Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-06-12
Letter from John z. Lewis

! The following letter from Jno. F. Lewis was
addressed to the Editor of the Washinatoa
Chronicle:
sd szez .a,as LTNwooD, May 23rd, 1866.
do' o'DEAR1SIR lin your report of the proceed
ings of the Union Convention at Alexandria,
IN your paper OF the 9th inst, [ am repre-
sented as saying 'there were 1900 colorcd
Union voters in the county of Rockingham,
who had never voted with the rebels I de-
sire to correct the mistake which your reporter
has. doubtless, inadvertently made in regard to
my remarks not for the purpose of deprecating
the wrath of the reconstructed editors and
politicians, who are ever ready to slander and
yllify every Union man in the State, who dares
to express his Misrepresentation Of their hatred
for, and disl0yalty to the Government they have
so lately sworn to uphold and defend, but be-
cause the statement, as published, may have
tendency to mislead some persons whose hon
esty and patriotism [ do not question In the
short speech / made in the Convention in op-
position to the report of the committee on res
oiutlons,. l said: Il was adverse to the endorse
ment of negro suffrage. as ineXpedient and i'm
polite at this time as far as was individual.
ly concerned, [ had no prejudice against the
negro on account Of his color educate him.
and qualify him to vote intelligeatly, and I
would let him vote if he were as black as the
of the State, as a class, would consent tocthe
extension Of the right of suffrage to the colored
men until they were In condition, to vote IN
telligenty. There were 1900 Union voters in
Rockingham who had never synpathized with
the rebellion, not half dozen of whom would
vote for negro suffrage at this time. [ asked
for the ayes and noes that [ might be placed
right on the record, and voted for the substi-
tute, which L did not Ike in order to, defeat
the resolutions; and then, as the record will
show, voted against the resolutions. I attend
ed the Convention because [ knew that there
We're many Union men In the State who were
unable to attend, and | feared that there we're
many others who were deferred by a,dislike to
encounter the abuse Of licentious rebel press,
that habitually calumniates and misrepresents
every unconditional Union man in the State,
who has the boidness to oppose them. do
not choose to be classed with those timid Union
men, who are anxious that something should
be done to prevent their being made ''odious,'
because they We're not traitors, provided it can
be done without subjecting them to the villif-
cation of reconstructed rebels; To these reel
kaeed Union men have only to say, that the
disloyal agitators know that you are not in sym
pathy with them-they hate you as much, and
dispise you far more, than they do those who
have the courage to agree with the President s
declaration, that treason is odious
In conclusion | will say, my opposition to ne
gro suffrage is not induced by any respect for
the slang of the blatant demagogues who prate
about negro equality" and who are so much
shocked at the idea of allowing mulatto to
vote, side by side with their father or their
brother We all know that many of these fas-
tidious gentlemen have done more to produce
practical amalgamation than all the abolition
ists' in America. JOHN f. LEWIS.