The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1867-05-23
Another Petersburg Platform.


White House.
Another Petersburg Platform.
The mechanics and workingmen of Pc
tershurg held meeting night before last,
at which, says the Express, the following
platform twas declared adopted:
PLATFORM or PRINCIPLES.
Whereas the people of Virginia will,
upon the completion Of the registration of
the voters now in progress, be called on to
determine whether there shall be con-
vcntion to form a constitution for the
State and to elect delegates to such con-
vention, it is essential to the best lnte-
rests Of all the people to unite in har-
monious action the voters OF the Com
monwcalth, both white and colored, to
carry out in good faith the recent legisla-
tion of Congress, that the State may again
assume her position among the other
States of the Union, and that peace may
again be permanently established.
To this end, we, the mechanics and
workingmen of the city Of Petersburg, in
public meeting assembled, adopt as our
guide and rule of action the following
platform:
ARTICLE |. The Constitution of the
United States Of America.
2. Restoration of the State of Virginia
to her equality among the States of the
Union.
3. Conformity to the act Of Congress
known as the Sherman-S ShellabarEer bill.
Resolved, That we accord to all citizens,
without regard to race, color, or previous
condition, the civil and political rights con-
tcrred upon them by the law, and invite
them to unite with us in maintaining these
articles, as containing all that the Congress
Of the United States require for our resto-
ration to the Union.
ReSOlred, That we earnestly desire the
education Of all classes, and advocate a
liberal system of education in all public
appropriations, for which both white and
colored shall have a fair and just participa-
ton.
ReSolrea, That in our opinion there is no
antagoniSm between capital and labor, but
each is essential to the true interests OF
the other, and our future prosperity de-
pends upon the harmonious cooperation OF
both.
Reyolred, That we cordially invite our
cipate in our meetings, and express freely
their opinions.
A RUNNING FIRE.
The first and second articles were
adopted without debate, but on the passage
of the third very lively discussion oc-
Cured.
Mr.. Rush Burgess, a ce-president OF
~ u i IL tinla ,un :
a good Republican plank, and he should
vote for it.
Mr.. Tappey.-Are you Republican?
Mr.. BurgesS.-I am.
Mr.. Tappcy.-Can you stand upon this
PLATFORM
Mr.. Burgess.-yes, sir.
Mr.. Tappcy.-Then | will shake hands
with YOU on it.
Ford-U the cbarbcr-who appeared, by the
way, to be pretty well corned) here arose
and asked the Chairman-who had made
some remarks on the equality of the two
raccs-whethcr he would admit a colored
boy as an apprentice into his foundry to
learn the trade Of machiniSt!
Mr.. Tappey said he readily admitted that
equality granted by the law-equality be-
fore the courts and at the ballot box and
il the pretended Radical friends of the CO.
lored race would admit the negro as an ap,
prentice in the several branches of mocha
nicS. he would willingly extend the same
privilege.
Here, ii will be seen, is the same notion
of social equality which we denounced
Yesterday. Ford, the barber, is not salts
fled that negroes should be permitted to
follow the same trades with white men
he wants them admitted into the same
shops. The negroes esteem no honor equal
to the honor of forcing themselves upon
the company of white men, thus confessing
constantly their own intcriority. If they
really believed that they were the equals
of the whites, they would wait for the
latter TO make advances towards asso-
ciation.
The name of Workingmen's Union AS
sociation " was adopted, amid much con-
fusion and noise. The colored people in
the gallery declared they wanted "Repub,
lcan" or nothing else.
This drew forth some remarks from the
chairman, who positively told the colored
auditors that the time would come when
they would see whether the southern pco'
pie or the Republicans were their best
friends. Scarcely a negro is to be found
in the work shops of the North; and whel
the northern mechanics begin to pour into
this section, which will be the case in few
wears, the poor colored man will find him
self then out in the cold, and his place
| filed by them.
Mr.. DAvIs's CAsE-MR. CHAsE.-We
understand, on what ought to be good au
thority, as coming directly from Chief
Justice Chase himself, that he was not il
any way party to the release of Jetier
son Davis on bail. lie knew nothing