Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1896-04-17
A CONSTITUTIONAL c0HYEN-
TON.

HOB.
The little attention which the qaes-
tion of holding a Constitutional Con-
veDtion in Virginia is now exciting is
evidence that the people of the State
feel very7iittle interest in il. and that
the movement for a convention is Who'll
ly Fictitious and confined mainly TO
ambitious politicians.
liz you ask the average Virginian
whether he intends to vote for or
against the calling of 2 convention. his
answer will show you that he does not
know what you are talking about. A
very small per centage of them have
paid the slightest attention to the sub
ject and but very few of them know
that the Legislature has directed that
they be called upon 20 say, next May,
twelve months, whether they do or do
not wish to have a convention held.
Ii same politicians who have pressed
the movement forward, to it's present
stage arc going to do all they eau To in
duce the state Democratic Convention,
when it meets ut Staunton, to commit
the Democratic party to the calling of
this Constitutional Convention.
We hope the delegates will turn "A
deaf ear TO such appeals. The only real
object had in view by holding such a
convention is to adopt platform that
will change the right of suffrage. The
negroes are giving us no real trouble.
and better that we should have ten
times as much trouble from them as
they really give us than that we should
found our laws upon a fraudulent trick
or disfranchise men merely because
they are illiterate.
a time of unrest like the present is
not one for holding "a Constitutional
Convention. No man can foretell tho
injury such a body called now would
do To the state.-Richmond Times.
We do not know whether 10
credit the above TO ignorance or
malicious misrepresentation. When
we take intOn cOnSideratiO the
standing Of the Times we cannot
believe that ignorance would lead
them to make any such statement.
and are forced to the conclusion
that the Times in making the
above statements is still pander.
ing to the Republicans of the
state III vain endeavor to enlarge
their subscription list. How
paper that claims to be repre-
sentative of a great party hopes to
benefit that party by the course
pursued by the Times is beyond tue
comprehension of any one. In
answer TO some of to the above
statements we are glad To say that
IN our section Of the State the peo-
pie are not as ignorant on the
question referred to as the Times
would lead one TO suppose they
are in the section in which it is
published. We doubt is there is a
voter in the entire Ninth district
who could not tell You at the pres.
ent time whethe he is for or
against Constitutional Convcn.
tien. The only fault we have TO
lind with the calling of the con
vention is that it should have been
called for next month instead of
next month a year. One thing
especially, that the Times objects
to, commends itself to intelligent
men all over the State, and that Is
that there should be an educational
qualification, for voting and there is
no reason why we should not have
the same. Again, the last report
of the Superintendent of Public
Instruction is strong argument
IN favor of some such law, as we
are expanding large sums of mon.
ey yearly TO educate children who
are not i'll school, and all educa-
tiOnal qualification for voting
would act az a spur to, at least,
give each child in The State the
advantage of some education, if
only enough to enable them TO
read.
WHAT SAYS our REPUBLICAN,