Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1901-11-06
COL, SMITHS SPEECH.

Inc IoIlONluR Is tue luIi toAb VI tue
go ,ech delivered by Col. Francis l..
Smith ct The democratic mass meeiif g
a, The Opera House on Monday night.
L. abounds 10 much Interesting and
Instructive history connected with Vir-
gipiA eIairs, and will be read with d
relish by all. The Gazette continued 8
synopsis OF it yesterday, but 1t is now
given to is readers IN fell:
Mr.. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen:
Il affords me double pleasure to be
v i'm yon tonight. Fret, that with you
msy enjoy listening TO the ADDRESS OF
the disliDs uiabed gentleman who 10 the
chief speaker of the evening. Before
The Norfolk convention 10 August,
when there were two candidates for
nomination by the democratic party for
the bigh and exalted Office OF governor
of the commonwealth, in commo q
with many OF you bad my choice,
G aude A. Swanson. His loyalty to
5 a.e, TO party and TO race attest ms
worihiness to aspire to that honorable
position.
Now, he and and oil Of you
Are for Andrew Jackson Montague.
And the second pleasure is, that may
renew scquaintaDce with you, my iei-
low citizens, for it is now nearly hve
months since, when bearing your COM
mission to represent your Interests 10
the constitutional convention, l started
for Richmond to attend the session OF
mat hody. | am sure that the inter-
vsnipe time hss seemed longer to me
thsp 20 you and that there 10 no man
10 this sssemblsge happier than L, to oe
once more in our good, old town, look-
iDg iDto kindly faces and hearing cheer
ing words of welcome to home and
frleuds. AZ YOU are we'll aware, the
q, isct of this convention is to frame q
cosslilution 10 the place OF the Under'
wood constitution. That Instrument
was a product Of the. reconstruction
era.
Do you, or some OF you, remember
this period OF reconstruction ? When
The billows OF oppression rolled over
and enQulfed the State; when from
mountsiu 10 sea the CLEAN OF Federal
bayOpsts was seen at every hamle ;
wneu the flJwer OF Vfrginia's manhood
was disfra chised and denied participa-
lou in the control and government oi
s ate and municipal si'lrs when the
Governor was driven iiom the capi al
aud deprived OF Office and the General
Assem- bly not permitted to meet wteo
iudpes were removed from office and
others appointed in their stead by order
of a military commander when civil
was subordinate d to military authority
aud the law dethroDed when justice
stood silent and weeping at sucn out
rages; when the duties of registrar were
performed by officers OF the army OF the
Uoi,ed States; when innocent citizens
Of this city were dragged before federal
courts. convicted of heinous crimes and
offsuses, sentenced to long periods Of
confinement and inosrcerated IN distant
federal prisons and penitentisriet; when
the mantle of Statehood was wruDg IRON
the proud old commonwealth and Vir'
eiuia was left naked and de:olate al
Military District Ne. ?
II was at such q period and unoel
such conditions that the Underwood
Constitution was framed and forced up
on us.
Is trainers were composed in grea
part oil aliens, scalawags, negroes anG
| foreigners. True, there were some loya
Virginians in the body, but they wer'
in the minority, and too few 10 numbe
to stem or arrest the tide of passion anc
preiudcs which animated the majority
of their body.
Drunk with hatred OF the South, and
particularly of our own State, greedy 10
office and spoils, they framed Constr
,ution upon basis and sys em antago
uistic to the ancient and conservative
government which had been In force u
Virginia for nearly century. The.
modelled it after the Constitution OF ont
of the northern states. They provided
countless offices, hoping to dll then
themselves, and to falten and grow ricl
upon the misery Of our people.
They sought to have incorporated II
that Constitution iron.clad test oatbt
which would exclude from voting am
Office many thousands OF our best cltl
zeus but, thanks to the sense OF i1stic
aud OF right of General U. s. Grant
these obnoxious, cruel and vindictiv
test osths were voted upon by the pee
pie separately from the Constitution, AN
defeated.
For this one act 30 ststesmsnly, 9
| bsnt ficent, 40 fraternsl, so patriotic, {
| Ulysses s. Grant, then President OF To
United States, the people OF Vlrglnl
owe him lasting debt OF gratitude.
Such was the Underwood Constitu
tiou-the ou,growth OF malevolepc'
hatred aud rapine, which the people d.
tersi.S;ssS to replace with another frame
1 Sv their o@p representatives. For tht
pu1nose the convsction OF 1901 was cal
ed iDta being. By long anu tediot
process some OF the provisions OF 70
Underwood Constitution have bee
lhrOugHipteryening years displaced az
Others substituted for them, out IN 10
msio, web and wool, the original u
strument is still in force.
The task Of the present conventio
is q complex and herculesr one. Ii
confronted with difficulties ss new
beset any prior asse mbly OF simii,
character. In dealing with the suffrag