The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-03-30
TIE CONVENTION MOVEMENT.

The history OF the Constitutional
Convention movement in Virginia is in
tcresting. Many OF our readers have.
doubtless forgotten now the move
merit began. although it was only q
few years ago that 1t took on definite
form Senator WitAers. Of Danyille..
who was then Il member Of the House
OF Delegates. made :, speech i'll that
body. in which he declared that the
expenses OF State government i'll Nir-
giria were grossly eXtravasant and
added that while lie had no figures ut
hand from the counties, was salts
fled from what lie knew that tire eN-.
penscs of county government wer,:
largely. in excess of those OF State
government Mr. Withcrs printed a
long array OF figures making cc'nDa'-
sons between expenditures in Virgins.
and expenditures i'll North Ca'oiini.
from which he >undertook>to show that
the cost OF government here vas FAT
greater than it ought 10 be. He gave
q list of the ct!icc-holders III North
Carolina and another list of the office
holders III Virginia, shown. that we
had in this State many more persons
drawing salaries from the government
than in our sister State. Subsequently
he wrote TO the trelsurers Of the seve-
raj counties in the State and received
partial reports, from which he con-
Guided that there WAS more eXtrlya-
sance in our county government svs-
TEN than in our Stale government sys-
TEN. Ii is not our purpose 10 challeng"
these figures nor 10 cTitIcisc any state
men; thai Mr.. Withers made. We arc
simply citing history The fact is that
the figures which Mr.. Withcrs print
same, aroused the people OF Virginia
from one end Of the State TO the other.
The newspapers took it up. printed
Mr.. ANithcrS' speech and subsequent
statements made in the press. and de-
lmandcd that Il Constitutional Con-
reEtion be called 10 bring about what
they deemed necdful reforms. The
question of callin" Il Constitutional
Convention WIS submitted 10 the
people. but i'll the meantime interest
had somewhat Jagged. 1t WAS not
made Il party question. there was no
organized movement in favor Of The
Convention, and so il went by de
fault. II seemed for :, time that the
Convention movement WAS dead. but
subsequently, it WAS revived upon en-
tirely different lines.
Mr.. WithcrS WAS accused in the be-
ginning of having Il hidden motive 1t
was charged that the real purpose was
to disfrancllisc the negro. This he IL
disnantly denied. claiming that the
question of franchise had not entered
INTO his calculations. his sole purpose
being 10 bring about Deedful reforms
in expenses Of government. Eut in the
meantime Il sentiment had grown UP Ill
Virginia in favor of DISTINGUISHING the
ignorant and purcll:,s 81 BILE negro voters
OF the State. II was claimed that there
could be no such thing as fair elections
in Virginia until the negro vote should
he eliminated. and SO many Oh those
who opposed the convention for tEc
reasons cited by Mr.. WitherS now be
came its warnest advocates. The Ques-
ton was taken up by the Democratic
party. and at the convention held i'll
Norfolk last spring it was by reSoiu-
ton made Il party measure ana All
Democrats were urged to vote Tor 1T
and work for il. AS was expected, tie
people voted i'll favor Of calling 4 con-
yen;ion. and now we are going TO have
it.
And SO it Will be seen that the whole
movement has taken a totally different
turn since its inauguration by MI
Wi,hcrs. Nor do we hear as much as
formerly about the wholesale disfl'an-
chiScmcnt Of the negro. Evidently
there is Il strong sentiment i'll Virginia
against it 1t seems to Us, therefore.
not impertirenr TO inquire what was
the convention called for. anyway
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