The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-01-20
DAYS OR RECONSTRUCTION.
The Three Distinct Blas Discussed By
Ex-Governor Cameron.
THE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVECTION.
The Blsck.and-Tsn Gathering - History
Of the Adoption of Our Organic Law.
"famous New Movement" In
Virginia.

political student, but TO the general read
or as we'll for It abounded in dramatic
events, and developed many femarka-
BILE characters. IL comprised three dls-
t.nct eras---iirst. the administration OF
P,errepont. Governor by grace of the ne
ton of government az Alexandria, which
though dgnifed by the cooperation Oh
an emasculted General Assembly, never
welded more than the shadow or au-
thority and was soon superseded; secol,I'
the military government IN Which ~
ii. Wells took the semblance ana eihoiu-
ments OF executive authority, out was
himself governed by orders from the
Secretary of War. and the General COM
mandlng District No. 1; third, the ADMIN
istration of General Walker during Inc
inter-regnum between his election by
the people and the re-admission OF the
state by the Congress Of the united
States.
OF the first OF these eras, perhaps as
much has been said already as IL de-
serves. The Governor was not a man.
under the most favorable circumstances,
10 have impressed himself on the course
OF events He was "a rubicund. jolly IN
diyidual. of kindly impulses and ill-regu-
lated opinions who between n desire 10
placate the people of whom he was the
unwelcome flgure-head. and umorous
zeal not TO offend his real masters, solved
the divided duty" by doing as near
nothing as possible-a course of non-ac-
ton 10 which he was well qualihed by
temperament and habit. It was well Tor
Virginia that the locum tenans was not
OF yirlle or ambitious nature, Tor person
so endowed might have worked huch
harm; while as IL Is, we can remember
without unkindness. his accidental Ex-
cellency. VINO Is. | hope and believe, sun
surviving.
The second era covered the series OF
steps by which Virginia was finally
brought I'm statu quo ante-bellUm. The
FIRST of these which calls for notice was
the assembling OF convention TO frame
for the State constitution conforming
To the new order of things. Tho order
for an election fixed with military pre-
cision the qualifications OF sufraSahs,
the distribution of representation and
the machinery for taking the vote and as
pertaining the result. The ballot was
extended to the negro. and rules of dis
franchisemnt were applied to the whites
which excluded large numbers from the
uolls. The outcome was such body
of incendiaries, incapables and ignoramus-
es as never before turned the solemn busi-
ness of State making into d roaring farce.
The white people. under the banner OIL
conservatism" secured but a protesting
contained some of the best talent in the
Commonwealth. John l.. Marye and
Gibson. with others OF their political bias,
were joined by n faction OF native Ke-
publicans, such as John +. Lewis, In OPP
posing the widest vagaries and most par
tisan measures OF the majority. But the
control was in the hands OF men Ike
Wells and Underwood. some animated by
hatred of the Southern people, some
lot
own political preferment, and the rest
following these two classes in blind Obedi-
ence The ruling spirit was that of ICON
-ociasm: TO destroy all existing order. as
evil, 10 favor whatever the former resi-
mo had opposed to lay The top ran on
the ground and to elevate the bottom
rail 10 the top.
But that the toys with which they
played were the most sacred rights ana
profound interests OF a million and a half
of people, the antics of these bulls Ill
the china shop of constitutional liberty
would have been exquisitely funny. Even
as IL was. the grotesque performances OF
the 'rBlack and Tan" Assembly, at the
old African church. was the daily source
10 Virginians of amusement, which even
their alarm and indignation could not
wholly repress. To hear Specs Hodges
or Dr. Bayne hold forth IN broadest plan
tation dialect on the beauties of higher
education. and to listen to Barney Nc
Cracker blowing the foghorn OF his I'M
tutorcd Irish ignorance on the most alb
struse problems of organic law. were spec
tacles to make angels weep, but at which
men were compelled TO laugh. Worse
than this however. was the deliberate
malignancy with which men who knew
Better led on their dupes to vote Tor
clauses which, ii put into effect, would
have made of the entire white population
of the State servi servorum. 1t was
surely the irony of fate which brought TO
Richmond at this time as the opponent
of Acknowledgement and Disqualification,
the individual who bad been most de-
spised and best abused by the Confeder-
ates. General Benjamin Butler was then
the leader of Radicalism in the national
House OF Representatives. Since the
death OF Thaddeus Stevens, ne was the
champion of the most drastic policy or
reconstruction, and was looked TO by the
negroes as the Moses who was TO guide
them 10 political and national millennium.
But with all his eccentIiciues and Nio-
lence OF opinion. Butler was neither the
TOOL he sometimes aped. nor the monster
the Southern fancy had painted him. He
saw that the iron might be pressed too
far into the souls OF a conquered people
Tor either the continuing security OF the
victor or for the safety OF the newly
emancipated race, now aspiring 10 gu
premacy. Perhaps, too, his Saxon blood
reyolted at the vision of the erection on
the ruins OF the Old Dominion of a new
edition of Haiti. where the descendants
of jefferson and of Henry should be In
CAPABLE OF voting, holding office or bear
ing arms and should be rung to their
homes each night at o'clock by cur
few bell. At least, with whatever mo-
tive. he appeared before The convention
and delivered a most eloquent and power
fti address against those proposed sec
lions of the Constitution which set up
"A test oath as the preliminary qualifica-
zion TO voting or holding Office in Nir-
ptnia. Let this be remembered 10 the
credit OF the many-sideV old free-lance!
but the pearls of his eloquence had as
well have been cast before the swine.
Argument and persuasion fell allke 10 the
ground, The convention was dominated
by men VINO hungered for ONCE. Inc
glttering prizes of governorships. sena-
torsnips seats In Congress- and the IKE
would rest on precarious chances, II the
whites, as a class. should be allowed free
expression OF their choice at the ballot
box. Wells already anticipated the de-
light Of a lawful occupancy of the guber-
material mansion. and Underwood was
already In anticipation strutting the cor
yidors OF the Capitol at Washington III
rne toga OF a senator. The lesser oig-
mites had already been parceiied out
among the smaller Try. And so the
convention adjourned. after ordaining an