Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-01-08
LAGOON No. II.
TO The Honorable, Tie members Of The House
Of Delegates md Of The Senate Of Firginia:

TO The Honorable, HE members Of The House
Of Delegates and Of the Senate Of Virginia:
l have said that the rapid increase OF the free
coofed population OF Virginia will soon bring us to
the conviction that they must either be annihilated
inferior caste by Lganaiioa with the Whites
or raised by law and common consent 10 O cipH as4
social equality, or be aeE0Ged from the State.
The first cannot be. Even abolitionsts revolt at
It when practically urged, and plainly show that
their sympathes are Fictitious and unnatural, and
therefore not only mpracticabe IN the experiment,
but null and void as morql obligation. This in
1crior caste can never be LOST by amagamation
1T is equally certain that they never be rails
ed to an equality in civil and social rights and priv
ileges This may be aitempted--but il will be a
failure. 1t has been attempted; but when has the
experiment ever succeeded? Let st. Domingo give
The answer full OF solemn instruction and full OF
warning Soon after the early introduction OF
slavery into that Island, the spirit Of emancipation
began 10 create there as ii has done here a free
colored population, an inferior degraded casie.-
When in 1890 their hlmber began TO approximate
TO that OF the whites, they petltoncd TO be admit
ted to the rights OF suffrage and other privileges OF
free citizens. The National Assembly Of France
;decreed--wilat the Colonial authorities rejected
the cr1 and social equality Of The free negroes. In
the progress of events these made common
cause with the slaves, civil Wais ensued, and the
Island was delused in blood till the whites were eX-
terminated.
As far as the experiment has proceeded the re-
suits here have been strkingy similar. Their
number, increasing at a ratio much greater thanthe
whites, will bring their tread upon our heels before
the generation now Graded and in their nurses
arms shall have acted their part the stage of life
and died. They will naturally be clamorous for
privileges. They will be urgentin petition, then
in argument, then in demand. They will be first
persuasive then accusatory and finally insolent
They are mea and even if we bad no record Of his
tory, in which to read the future by the past, we
may know what they will do /! And will they find
no sympathy, no CO operation, no aid from the
whites? He must be dull scholar indeed, who,
even without the teachings olhistory, cannot infer
the future from the present. You have made law
that the slave emanoi pated, shall leave the State.
But you need not be told how often this law is vo-
lated, and how many may be iouna in every eoun.
", retained contrary TO the law by common sym
,1atby in their behalf 1t is a generous impulse
demands suppression OF those sympatlies Thus
are the free blacks increasing rapidly by the double
process OF birth and emancipation.
Extension Of privileged the order of every com
muny and wider room is yielded at every demand.
come MOTTO ''ropress this genial current of the
sonI.'' | am not prepared to say the free people OF
color yet have the point Of elevation assigned to
them which they deserve and some OF them are
very meltorious. But we look beyond the present.
Where do these paths lead to: What is the point
to which these finger boards we read direct us?
What the tendencies, consequences OF what we
are now dong' As certain there is no assigna-
bic limit to human progress we shall in process Of
time find this class of our population requiring more
room and demanding more privileges, till they will
to the doors OF your legislative halls and ask:
care not men-meno Of property, OF Intelligence,
and of numbers sufficient to be known, recognized,
heard among you?' | will not assume to write this
history in detail. What it must be in effect all, not
politically blind, can see. Whenit comes to this or
anything like it, the must be like that OF the
Colonial Assembly OF st. Domingo. The rest IS
known. They never be admitted to an equah-
~ IN cirH md social privileges. 1t only remains,
then, that they be removeG from the State. IT will
be my next object to show that this may be done,
that it ought to be done, and done nole