Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1867-08-01
WOODSTOCK

eAeII d pdrtlcle OF influence. proves that 1t
IS not upon any such principle Of national
justice that it is proposed to count the
votes, Of the negroes of the South. Mr..
Summer, who seems to me to be by far the
most honest of their public men, has CON
tended for the establishment Of this princi-
pie, ano has ogain offered at this session
the bill which he had repeatedly present.
Ed before, to give the negro that right of
suffrage universally, but his efforts have
met with no countenance in Congress,
not because Congress has no power to leg
lslate with respect to suffrage in the States
for neither he nor his associates regard
that as an objection-but simply because
they dare not attempt to impose negro suf-
frage upon the northern States. This they
know can only be done by military power,
and the time has not yet come to exert mi
litary power at the North. AS it is only
when they exert that the negro vote is
counted, it is after all but the exertion of
military power, and the suffrage is sham
suffrage; and it is an election in no better
sense than if they counted the cattle in the
fields in support of Radicalism And the
negroes themselves, if they could be made
to understand that there is no negro suf-
frage where any real suffrage is tolerated,
would become sensible that they are but
the tools in the hands of new masters, di-
recting them for their own selfish ends and
objects, with not thought or a wish for
their welfare. They are but the machine
ry Or agency adopted by the military,
which controls it and supports it to carry
its will into effect. It is simply military
government; and the Radicals, as [ have
shown, resort to the device of counting
the negroes as part Of the machinery, ia
king care to dock the white vote sufficient
ly to bring about the result prescribed be-
forehand. It was to secur, the proper
docking Of the white vote that the present
session Of Congress was called. The sup
Elementary act passed follows the Brown
low and Fletcher models closely. BY this
act the registers are clothed with unlimited
power on that head; and as the white men
among them are generally I presume, Of
the class denominated by old Thad. as
'mean whites" entirely subservient
to the Radicals-they will cut and carve
to suit the exigency. Besides the multi
tudes of military and civil officers which
they have at the South to manipulate this
business, their executive committee at
Washington. with unlimited funds provi-
ded by their fraudulent banking system,
has scattered emissaries all over the South.
Some 90, as Senator Wilson, to supervise
the work, report progress, and advise as to
the further regulations required to consum-
mate the scheme Others, like Kelley,
to get up riots to furnish pretexts for such
legislation. IL
This Radical plot for the subversion of
the Government, perpetuating themselves
in power, and moking themselves indepen-
dent Of the will Of the people, is bold, Ella
borate, and dangerous. and it is being
wrought out with indefatigable industry.
You ask what we can do to foil it? [ re-
greet to answer, Very little. All that you
can do is to register and vote, if allowed.
1t is important that all should offey TO re-
gister who can take the prescribed OATH
The more numerous the arbitrary disfran-
chisements the more easy it will be demon
strate the reality of Radical despotism I
have endeavored to portray.
1t is to the people of the North I look
to rescue you ard themselves (for they are
as much involved in it as you are) from the
grasp Of this despotism. It is in the fact
that these Radicals seek power, not merely
over you, but over the whole country, by
the sword, and are squandering, not your
means only, but that of the whole people
in their immense expenditures, their taxa
ton of every laborer, with their rotten
banks and exorbitant tariffs, that consti
tutes your safety. Nor have any fears
for the result If Mr.. johnson will cut
loose from the traitors and spies who sur
round him, take GIANT to his counsels,
and others in whom the lovers of the Con-
stitution have confidence, we can rally un-
der him next year, and tread out Rad
icalism forever
If he will not do this, we will rally under
some other leader | should prefer Grant
myself in that event. [ have already sta
ted, to be sure, that the Radicals are labo-
ring to antagonize him to johnson person.
ally and to the principles johnson repre-
sents; but [ do not believe that he will be
so weak as to abandon his principles and
the only true friend he has and agree to
do the work of the Radicals, which is alb
horrent to him, for the sake Of getting their
nomination to the presidency; but if he IS,
| am convinced that he will degrade him.
settle no purpose. Great as are his per-
sonal merits, they will weigh little in the
scale when the question is whether the
people or the military shall rule, and he is
put forward as the representative man Of
military government. If our history tea
ches anything, it is this lesson, that they
will not tolerate anything which takes their
government out Of their own hands. 1t
was the assertion Of this principle which
brought Mr.. Jefferson into power against
all the prestige which the Federalists de-
rived from Washington, Gen. jackson
was never elected for his military services.
His triumph over Mr.. Adams was in vim
dication Of the popular rights violated in
his person in casting the vote Of Missouri,
Illinois, and Kentucky, against the wishes