Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1876-04-01

ton which was framed for Virginia under the
reconstruction acts was framed by Convention
COMPOSED in large degree of eur former slaves
and of gentlemen who hated from any and
every Nationality other thar Virginia, and that
among the provisions of that constitution were
some which, if carried into effect, every man
WHO hears me here to-day will admit would
hnve tr,tight utter and rrGtrIovabIc ruin 10
every interest of The State. 1t provided that
| the test oath should be applied, not only to all
persons who proposed to hold ottlce, but 10
every person who proposed to vote and TO every
pcrsnn permitted 10 serve as Ju7'r through
GU tie State OF Virginia.
| | want 10 recall TO Senators the recollection
! OF this TACT, that the test oath was ollghah'
| desigacd tul Application 10 nOl thcrn anu not 10
the sourhern commnullI@$: 1t Was cnacteu III
! 1862 du:ing the otcst period OF the war,
wien it was kuCwu thar 20 south.
err man at that time, certainly, would
be expected to a ply for flee under the United
81; It's government, the object IT II beiug. to
exclude lrom STARE 10 the offices OF thus Gov
ernmcut such prrsous as sympa'hiz with or
| aided the Cunf:drratej in the Sou neTn States
That was the Obi ct Of the test oath. But you
will see when thai oath came to be applied to
sputhcrn communities, it was far more VIDE
spread, far more sweeping, far more rulnous in
its opcration than it could possibly be in any
northern community. Why? Because the
whole Soutt--I say it liIeray-the whole
South had goue into this war and there Was no
person there-I say no Iersoo, of course there
may have been Individual exceptions, but there
were few persons 10 any community who could
come forward aud swear that they had furnish
ed 40 aid, counteDanGe, counsel, or encourage.
ment to the rebellion or to any person engaged
in armed hostility to the United States. The
consequence was that every office which was 10
be filled IN Virginia would have been OF neces-
sIty fld by 40 alien OF negro wi thout edu
cation and without that inform. ton which
would nab!e him 10 discharge the duties OF the
Office properly; that every man who came for
ward to vote III an election must have been OF
the sa me class; that every man who proposed
to sit as juror to adjudcate any question 10
ynIving liic, liberty, or operty must be drawn
from the same class.
Nuw YOU see al once, | do not care what
political party you may belong to, you are
bound TO see at once, the utter ruin which
would have been wrought it such consttu-
ton as that had been Inflicted upon US; aud
when, after CANVASS OF the State oil virginia,
which pointed out the effects and the rulnous
GODS uueuces of such a constitution as this,
public sentiment began to concentrate and crys
! taIize against the constitution proposed, aud
| when the period which vas fixed Tor Its belne
{ submitted tn a vote Of the people was postpon-
cd by military ihority because il was obvious
, that it would be rejected, when opportunity
was eff red to make ap appeal to Gen. GRAFT
and through him TO the Congress Of the Unlteo
| States, 10 permit three distinct clauses OF THU
constitution, which were most objectionable, tt
be submitted to u separate vote Of the people
| -. t,o
due if they thought proper aud to reject THESE
, when all these Thugs were doue, and the
election was held on that constitution, what die
) the result indicate? We find that lO2 O0C
! white men, almost without solitary exception
voted iu favor Of adopting Constitution which
gave to our negroes the night OF suffrage anC
the right of holding ofica, while $4,000 men,
t almost exclusively colUred mcn, voted to reLalr
those features IN the Constitution and deprive
the white men Of the privilege OF holding office
) or of voting, or Of taking any part in the ad
ADMINISTRATION of the laws
Is it remarkable that 10 such condition OF
things the white people Of the South general
-, w. because this was not confined TO Virginia
I speak OF Virginia because | speak OF what
{ KNOWS il a wonderful circumstance that un
der such condition Of thlngs as this, the man
ifcst necessity of a union OF the white people t
preserve the pol'!c, power in their hands be-
came matter OF self preservation Ii thl
, fact is to be construed as is Indicated by the
discu sion here to-day. and whenever this ques
ton is debated, ask Senator's on that side o.
the Chamber ITO put themselves in our place, .
and ask if they can find it in their hearts tc
hold this up TO the public reprobatioD as a
measure OF outrage and oppression and wrong
do not like, MIR. President; now, aud l DC
not propus,, nor will | enter into line OF as
scvcratou of my feelings, plaus, and purposes
as TO this Government and preservation OF this
Uuion. Warped by the signal station which
has been put up on the other side, | do not
propose to place myself 10 the company Of those
who arc denounced here as men who cannot
under any circumstances be trusted and whose
professions OF tcaity to the Uoon are hypocrlt.
ical and false as hell itself But | would ask
the Senator who has Introduced az illustration
drawn from my Owe profession, because it is a
little in the line Of my own personal eXper
fences to revert to this analogy when the Sen
ator from 1ndlana spoke oil the lmpollcy of at
tempting to heal our wounds super hclally and
declared thai II was no good surgery which
would advocate such a procedure. | would
ask him 70 contrast that surgery, if he pleases,
with the surgery which! proposes 70 tear open
freshly cicltrlzed wound. aud just as often as
the DaD1S OF u00n are SnOOtl0H lGrWuTu lTOW
one side 10 the other, cementiDg together in a
solld aud useful aud healthy union that which
had bceu gaping and bleeding would-t he
proposes, whenever these bands are formed, to
destroy them by tearing them asuuder and H.
stead Of applying rmolients aud soothing APP
plicatous to pour in vitrio and o,rroslve sub
Innate, how long Woul the patient last under
such treatment as that
Mr.. Morton. Allow me to ask question,
OF rather it is in the form of an answer, that
the t4arlug open OF these wounds is not done
10y proposing to investigate wrjngS 10 order to
prevent repetition Of those wrongs nor by de-
rouncing crimes that have been committed.
The tearing open of these Wounds copss1s in
the outrsgrs committed III Mississippi and other
States such as have beeu denounced. Ii those
gu RACES had not been committed there would
b. no occasion to talk ab,ut them now.
Mr.. Wuhers. The Senator is assuming what
the report of this proposed conmi tet will be
wheu it shall have teen raised, and shall
have investigated, aud shall have re-
ported The fact has not yet been
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