The Norfolk post. [volume] (Norfolk, Va.) 1865-1866, 1865-08-07
division amongst Southern and North.
ern creditors,

division amongst Southern and North.
ern creditors.
"Well, doctor, how do the people up
there feel about negro suffrage?'i
"l think they are in favor of it. Tn
New England they are, at any rate, In
the first place, there's class that think
if the Niger gets vote, they'll come
down here and ride into office right
away. Always been friends of the black
man, philanthropic, and that sort of
thing, you know. They all go in for it.
"Then there's very large class who
think that the South will always be
raising the devil, seeding orsomething,
| if they don't give vote to the niggers
The niggers have all been loyal, they
say. They all go in for 1t. Thena good
many think that we, at the South, if we
are left to ourselves, won't treat the mig
| gers well; and that class goes in for it. i
wish all our people could see it as do,
and they'd 60 in for it too"
"How's thatP Do you believe in ne
| gro suffrage?"
eyes, 1 do; and I'll tell you why do.
| 1t will work just the same here as it
does there. The class of people there
that represent our niggers the laborers
have right to vote. My father-in-law
employees thirty-fve Irishmen. They
always vote the right ticket, and he tells
them which is the right one. Now ma
jor, If you hire thirty-five niggers,
work 'em well, pay 'em well, and feed
| Seward from a foreign war, they care
nothing about the country 1--WE allknow
what their loyalty amounted to-Cuffee
struck out for himself) now how are
| they going to vote?
why, they're going to vote as you
say
likely" said young man from Char
lotte county. mo, no, sir; you are mis-
taken," said another, and there was
| general expression of dissent Some
| other way than that must be discovered
for the South to obtain political power
| in the Union.
"The Northern friends of the negro, !"
said the major, ''if they want to benefit
their protege, had better abstain from
any interference in that matter, for the
Southern people will not be apt to stand
it. Everybody admits that the Negro
is incapable of intelligently exercising
the right of suffrage. Why give it t,
, him, then? No people ever fought NOR
bravely than ours have fought for tn
last four years. We have been oblige'
, to succumb. With how small forces W
carried on the war has never yet beef
told. General Lee could tell, and som
time may. We were outnumbered fiv
to one, and here we are subiupated
History records no example of such 8
war, followed by such peace. Our peo-
pie are quiet. No one talks Of insurrec--
ton. We go peaceably about our bust
ness. Every difficulty that has arisen
in our streets Is directly traceable to
Yankee soldiers and the teachings Of
Yankee negroes. Why should the NORTH
profess to fear that we are not yet con
quered, or are not honest when we sa,
soP We are conquered, and all our &C
} tions acknowledge it. We may not Low
. the Yankees; l don't think we preten,
: to do that, do we, captain but we hav
I made up our minds to behave as peacea
| BILE citizens. We can keep these State
in the Union, and we mean to do it. w
| have tried our best to take them out, ant
, we admit that we can't" This, in sub
, stance, the major delivered in an orato
rical style, and seemingly with the up
probation of all present. He then con
tinued, "But, ofcourse, doctor. the Nortl
is not unanimous on this question? ]
am given to understand that Mr.. john
son is opposed to negro suffrage"
eyes, he is. He takes the same view
of the thing that / do, and you may be
sure that he'll be like flint. They
won't turn him."
"You know Mr.. Johnson?u
Yes, sir, l saw him when I was OF
there"
The conversation continued, and /
seemed the conviction of all present tina
? | N Gould ho r,,nro v,ropoet roI,c M
nothing was more improbable, than tina
Virginia should grant the right of suf
frage to her negro population. If sucf
thing should happen, nothing but ca
Iamity could be reasonably expected
The national debt would be repudiated
What negro would deny himselfa pounC
of sugar in order that he might honora-
bly, pay his share of the interest on it
The negroes could vote us into war al
any time. Anything would serve as 0
pretext. Cuba was full of slaves, make
war on Spain and free them.
Every demagoguewouldd do with them
precisely as he chose. The doctor might
talk of laborers voting as the capitalist
directed, but if the laborer could vote
he'd soon vote himself living out of the
capitalists property. And, even II ne
should obey the directions OF his employ
| eT, UIdU WOulu Dc VI iiItiO SoN"f
,, great majority of them would never nave
a regular employer.
A Young man, residing near Fort
Monroe, thought that great many mig
gers would find employment in the Fed
eraI army, as he had been told by an of
fif err whom he met there, that the Gov
eminent intended to distribute Niger
regiments here and there throughout the
South to keep the people quiet.
This statement provoked a good deal
of Indignant comment. Nothing would
make the people angrier than that. II
was said the people would universally
regard it as an insult. They had born.
a good deal. and Were ready to bea
more; but to have negro troops put owe
them was not natural consequence O
their defeat, and they would not bea
that. There was point at which for
bearance ceased to be virtue.
These remarks We're made by the young
er men Of the little circle. The majo
enquired if the Federal officer who hal
made the remarks reported had seel
service, for, said he, The doesn't tall
like an old soldier. Did you find gu
how many fights he'd been in?'
The young man replied that the Off
Ger was surgeon, who had entered tn
service with view of improving him