The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-09-30
From the New York Herald
TEE SOLID SOUTH.
AN EXPLANATION AND DEFENCE FROM ALEX
AMBER II. II. STUART.

to and constant reader of your paper. hav
often had occasion to admire the abilit
and independence which characterized its ed
itorial department; but sometimes have bee
compelled to deplore the errors into which
has fallen. AS believe you have no DISPOSE
ton to do injustice to the Southern people
hope you will pardon me for attempting t.
show that you have done them wrong in you
leading editorial in the Her05k of the 10th in
slant, which is headed "The Blunder of til
South" And here let me say, in advance tina
| have never been what you term an eXtrem
Southern man. never was an advocate o
secession. On the contrary, in 1861 can
vassed the State of Virginia in the interests q
the Union party. As a member of the Seces
sion Convention voted steadily against th
ordinance of secession, and even after the or
dinance had passed | refused to follow tn
example of many Others and change my vote
1t is true that after the ordinance had beer
ratified by an overwhelming popular vote
attached my name to it. But this did as
representative duty. to extend to the peopl
all the protection which the action of TIN
State, in its most solemn form, could throw
around them. / did not belong to the Ok
Democratic party. l was an old line Uniol
Wing, and am now the sole survivor of MI
Filmore's Cabinet. This explanation will,
trust, be sufficient to show that my presen
opinions and views Of subjectsare not warped
by old Democratic prejudices.
FEELINGS IN THE SOUTH AFTER THE WAR.
You arraign the Southern people as obsti
nately closing their ears to every appeal of rea
son and patriotism, and blindly following tn,
lead of the old Democratic chieftains Thi
charge had been made by almost every Repub
lican paper in the North, and has been spread
broadcast over the whole country. Is it wei
founded? Let me recall your attention 10 {
few important facts which seem to have fideC
from your memory and from that of the North
ern people. When the civil war closed and the
Southern people had the opportunity of calmly
considering the numberless ills which it haC
brought upon them, there was, throughout the
entire South the most remarkable revolution
in public opinion that was ever witnessed
Democracy was everywhere at discount. In
deed, l may say with truth that it was more
odious to the people of the Southern States
than the old Federal party was after the cleo
ton of Jefferson. In 1865 Mr. Johnson, follow
ing the policy which had been indicated by Mr.
Lincoln, ordered elections of members of Con
gress to be held throughout the Southern
States. And what was the result? Virginia
which was entitled to nine representatives
elected eight old-line Henry Clay Union wings
and the ninth was Douglas Union Democrat
and he was indebted for his election to the fact
that there were two Union Wings running in
his district, and he was thus able to secure a
plurality Ofvotes. The same feeling prevailed
in the other Southern States, and it exhibited
itself in the same way. VIM. A. Graham, Tur-
ner and others were elected from North Caro-
lima, Perry and other Union men from South
Carolina, Geo. S. Houston, &c, from Alabama
Governor Marvin from Florida, Chancellor
Sharkey and Alcorn, from Mississippi, and !
believe all the other States elected equally de
cided opponents of secession. Did this action
indicate an obstinate and implacable feeling
on the part of the Southern people, and de-
termined purpose to continue in the old Demo
cratic ruts I? In this case the South was solid
in opposition to the Democracy. It came with
a united front to tender to the North the olive
branch, and to unite with the patriots Of that
section in an honest effort to heal the wounds
inflicted by the war and restore fraternal feeling
HOW THE SOUTH WAS TREATED.
And how was that overture of Cancellation
met? Our flag of truce was ignobly fired on
Our offer of the right hand of fellowship was
spurned with scorn. ] speak of what | know
personally, for | was one of those Union men
elected from Virginia. | was in my seat on the
floor of the House Of Representatives, with my
credentials fled with the Clerk. | possessed
every qualification for membership prescribed
by the constitution, and had before the war,
served in the House. How were we received?
Under the order of the leaders of the repubIi-
can party partisan Clerk, although he had the
duly authenticated certificates of our election
in his possession, refused to place our names
on the roll of the House, or to call us to quail
ity and participate in the organization.-Whe
we complained that we were unj ustly exclud-
ed from our rights, and urged that epossessed
every qualification prescribed by the constitu-
ton, and that Congress could neither add to
nor take anything from the qualification so
prescribed, we were contemptuOusly denied a
hearing and expelled from our seats. This was
at the time when, as was truly remarked by
Thaddeus Stevens, Congress was acting "out-
side OF the constitution" At later day the
the republican party, apparently ashamed OF
its lawless conduct, caused the constitution to
be amended so as to confer on Congress the
constitutional power to do what it had al
ready done without any such authority. The
Southern Union members having thus been
ANONYMOUSLY elected from their seats return
ed home and reported to their people what had
been done. 1t is matter of surprise that they
should have been indignant and felt no desire
after the halls of Congress had been opened to
them, to repeat the experiment of electing I'm
ion men which they had so unsuccessfuly made
EFFECT ON THE OLD LINE WINGS.
The consequence has been that from that
day to the present the voice of the old line
wings of the South has been entirely suppress
en-, and if the advocates in the North of the
old wing policy of Clay, Webster and Fill
more, find themselves deprived Of the aid OF
Southern advocates of the same policy they
can readily see to whom they are indebted fol
the loss. If the advocates of the iron interests
OF Pennsylvania find themselves in the voca-
tive for want of the aid of advocates of similar
interests which are springing up in Virginia
Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, and Ala
bama, they must thank the extreme men OF
the republican party for the absence Of their
natural allies.
REPUBLICAN ACTION IN VIRGINIA.
But let us pass on step further In 1865
the republican party, by reason of the test oath
and other acknowledgements of the best
people of Virginia, got possession of the Con
stitutional Convention of Virginia and framed
constitution which was a disgrace to the
civilization OF the age in which we live
Among other abominable features it provided
that no man who could not take the"iron-clad
oath should be eligible to any office, or vote
or sit on jury, OF enjoy any Of the privileges
of citizenship. | was chairman of a committee
which went to Washington in January, 1863
10 ask Tie lHtHTpOSiblOu anu ~ vi Otu UTdHt
then President elect, in obtaining from Con
gress the privilege voting on these clauses
Of the constitution separately from the body Of
the instrument. This he did, and through his
agency we were enabled to eliminate these of
fensive clauses from it, though 10000 votes
(mainly colored) were cast in opposition to
Gen Grants wishes and advice in favor of re-
tanning them as parts of the constitution.
should have stated that as the constitution was
framed it provided that the Legislature should
have no power to pass any general act remov-
ing these disabilities, but might pass bills in
special cases, provided that not more than one
name should be embraced in any bill. In 1872
Gen Grant was again a candidate for the
Presidency, and Virginia. remembering his
kindness to her in the hour of peril, cast hel
electoral vote for him, Did her action in that
case show an obstinate and implacable spirit
PRESIDENT HAYES POLICY
Again, when President Hayes, in his inau-
gural address, indicated his purpose to pursue
course of justice and fairness toward the
Southern States, his peaceful overtures were
hailed with enthusiasm throughout the South
and thousanGs-nay, hundreds of thousands
of the best men in the South were ready to re-
spond most cordially to his conciliatory policy
and to yield to his administration fair support
What followed? Blaine, Conkling, Cameron
Chandler, and other leading politicians of the
republican party, who had been fioated into