F66 ' 



VIRGINIA. 



A plan for county and local organizations 

 was framed by the convention, and very gen- 

 erally followed during the canvass. 



The Republicans held their convention at 

 Richmond on the 27th of September ; discussed 

 the issues involved in the election, and chose 

 a State Central Committee. The following 

 platform of principles was also adopted : 



The Eepublican party of Virginia, in convention 

 assembled, reaffirm their devotion to the principles 

 of the national ^Republican party of the United States 

 as enunciated in the Chicago platform at the last 

 National Convention. We are in favor of, and support 

 as national principles, a tariff which, while seeming 

 necessary for revenue, shall give incidental protec- 

 tion to American industry ; a national banking sys- 

 tem that shall give us a safe and uniform currency, 

 and absolute security to bill-holders ; the policy of 

 extending government aid to the States in improving 

 the rivers and harbors ; the absolute payment of all 

 obligations of the government, and a sufficient yearly 

 reduction of the national debt to convince the world 

 of our determination to ultimately extinguish it, while 

 at the same time we carefully refrain from burdening 

 the people with onerous and unnecessary taxation ; 

 that we heartily indorse the Administration of Presi- 

 dent Grant, and are unanimously in favor of his 

 renomination in 1872. 



No honest man can deny that the tendency of the 

 legislation of the past year in Virginia has been to 

 depress all the material interests of the people. Taxa- 

 tion has been increased almost beyond the limits of 

 human endurance, and the Democratic legislation, 

 with its two-thirds majority, has passed oppressive 

 and unnecessary laws, among^ wjiich the funding 

 bill stands prominent. Under its provision, taxation 

 on the property of the State will be double what it is 

 now, or not less than one dollar on every hundred. 

 Worse still, because unnecessary, they have com- 



Eelled the people of Virginia to raise money either 

 y sacrificing their property or pioduce, or by paying 

 an enormous rate of interest to pay the onerous taxes 

 by the 1st day of September, 1871, or forfeit five per 

 cent., while we are officially informed by the Treas- 

 urer of the State that the money so collected is not 

 needed until January and July, 1872, and is lying in 

 the vaults of the city of Richmond, drawing only 

 four per cent, interest, presenting the astonishing 

 spectacle of a State forcing its citizens to loan wealthy- 

 corporations more than a million dollars at the low 

 rate of four per cent, per annum, while at the same 

 time, under the extraordinary combination of cir- 

 cumstances, our citizens are compelled to borrow 

 their own money at the rate of twelve per cent, per 

 annum. The passage of such acts in Virginia by a 

 Democratic Legislature is only in keeping with Dem- 



ocratic legislation wherever that party obtains power, 

 as exemplified by that great leading Democratic or- 

 ganization of the United States, the Tammany ring 

 of New York. 



This Legislature has passed laws neutralizing and 

 rendering void, and of no effect, the homestead pro- 

 visions of the constitution, placed the execution of 

 the laws establishing common schools in partisan 

 and unfriendly hands, and has violated almost every 

 pledge made by its authorized representatives when 

 pleading for the admission of the State to Fed- 

 eral representation. It has created a partisan ju- 

 diciary, and given the county judges, created 'by 

 caucus nominations, unprecedented and unheard-of 

 power. It has reestablished that rule of the bar- 



jority of cases, exclude the colored man from the 

 jury-box, and deprive him of the right, so dear to all, 

 of defence before a jury of his peers. The Eepublican 

 party invite the cooperation of all good citizens in 

 correcting these abuses ; and do hereby 



Resolve^ That we are opposed to levying upon our 

 citizens any further taxes than are necessary to a 

 strictly economical administration, and the Legisla- 

 ture shall do all in its power to alleviate, to the great- 

 est extent possible, the burdens of the people, and 

 to decrease the expenses of the State. 



Resolved, That we demand the honest and scrupu- 

 lous enforcement of the constitution of the State in 

 all its parts, and such legislation as will secure the 

 equal rights of all, guaranteed in that instrument 

 equitable taxation, the benefits of the Homestead 

 Acts, a thorough system of common school educa- 

 tion, and an impartial and non-partisan judiciary. 



The result of the election showed a gain for 

 the Conservatives. In the new Legislature 

 there are 43 Senators, of whom 33 are Con- 

 servatives, and 10 Republicans, 3 of the latter 

 being negroes. The House of Delegates con- 

 sists of 132 members 97 Conservatives, and 

 35 Republicans, 14 of the latter being negroes. 

 The Conservative majority is 6 greater in the 

 Senate and 15 greater in the House than in 

 the preceding Legislature. About half of the 

 Senate held over for an unexpired term, and, 

 of those chosen, nearly all were new men, only 

 two or three being reflected. The full House 

 of Delegates was chosen at this election, and 

 only 26 of the old members were reflected. 

 The number of negroes in the Senate was re- 

 duced from G to 3, and in the House from 23 

 to 14. 



CENSUS OF 1870. 



