Year: 1870

1861 that the war then beginning was
waged to preserve, that party is fully
responsible. Disregardiug the solemn
pledge made by the American Congress,
the Constitution was violated and the
Union as it existed in the time of our
forefathers has been destroyed. They
pledged themselves to support the Cons
tuition as i. was in 1889, aud not as it is
in 1870. Had they declared then the
purpose which has since been fully re-
vealed by accomplished facts, not cor
pOral's guard could have been found in
West Virginia to take up arms in aid of
the radical design. They have legisla-
ted States out of the Union at will, and
have essentially changed the form of gov
ernmeut established by our ancestors.


Only two years ago they declared that
they were not in favor OF negro suffrage,
but they have not only now forced this
odious measure upon an unwilling peo-
pie, but, in so doing, they have subrert-
ed the government as completely and Of
fectually rs it could have been accom-
plished by force of arms. The intent Of
hostile armies is open, undisguised aud
easily understood, but the enactments of
Legislation are more dangerous, because
moro insiduous and difficult to guard
against.


Mr.. Davis then proceeded to show
wherein the Fifteenth Amendment was q
material subversion of tho original Cons
titution and the form of government
erected under it, in that it took from the
several States the control over the elect
i've franchise within their respective
limits and bestows it upon the Federal
Government; power which the States
never consented to relinquish, and which
the Federal Government ought not to
hold. This amendment has been ratified
under the bayonet, aud not by the freely
expressed will of the people.


He then alluded to the inconsistency
of the radical party in West Virginia.
in bestowiug suffrage upon 1000 or
5000 negroes while they sought to per-
petua,e the disfranchisement Of 10000 or
25O00 men of their own race and color (;
and argued that the sole reason for this
distinction is to be found in the fact that
the negroes can be used by them at the
ballot-bo1, while white men cannst.
When the rebels in West Virginia COZ
sent to support radical candidates, they
will be Immediately enfranchised. Nu-
merous instances have already occurred.
In Doddridge county man who served
as lieutenant in the rebel army is a
registered voter to-day, because hc inti-
mated his willingness to vote the radical
ticket. His vote was refused by an Off
Ger of election who knew that he was not
a qualified voter, and that officer had
been indicted by grand jury for his Of
fence. When any rebel, no matter what
his prominence in the service of the ''lest
cause" may have been, manifests dispo-
sitiou to do dirty work for the radical
party, they take him to their arms and
send him around the State preaching po-
litical duty to the men who stood in arms
for the Union, iu opposition to him.


Mr. Davis then spoke of the so-callcd
Flick Amendment" and declared that
it was not endorsed by even the radical
party; the utmost they are willing to say
in regard to the enfrancbisement of the
rebels being that they will do so when the
safety of the loyal party will permit, or,
as the platform of the radical State Con-
ventiOn declares, they viii remove these
disabilities "in the same measure as
the disloyalty Of the rebels dies out, +"
which is simply saying that they shall be
cnfranchised as rapidly as they consent
to vote the radical ticket. The safety of
the loyal people Of tbo Site is not and
has not been jeapOrdized by these men,
else these disabling statutes would have
been adopted before the close of the war.
Possibly the safety Of the hopes Of some
radical ofice-seekers might be endangsr-
ed by the rebels, but beyond this, no
sane man could anticipate danger to any
one. The Flick Amendment was de-
signed to compel Democratic endorse
ment of negro suffrage, under penalty Of
being accused of opposing the enfran-
chisemens of the rebels. Every effort
was made by the Democrats in the Legis-
lature to secure some modification Of the
registration law, or that the two questions
of negro suffrage and Whito enfranohise-
ment might be submitted separately and