work the roads for the wagons and carriages Of
the property holders to pass over-Who are
forced by the laws eff q Democratic Legislature
to take day after day of their time from .he
labor by which they feed and clothe their
wives and children, to work the public high
ways, over which they pass on foot for the
vehicles and horses of their rich ncighbors to
pass, whether there is any justice or right af
ter taking from them, in the interest of pro-
perty, the means of paying their pol-taN, to
deprive, them of their votes because they can
not pay that tax? Was there ever a holder
piece of despotisal proposed to be practised
upon the muscle and labor of the country, to
reduce them below the condition of chattel
slavery. aud degrade them to the level Of the
beast.
In the I'd amendment proposed, the words
<spetit larceny have been aided to the origi
nal disqualilicatioils to vote as incorporated in
the Constitution. There is fraud in this. We
assume it as rational that when a political par
ty, through its INSCRIPTIONS agents, Will re-
sort to blllot-box smashing, and stuflirg, to
manufacturing fraudulent election returns and
every method of fraud known to the corrupt
political rings which infest the cities OF eastern
Virginia; where the Courts. as in Lyncilburg,
can prostitute judicial authority to depriving
legally elected municipal officers of their Off
ces, without particle of evidence to sanction
them, and where ballot-boXcs can be smashed
as in Richmond. with impunity, and thus de-
feat the will of the people; where fraud and
violence can be practised, without punishment
as in Petersburg; where these things can be
,<lole, it might reasonably be expected that
charges of petit larceny would be made against
negroes, by the wholesale, arrest of many, and
conviction follow, just before an election, to
work dsfranchisement, and then pardon. with
out Incarceration, probably. The end designed
would thus have been accomplished, the Re-
publican vote decreased, and the constitution
prostituted to the despicable purposes OF a cor
rnpt political party.
The third feature, dispensing with registra-
ton, is further step to secure party benefit.
Even now, with the secret ballot in operation,
intimidation is practiscd not only upon ne
groes but weak-nerved white men, to vote
against their honest sentiments We havcit
illustrated i'll our own city and county, where
dependent aboring men are not unfreTlent-
ly bulliea into the support of candidates for Of
flee, for fear of losing employment, and are in
fiienccd by the declarations that they "cahiot
afford'' to vote other than for the conservative
or ring candidates, (which means simply, that
if they do not vote as the managers desire,
their labor will be dispensed with. If this is
the case, where the secret ballot is in opera
ton, how much more so when men have to
march fO tho mills op1 oo1I out tbnir 1,otac md