Year: 1869

| says: l. ne WltnQfdWal OF COl. WltherS was


made on two grounds first it was not believed


that he could be elected, and secondly, it was


known that if elected and the Constitution de-


feated, We should have but infuriated Congress,


and would be handled more roughly than even


Alabama or Mississippi; and that if elected and


the modified constitution adopted the cry of a


''rebel triumph would be raised when we went
before Congress- and the constitution sharply
oyerhaued by way of punishment. 1t was be-
| lieved that Congress is Determined on two
things: l. To put Virginia in the Union under
the Underwood Constitution in some form, and
2 To bring her in uader Republican auspices.
Either they would not have allowed Col With
ers to take his seat, or they would have struck
US heavy blow by imposing some new and
harsh conditions This Was the meaning of the
acceptance Of the resignation of Col Withers
as our candidate. 1t was felt that we were not
free, and that it was idle to go through the
farce Of summonlDg the people to win barren
victory.


The result is, we have two Northern men run
ming for the Governorshp of this State. We shall
certainly have one of them as our Governor =
We are ordered to choose between them. We
cannot see how any principle is involved in pre-
ferrng one to the other. We preferred Gen
eral Stoneman as our military governor to Gen
raj Terry, and if we had been invited to choose,
the people of Virginia would have so indicated.
Had there been prospect of Terry's returning
here, they would have been glad enough to have
had vote between him and Stoneman, or be-
tween him and Schofeld nobody would
have said there was anything discredtable in
making choice. And what is the difference


in the cases? 1t is precisely the same case. We
have got to have governor, who will have the
veto power on the acts of the Legislature, who
will nominate our Circuit and Appellate Judges,
who will have great power in connection with
tn school system who may have much to do
with filing the county Offices and we have got
to take one Of these two men. 1t is Walker
win the white people at his back, or Wells
with the negroes at his back.


With Wells, we shall also have the negro
Harris for Lieutenant Governor People may
say they do not care, but they acjU care And
We are urging this question now on the idea that
persons hold off from Walker on the ground of
''mad or Of honor" lfit is mere sullenness,
Of course it is wrong, and right-minded men
ought to abandon such nonsense at once if it
is sentiment of duty or honor, then we want
to know if a man of honor, or one governed by
sense of duty, can see any honor or duty in
permitting an enemy to the white people fthis
State, at the head of 5000 negroes, to take
possession Of the Gubernatoral Mansion, along
with negro for his colleague as President of
the Virginia Senate2 That's the question. Is
this rght-if you set up to be fonder of right
than other people? Can you look the people
of this State in the face when by your act you
shall have contributed to this result? Can you
thank God after you have done this, that you
are not as other men ?" No, the honor is all
the otherwa honorand duty require you to pro-
tect this people, and this poor Commonwealth.
But you will say, you are not going to perform
an affirmative act in the premises-that you are
only going to hold off, and have nothing to do
with it. Your neighbor has just as much right to
do this as you, and if every body's neighbors do
the same thing then viii nobody be responsible
for the election of Wells?