Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1900-04-20
FRIDAY, APRIL 20, 1900
Record On The franchise.

These days, when the question
Of franchises is being so widely
discussed 1t is interesting, and
might be amusing, to observe the
uttersnces of Republican conven-
tions on the subject. They raise a
great cry of alarm and horror at
the probability of a few cOlored
people being disfranchised. To
do this would be an objectionable
sln-the height of political trick
cry and sectional hate &C., in the
eyes of the immaculate friend of
the colored man. What right have
the Republicans to complain or
critlcise the Democratic party
should they see fit to add few
"disfranchising clauses"to the con-
stitutioni The Republicansseem to
have changed their minds materi-
ally on the subject since they lost
csntrol of the State. Who made
the present constitution, and what
were some Of the eds franchIslng
clauses" inserted, or attempted to
be inserted in this wonderful doc
umenti The Richmond Dispatch
in an article on this subject, in it's
last Sundays issue, says that the
Convention which made the pres
ent Constitution was presided over
by the Carpet Dagger, Underwood,
and composed, by large majority,
of Republicans, many of whom
were camp followers of the army,
negroes and carpet-baggers and
rensgades, commonly called scala.
wags. "That was the sort of
gang that formed the Underwood
Constitution" and undertook to
have "diIfranchislng clauses, add
ed which, had they become laws,
would have deprived nearly every
white man in Virginia of vote.
The clause referred TO diSfaanchi-
sed every officer in the State, even
down to s.hs s; orseer OF the poor,
and every citizen who had in any
manner eHgagodin aided or Allotted
the "rebslliOn," as the war was
called. 1t also provided, however,
that the legislature, which, of
course, would be composed of Re.
politicians under the circumstances
and conditions, might remove the
disabilities of any one oy three
hfths vote These sweeping restric.
lions of the right of suffrage were
proposed, and would have been
passed but for the interference of
General Grant, who ordered the
manner in which they should be
presented TO the people. BY a
union of the Wings and Demo
Gratis, as pointed out by the Dis
patch, these odious measures were
defeated, though nearly 10000 Re-
publicans voted for them. There
fore, in the matter of disfranchis-
ing Virginia citizens the Republi-
cans and their "fraud" &C., comes
with poor grace indeed. The most
rampant Democrat never thought
OF any measure of eliminating votes
half so drastic or sweeping as
proposed by the Republicans who
framed the present CONSTITUTE OIL
Ifthey will reflect, their utterances
on this subject will be tempered
with moderation,o or else they must
acknowledge the possession of an
unusual amount of what is known
as "cheek' and audacity. The
article referred to in the Dispatch
closes with these sensible words
awe do not argue that we Ough
to disfranchise the negroes because
the Republicans once tried to dis
franchise the whites-no, we have
better grounds than that-but W,
effsr this historical retrospect il
the hope that our Republican
friends will moderate their rhetori
cal fights when they discuss tn
question"