VIRGINIA. 



3. Holding with gratitude Grant's Inaugural, and 

 thanking him for declaring that until there is uni- 

 versal suffrage there cannot be peace. 



4. Expresses the hope that hereafter no State 

 can deny the right to citizens to vote and be voted 

 for. 



5. Thanking the President for restoring Sheri- 

 dan and Beynolds to the commands from which they 

 had been removed for the faithful discharge of their 

 duties, and also pledging the President the support 

 of Virginia. 



6. Asserting equality of rights for all citizens; 

 urging a provision for the education of the people in 

 the public schools, open to all ; a more equal system 

 of taxation; a reasonable provision to preserve a 

 home exempt from levy and sale ; the payment of 

 the honest debts of the State ; to secure an impartial 

 jury trial by opening the jury-box to all male citizens, 

 without regard to race or color. 



V. Asserting the right of the real Eepublican 

 party of reconstruction to determine the manner, 

 as well as the constitution and laws, under which 

 the State shall be restored. 



8. Asserting that no republican form of gov- 

 ernment can long exist or be wisely administered 

 where a considerable portion of the people are dis- 

 franchised, and that the Eepublican party of the State 

 is not in favor of the creation of permanent disabil- 

 ities, but pledge its effort and influence to secure the 

 removal of the disabilities of those who accept in. 

 good faith the results of the war, and cooperate in 

 earnest efforts for the restoration of the State under 

 the reconstruction laws; but such removal should 

 be claimed on superior claims for amnesty, which are 

 not possessed by the great body of disfranchised 

 persons. 



9. Asserting that the ^Republican party is the real 

 party of reconstruction, and that there can be no 

 permanent restoration of the State except through 

 its instrumentality. 



A number of influential delegates, who were 

 dissatisfied with the action of the convention, 

 met on the day following its adjournment, and 

 prepared an address to the people, in which 

 they declared that the nominations already 

 made were of " such a character as to render 

 it utterly impossible to make the party success- 

 ful in the State and thereby secure the best 

 interest of the country," and recommended 

 that another convention be held on the 15th t 

 of April, " with a view to the very best inter-" 

 ests of the Republican party and our Com- 

 monwealth, and to the more permanent estab- 

 lishment of this political organization in the 

 State of Virginia, upon the broad principle of 

 true republicanism, and with a further view 

 to the reconstruction of our State, and its 

 restoration to the Federal Union, upon the 

 terms prescribed by the reconstruction acts of 

 Congress ; and in the solemn belief that the 

 existing dissensions which have resulted from 

 the action of the Petersburg Convention will 

 militate fatally against all these objects, impair 

 the efficiency of the existing Administration 

 of the national Government, and finally culmi- 

 nate in the disintegration of our Republican 

 party in the State of Virginia." 



At about the same time another address was 

 issued, signed by prominent citizens who had 

 always acted with the Republican party, but 

 who took no part in the proceedings of the 

 Petersburg Convention. The address was as 

 follows : 



The undersigned, citizens of Virginia, and earnest 

 friends of the restoration of our State to the Union, 

 under the reconstruction acts of Congress, believe 

 that the time has fully come when a determined and 

 zealous effort should be made to rescue the Ee- 

 publican party of Virginia from the management and 

 control of designing and selfish politicians. 



We are satisfied that the convention which as- 

 sembled at Petersburg on the 9th inst. did not reflect 

 the feelings and wishes of the Eepublicans of the 

 State, and that the means used to secure the nomina- 

 tion of the persons who are placed upon the State 

 ticket were such as cannot secure the sanction or ap- 

 proval of those who desire to promote the welfare of 

 our people. We feel that there has never been a 

 period in our history when the counsel and direction 

 of wise, experienced, and patriotic men, whose un- 

 selfish regard for the public weal commends them to 



the confidence and support of the people, were more 

 'he men who are put forward for % 

 the highest honors of our restored Commonwealth 



eminently needed. The men who are 



are not sufficiently identified with our people to 

 secure that confidence, and we fear that defeat awaits 

 the party, because many of the best of our citizens 

 who are now identified with it anticipate the worst 

 consequences to our material interests in the event 

 of their election, and are disposed to resent and re- 

 sist the dictation of the arrogant and presumptuous 

 clique of political adventurers by whom the late con- 

 vention was controlled. 



We believe that a large majority of the intelligent 

 and reflecting people of Virginia who have a per- 

 manent interest in the prosperity of the State are be- 

 coming convinced that wisdom and sound policy 

 alike demand that they shall accept and carry out, in 

 good faith, the measures proposed by Congress for 

 the reconstruction of the Southern States, and are 

 earnestly desirous of adopting the great principles 

 enunciated by the Eepublican party of the country. 

 We believe that they will cheerfully support true and 

 well-known Eepublicans for State officers ; and to af- 

 ford them an opportunity to do this we respectfully 

 recommend 



For Governor : G. C. Walker, of Norfolk city. 



For Lieutenant-Governor : Joxm F. Lewis, of Bock- 

 ingham County. 



For Attorney-General: 

 gomery County. 



J. C. Taylor, of Mont- 



On the 28th of April the Conservative party, 

 which was organized in 1868, held its conven- 

 tion at Richmond. About sixty-five delegates 

 were present, composed of the State Central 

 Committee and the county superintendents. 

 The candidates nominated on the State ticket 

 in May, 1868, withdrew their names, but no 

 new nominations were made. The Committee 

 on Business made two reports, one of which 

 was signed by nine members, and the other by 

 three. After considerable debate, the majority 

 report was adopted. It was as follows : 



Resolved 1. That this meeting accepts the said 

 resignations of said candidates, and hereby expresses 

 its high appreciation of their devotion to the best 

 interests of the State, and of their zeal and ability in 

 the discharge of those duties which their candidacy 

 imposed on them. 



2. That, notwithstanding the accepted resignation 

 of our nominees, the Conservative voters of the State 

 are urged to organize for the purpose of defeating 

 such obnoxious provisions of the constitution framed 

 by the late convention in Eichmond as may be sepa- 

 rately submitted ; and to that end, as well as to secure 

 the election of proper persons to the Legislature, the 

 organizations already in existence are exhorted to in- 

 creased activity, and in those localities where no of* 

 ganizations have been formed, the people are earnest- 

 ly requested to meet together and adopt measures for 



