Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1868-03-26

have some of the qualifications requisite to
the enjoyment and exercise Of the elective
! franchise.
Universal Negro Suffrage is the doc
trine Of the majority report
This is aee0 doctrine in this country,
and being new, should be shown o0irDaa-
tire2y by its advocates to commend itself to
our favor by considerations of the stron
gest character.
What pretexts have been urged in its
behalf in this Convention l. It is allie
ged that such suffrage should be bestowed
in order 70 enable the negro to protect
himself in his rights. [ would ask, in
what respect have his rights been violated
L. 1t is replied, by the injustice of the
courts since the close of the war. [ deny
in the most emphatic terms that there has
been or is now any settled systematic or
perverse purpose to do wrong to this race
on the part OF the judicial tribunals Of this
State, and demanG the proof. Occasional
instances OF wrong or error may have oc-
Cslrred, such as are incident to all legal
Investigations, at all times aud under ali
circumstances, and more especially III such
periods of confusion and chaos as has exis-
ted since the reorganization of this State
Government
1t must be remembered that the rela-
tions between the white man and the ne
gro were totally changed by the emsncipa-
ton Of the latter. It must be remem bered
that it is difficult to change all our modes
Of thought and action in day, or a
month, or year, and that if errors were
committed, they are to be regarded as ra-
Their resulting from the novelty of the stu
alton, old habits of thought still remain
ing, and the assumed necessity of dealing
with this race in such manner as to COM
pei them to obedience to the law, and in
order to impress them with the idea that
liberty did not mean Iicense to do as they
pleased, and to indulge in idleness and
grippe.
Time and experience would have speed
lily corrected any exceptional abuses, if
such there were, in the gradual progress
of events.
I'd There was right of appeal COM
mon to them, and to all others aggrieved,
by which review of the action of infe-
rior courts could be secured
Sd. The Freedmen's Bureau was ever
ready to offer them relief
4th. The Commanding General exercis-
ed a supervisory power over all.
9th The pardoning power of our &C
commodating Governor was ever ready, ne
,ar r, ii;nfr n,j .,ix,,,.. o&Go;o,,t 70 ,oI:,-o
any who had been so unfortunate as to
pass through this long series of chances
without obtaining relief
1t is easy to make general charges. but
not so easy to sustain them by adequate
proofs.
"a, 1t is charged that this race was sub.
iected to hostile legislation.
The Vagrant Act passed in 1866 was
the only Jaw specially referred to in sup
port Of this allegation. This law. as is
well known. was Intended to protect the
community against idleness and wee, and
this class of population, SO improvident
in their habits and indolent in their ma
lures, against poverty ami want.
1t was deemed necessary to check a
great evil growing out of the disordered
state of society then existing. 1t was al
most literally extracted from the statutes
of Pennsylvania and Connecticut on the
same subject: as will fully appear by a
comparison Of the same. (Here the spea-
ker read the several sections of the Viz
ginia, Pennsylvania and Connecticut Va
grant Acts alternately, and showed that
they were Identical in substance and al
most SO in language. the latter being har-
sher in all particulars in which they differ
You will perceive that these statutes are
identical in language and in substance so
far as the descri ptions Of persons who
shall be regarded as Migrants is concerned.
They only differ in the punishment, and
in that the Virginia act is milder than the
others. 1t only requires that persons
convicted Of vagraDcy shall be hired ont,
while the others direct that they shall be
confined in the work house or jail at hard
iabor, etc.
Toussaint, the great negro leader of the
rebellion in St, Domingo, promulgated
such law. only a harsher one, to bis fol-
lowers after he had become victorious and
assumed the government of that Inflated
Island. He well understood his own peo-
pie, their disposition to idleness and sloth,
if left to themselves. and made law to suit
them in their newly emancipated condi-
ton law which seemed so necessary to
the preservation and safety of the race that
it is still in existence after the lapse of so
years. The historian, Allison, in. his
History of Modern Europe, states that
''These regulations of Toussaint had con-
verted personal into rasraJ seruitude The
negroes were compelled to work in COM
mon by their overseers aid officers, and
received in return fourth of the produce,
which fourth was divided among them ac-
cording to the skill and strength of each
individual. The inspectors exercised a
summary jurisdiction over the laborers.
All delinquencies were brought before
them by the proprietors, and they forth
with investigated and punished the offence
with rigid severity, Free labor aoos an
knoaon, and continues so generally speak
ing, to this day twas the reality of sla-
very without its name. These regulations
"a,