Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1884-09-30
Maxwell and Test oaths.

iOEQS auu puOllSn6usI uSS SOunSc1AO4IO4
Maxwell, the fusion candidate for
Governor, with that ffar=re reaching and
.co1d-bloo deds system of persecution
through test oaths, registry laws and
like devices which disgrace the en-
tire rule Of the Republican party in
this State. ssMeconde nge a few facts.
The first'actsin this serieso infamy
was the constitutional amendment,
which declared that no person who
had aided the rebellion should vote
or eveno,be citizen of the State.
Observe the sweep of its Vindictive-
ness; notcontent with disfranchising,
it deprived of.citize,aship. This. was
at the time known as the MAXWELL
AMENDMENT. AS member of the
State Senate he reported it February
8, 1865, and was its patron in its pas
sage through the legislature. In the
Legislature of 1866 it had again
to be voted for, and he supported it.
Having then as required passed two
legislatures, it was then submitted
for ratification to the people. But to
pass it required the disfranchisement
of thousands of legal voters. Hence
the Registration Laws and voters test
oaths were devised. The former he re-
ported fayorably from his committee,
and the latter he supported by his
vote. The amendment was then
adopted, but only by the machinery
of law which DISTINGUISHED consti-
tutionaI votes. Itwas certain that no
honest or competent court could or
would sustain it, and thus it became
necessary for the Radical party to
pack the Supreme Court. For this
work they dropped one of the old
judges, who could not certainly be
relied on, and nominated Maxwell for
judge. He virtually pledged himself
in advance to do this expected work.
Here is the proof of it. In his letter
accepting the nomination, Sept. Is,
1866, he said: 81 accept the nominal
ton, endorsing the principles Of the
Convention achich nominated me. -
Among these principles We find the
following:
" Reso1ved, That treason is the
most aggravated crime known to our
laws, and that therefore treason
should be made odious, and traitors
punished; not by wholesale pardons
and bestowment of offices and polit-
ical power, but By ercluSiom from all
control ocer the government, by dis
tr0nchtsenecrt, and an case Of princi-
paltedders by date trial and execution. -
't ResozVed, That ace heartily en-
dorse The Registry La,U and the diets
generally passed By The Legislature OF
last aoihter, and that tve especially re-
joice IN the adoption by the people OF
the Constitutional amendment to pre-
eUe1et traitors from Uoting az the State,
:tISuS making treason odious and loyalty
honorable
When on the bench he fully re-
deemed these pledges. In Hedges
VS. Price, wv. Va, 1872, he held with
Judge Brown (now Republican can
didate for Judge) that trcspass suits
could be maintained although the
Presidenthad pardoned soin another
case, ms w. Va, 49G, he decided
the Jurors Test Oath constitutional.
In the case of our venerable fellow
citizen, Andrew Hunter, he and
Judge Brown decided the Lawyers
Test Oath constitutional; 2 W. Va,
,122.,55-s-5 -.
,Inu Nadenbousch VS.. Shaver, from
Berkeley Co., 2 W. Va, 285, he and
Brown enforced the suitors test oath,
so in w. Va, 249. In Randolphvs.
Good 8, w. Va, $50, he and Brown
decided the Voters outh constitu-
tiona1. Thus is Maxwell on record
as originating, sustaining or cnforc-
ing every one of the Ubiquitous series
of measures through which our peo-
pie were DISTINGUISHED, prosecuted,
plundered, insuIted and dcfrauded.
Sec how it worked in this county. In
1868 we could cast but 100 votes for
Horatto Seymour; in 1876, with little
increase in population, we cast more
than 1000 for TiIden. Arc we to
forget and condone so quickly these
measures, devised not in the heat and
passion of the war, but in deliberate
malice of peace times, to brand us
with infamy and rob us of all rights
and all protection? Can we honor
the chief worker in all that was meant
to degrade us?
a@ There ought not to be a cote
far lfar,UcU in this county.
A vote for him is a personal in
suit to nincteen-twcntieths of our
Democratic voters, for such was the
proportion he DISTINGUISHED.