Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-07-23
Endorsing Universal Negro Suffrage.

The Enquirer and E!camaaer concludes long
article under the above heading as follows:
sWe are to-day the victims of the most gi-
gantic crime of the nineteenth century. Not
only have the people of ten great States been
robbed of the most valuable portion OF their
property, but what was yesterday ''chattel,".
is to-day clothed with political powers of which
the most cultivated of the white race Of the
South have been stripped. To-day, the peo-
Pile of many of the Southern States are at the
| mercy of race brutalized by centuries of sla-
very Thousands of the best, ablest, purest
and most gifted of our statesmen, orators, au-
thors soldiers and advocates have been out
lawed while every adult male negro, however
corrupt, ignorant, and beastly in instincts and
vices, has been clothed with all the rights of
citizenship
Is there Virginian who believes there is a
just God and can doubt that the vile party
which has thus sought to degrade and dishonor
as must sooner or later fall beneath the wrath
of that all-seeing Providence, which permits no
great crime to escape chastisement and retrl-
button? All of us must feel that sooner or la
ter this merciless party will be hurled from
power, and reparation made for the cruel wrongs
which it has committed
None know better than the leaders of the
Radical party. that it has violated too grossly
every right of the citizen, and trampled too un-
blushingly upon the Constitution, for its exis-
tence to be tolerated one moment after the rea-
son of the nation regains its throne Hence it
is seeking to commit the people of the section
upon, to an endorsation of the hideous crimes
which have almost annihilated its prosperity
1t trembes at the thought of the final judg-
ment of the nation upon its deprivation of ten
millions Of people of all their constitutional
rights, and upon its reimbursement of hun
dreds Of thousands of illiterate and brutal
blacks. 1t is, therefore, seeking by threats and
promises to secure the ''endorsation" Of the
South of the very offences for which the Radi-
Gals will be one day punished by defeat and loss
of power, and then hanged in chains by history.
1t is seeking to make us ''acquiesce" in the in
fernal outrage which it has inflicted upon us,
in order that when the day for vengeance and
retribution comes we shall not be able to do our
part in the overthrow of our oppressors.
And If their schemes for our political self
abasement are successful, we shall not be able
to hold up our heads like brave but unfortu-
nate people, and resume our former proud po-
voluntarily entered the AFRICAN Church Con-
vention' as the equals, associates and coop
orator" with Hunnicutt, Underwood and our
late slaves, we shall be utterly corrupted, pros
tltuted and debauched we must forever there
after hide our faces in the dust and cry ''un-
clean, y ''unclean.' We shall by that act of
indecent and most unmanly and ignominious
surrender of principle, show that we have be-
come the helots of the negro and that we merit
all the foul abuse which those with whom we
have affiliated" have heaped upon u.s. When
we have pledged ourselves to ''extend and per-
feet the organization" of the Radical party, we
will have dishonored the memories of our dead
soldiers, thanked Congress for outlawing our
noblest and bravest men, declared our humble
gratitude for the humiliation of all our rights
and rejoiced that our late 'chattels' have been
made our equals The Virginian of character
and intelligence, who shall commit this mon
strous crime against his race and section, will
soon find life burden, and the pangs Of con-
science so acute that he will buy rope and
seek that species of relief which Judas found
for his great crime, in ignominious suicide. y