Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1867-06-07

sity Of all, who are not DISTINGUISHED, regis
tering when they are called upon to do SO,
and we now desire still further to impress
upon our people the necessity which urges
experiment made in our midst of enfranchi-
sing a whole class of uneducated people, who
have not the slightest idea of the subjects up
on which they will be called upon to vote.
We have already seen that the endeavor has
been made, and that they are to some extent
being manipulated by those who are inimical
to us and them. Necesstated, as we were,
to bend all our energies to the recuperation
of our damaged fortunes and Disguised with
the political phases assumed after the war,
we have been 10th to engage in politics, and
yet feel great dissemination to do SO, even
to the extent of registering This latter is
all wrong. We have seen the Government
of Maryland, Tennessee and West Virginia
controlled by minority, who lorded it with
tyrannical hand over the majority. This
will be the case in Virginia if we fail to reg
lister and place ourselves on an equality with
this minority, but different from those States,
the majority here are able to prevent it, there
they were not. But what signifies our abl-
ity to still control the government Of our
State, if we fail to do it? BY failing to reg
lister we will surely fail to place ourselves in
condition to vie with minority for the con-
troll of the State and hence the imperative
necessity to register. Upon the registration
of voters will be apportioned representation
in the Convention if one be called. If we
fail to register we lose not only our weight
in the apportionnient of representation, but
the right to vote. The Attorney General
says after the Books Of egistration are closed,
which must be done before September ISL not
name can be added as voter nor one er5seIl
The voluntary refusal Of any to register may
therefore, disfranchise as virtually, and per-
haps for all time, as if he had been disfran-
chised by act of Congress- We have all to
save and nothing to lose by registration. =
Then let us not fail, one and all, to have our
names entered on the register
1t may be thought that the white majority
in the State is SO large that some of us need
not be particular about registering. BE not
deceived by this. Every colored man will
register Let those, who have not been sat
isfied with this heretofore, read the following
order from General Brown, which speaks for
itself:
BUREAU OF REFUGEES, FREEDMEN
AND ABANDONED LANDS,
HEADo'Rs ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER
STATE OF VIRGINIA.
RICHMOND, Va, May 28s1S67,
Circular Letter.
1t is reported that many of the freedmen
of the State will fail to register under the
military bill through the agency of persons
hostile to their exercising the rights Of. suf
frage.
The act to continue in force and to a1hend
''an act to establish bureau for the relief Of
freedmen and refugees requires the officer
of the Bureau to aid the freedmen Sin ma
king the freedom conferred upon them availa-
BILE to themselves and beneficial to the Re
public"
1t is, therefore, clearly your duty to coun
teract, as far as possible, the influence O
persons inimical to the freedmen registering
or voting, and to advise and instruct then
in regard to their rights under the above
named bill, and the great Importance of thei1
exercising these rights. BY availing your
selves of the various meetings Of the freed
men, and others means at your command Of
spreading information among them, not one
in the State need be uninformed in regard tt
his right and duty in the matter.
If any freedmen fail to register through
ignorance, the Bureau officer in charge O
the sub-district Or division where such failure
occurs, will be considered derelict in thu
performance Of his duty.
The opinion expressed in this letter in re
gard to the duties of Bureau officers is in &C
cordance with that held by Major Gcnera
Schofeld, commanding this district.
0. Brown,
Brvt. Brig. Gen., Asst. Com.
No one desires to intimidate or prevent tn
colored people from voting, however muc]
they may regret the hallucination which ha
forced this upon us, but it is made pretex
to have every colored man registered, with
out even desire expressed to have th
white men of the State registered also TIL
object is plain and patent, and if those, VIII
have proposed to themselves not to register
will reflect upon the damage to themselve
and posterity by such course, they will, a
sure as the time comes round, present them
selves and have their names recorded as vo
tiers on the books of the Registrars.
In the annual report 6f the Auditor G
Public Accounts, for the fiscal year ending
September Both 1865, is table showing tn
relative number of Whites and Elacks, i
the State of Virginia, who have attained tn
age of Fl years, excepting four counties an