Daily Republican., 1880-01-12
virginia Politics and Divorces.


led the decision Of the lower court in IL
case of Latham VS.. Latham on pie
for divorce. The case was one of int
est as well as novelty, as plea for
divorce by Mrs. Latham from her hui
band was because he had left the Den
Ocratic party and had gone to the ele'
tion one day and voted the Republica
ticket. Mrs. Latham, while girl dr
ring the rebellion, was an unconquel
able rebel, type now of the unrecon
structed women of the South referee
to by JEFF. Davis. Her very soul mus
have recoiled with horror at the arm.
of blue coated individuals that invaded
the fair State Of Virginia, ard had sh'
mad the power shs would have dscapita
ted the whole Union army with one fel
swoop. The heart of this fair creature
in which there was so much hatred fol
the Yankees, oddly was moved by the
tender passion of love when she beheld
the youthful Latham uniformed in re,
bel gray go forth to uphold the honor q
Virginia, and strange to say, he learn
ed to love this fair and enthusiastic
Southern maiden. After Grant had
bagged the Southern army at Appomat-
tex, and Virginia had to submit for
the time teing to the inevitable,
insteai of this fair spasmodic be.
ing. committing suicide, she was mar
ried TO young Latham, and for ought
We know, both were of one political
mind; at least they lived peaceably to-
gether. Time wore on, Latham voting
regularly the Democratic ticket, but
being of an investigating turn of mind,
for some cause came to the conclusion
that the yankees were not all mudsills,
and that the southerners were not all
the fruit and flower of chivalrous man
hood. The deeper he went into the ex-
animation the more was he convinced
that the Republican party was about
right and the Den ocratic party per-
vsrSely wrong.
These conclusions being reached La
than went out one day and voted the
Republican ticket, but we are not in
formed that he told Mrs. Latham what
he had done, No matter, however,
fjr she soon found it out, and strange
to say, instead Of going right off and
throwing herself into the nearest river,
she applied for a divorce from her
faithless brute of husband. Her suf. |
ferings are described as having been in
tense, and she was deeply "shocked to
fnl that her husband, whom as a girl
she had admired and honored as one
who had done his duty to his State and
to his nation in arms, and whom she
supposed 10 be still true, had allied
himself with what is known in Virginia
as Radicals" The local court granted
the request Of Mrs. Latham, but the
other Latham appealed to a higher
court where the judges, though looking
upon the offense with which Latham
was charged as very grave one,
and no doubt infamous and cruel to the
last degree, yet through the neglect of
the Virginia law makers a change of
political views was not made suffi-
Gent ground for divorce. But the lu-
minous intellect of Judge Anderson en-
abled him to regard the case different
ly. In his opinion, dissenting from the
majority of the couIt, the learned and
able Judge with emphasis said THE i
shock and modification of Mrs. Latham c
was to find that her husband, had not C
been true; that he had deserted his t
friends and gone over to the enemy and t
had joined him in waging upon them a a
war more cruel than war of arms. It b
was pertidy, the moral faint Of which t
she felt attached to him, and which C
would exclude him from the best socie-
y in, the State" Over and over again
have Virginia papers assured the north ?
that Republicans were not 0stracised y
nor persecuted in that State, for heir II
Official opinions, but here We have a p
declaration from a Judge of one of the u
highest courts in Virginia, that Lath- p
ANS Republicani,m, "would exclude 81
him FRI m the best society in the state q
and that it supplied sufficient reason II
Tor granting his wife a divorce from a
him." No doubt these opinions will be d
heartily approved by Virginia papers
which are engaged at present in won u
iering why it is that northern people a
md emigrants will not come into the u
'tate to live. When a Democrat who II
axes 1otion to be a Republican has 9
o face political persecution, social os. Oh
racism, and to accept the choice that
he wife OF his bosom will sue for di-
'orce, he will study long about emigra- Ia
ing to Virginia. The gallant and u
lifted Judge Anderson can no doubt OF
Jet any Office in the gift of the people Of b
lis State that he chooses to ask for. IL
With the virtuous matrons and maidens III