National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-11-11

The Atlanta Constitution and other south
orn Democratic papers are bewailing
the fact that Virginia is the first to break
the solid south, and that a majority Of
the Virginia congressman elected Nov.
arc Republicans. Most Of these papers,
notably those in Virginia, claim that this
change Of front, by which in the next Con-
gress Virginia instead Of having eight Dem.
ocratic representatives, as at present, will
only have three Democrats, six Republ-
cans, and one momber Of the new Labor
party, Is only a temporary alteration Of
"The Mother OF States" from "the solid
south.n
Men who write thus have not read the
history Of Virginia. That state was one OF
the last OF the colonies to enter into the re-
bellion against the tyranies of England, but
when II cast its lot with the other r0bollI.
Gus colonies, It was In the foremost rank of
those who worked and suffered for the
cause.
So In the causeless rebellion against the
| United States, while South Carolina, that
hotbcd Of political "lsms," passed It's ordi.
nance Of secession early In December OF
1850, aud Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia,
Florida, and louisiana followed suit in
January and February, 1851, the Virginia
legislature did not pass its ordinance
Of secession until the 18th OF April nor
was 1t voted on by the people Of the state
until the ith Of May.
Again, Virginia was one OF the last
states to enter into rebellion, aud again It
went to the front as the state to "do aud
suffer"
No other state in the confederacy suffered
as Virginia did. No other people fought
more nobly than Nirginlans did for the lost
cause. No other state was so utterly pros
tratcd when the cause was lost as was Vlr-
| ginia.
When the Democrats of the south, Gu
| couraged by that contingent of northern
copperheads and doughfaccs who secretly
| or openly aided the rebellion, sought to
make a solid Democratic south, Virginia
refused for n long period of time to enter
| the combination. There tras no Democratic
party in Virginia for years after the recon.
s,ructlon measures we're passed. The op.
position to the Republicans In that state
was called the Conservative party. Fl
nally, Virginia joined the solid Democratic
south, and once more its people have suf-
fcred most because OF the paralyzlng of its
| industries.
But now Nirginians have opened their
| eyes. They look across the border to tho
north and see Pennsylvania, which attained
| statehood at the same time with Virginia,
when the latter was the first OF the thir.
teen colonies IN population and wealth,
and the former was second, and sec that
| Pennsylvania is still second In both, while
| Virginia has reccded to the fourteenth
place In population, and the seventeenth
in wealth. They look to the northwest
and see Ohio, child from their own loius,
with more than double the population,
and five times the wealth of the mother
state. They see a dozen grand young
states rich and prosperous, while Vir.
ginia is growing poorer every day.
Sensible Virginians have asked them.
selves the cause of these things, and they
have answered their own question to their
satisfaction. Slavery kept them back in
the race at first. They see that. But
slavery has been abolished over twenty
years, md is no longer the cause.
'H"H 'HVh, luVy euyi 10 the ToNsOn lot
thisg
And the answer comes TO their minds as
the revelation struck the prosecutor Saul
and made of him the apostle Paul.
They have tied themselves to the dead
carcass Of the past. They have forgotten
that the world moves, and they persecute
the Galileaus who say II does
They see this, and propose to cut loose
from the decaylng cOrcasses OF Democracy
and tradition, and move out into the SUI
light Of progress and Republlcanlsm.
They have hidden goodbye to the solid
south and the Democratic party, and come
to stay with the Republican party.