University of Virginia Library

The Virginia Constitution

Reprinted from The Washington Post

Politics takes peculiar turns in Virginia
these days and nothing is more peculiar
than the opposition that is forming to the
constitutional amendments that will
appear on the ballot next month. This is
opposition that depends on
misinformation to support its arguments,
that plays on the fears of the state's
residents, and that sees the world and
history in conspiratorial terms. It is
opposition that springs from the
"no-nothingism" of the state's radical right
and that is nourished by those who think
all the major candidates for governor last
year were wild-eyed liberals.

To demonstrate, one need only cite the
literature now being distributed in
Northern Virginia. The opponents start off
by charging that the voters are being asked
to adopt a full revision of the constitution
under the guise of voting on three
amendments. It is true that proposals 1, 3
and 4 on the ballot do completely revise
the constitution but no one has concealed
that fact. The documents being given the
widest circulation on behalf of the
amendments talk about "the revised
constitution" or the "new constitution."

From there, the opponents go on the
raise the specters of regional governments,
new taxes, and the busing of students. It is
said the proposals would clear the way for
regional government and new taxes while,
in fact, they reduce the power of the
legislature and increase the power of local
communities in setting up such
governments. It is said the new
constitution would place control of the
schools in the hands of officials appointed
by a partisan governor when, in fact, it
makes no change at all in the way state
school officials are chosen.

There are many other false statements
in the propaganda of the opponents, but
the ultimate absurdity is the claim that
this particular constitution was drafted by
the Council of State Governments and has
been rejected in three other states. The
fact is that these amendments grew out of
a report by a blue-ribbon commission,
were drafted by the General Assembly in
1969, and were reaffirmed by that
Assembly in 1970 after an election in
which new members of the Assembly were
chosen.

Those who participated in this process
of getting the amendments on the ballot
are described by various opponents as
"ruthless exploiters," politicians seeking
"political power," and "political
schemers." The implication of a
conspiracy to deprive Virginians of their
freedom runs through the publications of
the opponents although the word
conspiracy is never used. The reason is
obvious. It would have to be the strangest
and largest conspiracy in the history of the
world.

For what it's worth, those
characterized as "ruthless exploiters"
include former Governors Godwin,
Harrison and Darden of the old Byrd
machine. Governor Holton of the new
Republicans, and Senator Howell of the
violently anti-Byrd liberal Democrats.
Those who either support them or have
been "duped into following them include
the Federation of Labor and the Chamber
of Commerce, the League of Women
Voters, the Crusade for Voters, the P-TA,
the VFW, the State Bar Association, and
practically every association of public
office holders in the state. It seems fair to
say that the opponents of the amendments
regard 90 per cent of the public officials in
Virginia, be they Democrats, Republicans
or old-line Byrdites, as "exploiters" and
"schemers."

All this does not mean that we are
uncritical supporters of the proposed
constitution. As we said some months ago,
Virginia deserves a better constitution than
the one that will be on the ballot in
November. The trouble with the choice
given the voters is that they must accept
either inadequate reforms or have the state
stagger along with a constitution it has
outgrown. Given that choice, something is
better than nothing.