Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1868-06-10
LOCAL NEWS.
WEDNESDAY EVENING, JUNE 10.

ling of the City Council, last night, the two
boards of which that body is composed, met in
;o;nt convention, in the Chamber Of the Com
mon Council, for the purpose Of electing the
tbepremainiag portion of the municipal officers
ubose terms have expired, and who are elective
BY the Council.
The President read communication from
tba Mayor stating that two of those who had
bean elected Night Watchmen George Will
;ams and Samuel Jeferson) had refused to
take tho prescribed oath of Office, and that,
consequently, there were two vacancies in the
Night Watch to fill.
Mir. ". D. Massey nominated John Fields
and Gustavus Lumpkin.
MIR. Mckenzie nominated William Kane
Mr.. Martin, in order that the Council might
know who they were voting for, moved that
when name was put in nomination the race
TO which the nominee belonged should be stated.
Mr.. Neale said that all nominated on his
aide Of the house would be white.
MIR. E. E. White strongly advocated the
election of Fields and Lumpkin, both colored,
and made an especial appeal to Council in their
behalf He said that halt the population OF
the city was colored, and that the colOred por-
ton should be represented in the Night Watch
1t would be but an act Of justice it they
should be SO represented. The Reconstruction
acts of Congress had conferred citizenship upon
the colored people, and with citizenship came
the right to hold Office, and no one could dis
pute the qualification of the persons whose
election he supported. The idea that the col
ored people must be prepared by education be-
fore they could be elected to Office, could not
be entertained, for when would such a time ar
rive? (Mr. Neale Never.) When would the
time be so opportune as the present, when the
military were here and could be called on to en-
force obedience to the laws, which, it had been
minated, would be resisted Ia case colored
men we're elected By all means then should
be commented the operation of the provisions
of the Reconstruction laws, which granted poll
teal equality to all men, and to delay the oper
alton of those provisions on grounds Of tempo
rary expediency would indicate that the Coun
Gil lacked those qualifications necessary to en-
able them to keep pace with the progress Of
the spirit of the age.
The remarks of Mr.. White were received
with evident manifestations of disapprobation
by the large number of spectators who had as
sembled to witness the proceedings.
Mr. Martin was charitable man, and ad-
mired charity in others, but the mere fact of
ostentatiously advocating the claims of negroes
for minor Offices, and of holding conclaves with
that class of population in secret places and
spots, and by promises Of land, money, mules,
&C., obtaining their votes for personal aggran-
disement, did not strike him as remarkable ex-
ampies of that virtue There was time for
all things is certainly not the time for
comforting municipal Offices upon negroes
He would be in favor of elevatiDg the colored
man when he was prepared for such elevation,
but would never support that policy which, if
carried out, would elevate the colored, but de-
grade the white people. It was certainly too
soon to give the colored man pre-eminence now.
They should be prepared at least for the cor
rect discharge of duties before those duties are
required of them, and he was sorry to say he
did not think the time consumed in sneaking
and running after them was entirely spent in
preparing them to hold Office, but that the Sc
curing of votes was the chief motive of iDdul-
gence 10 such conduct He was astonished at
the course pursued by the gentleman from
the Third Ward, (Mr. Massey in making the
nomination, and that of the gentleman from
abroad" Mr.. White) in supporting it.and con
sdered it an insult to the members oftheWatch.
The period had not yet arrived when the two
races could associate on terms OF political and
social equality-not even on the night watch
William D. Massey said he had nomina-
ted William II. Faulkner, white man
at least he had every reason to believe he
was white-and he had nominated two COL
ored men, and the gentleman from the 9TH
Ward (Mr. Martin) would not have prop
erly represented his constituency if, when ask
ed, he had refused to present to Council the
names of any citizens Of that ward who might
be an applicant for Office. He intended to &C.
eupy bold and independent position, regard
lsss alike of the frowns or applause of the au-
dience, though always desiring the approba-
ton of his fellow citizen. There was nothing
in his nomination of two colored men to occa-
sion the astonishment expressed by the gentle
man from the 4th Ward. Colored men had
been clothed with the rights and privileges Of
ireemen, and among those rights and privi-
leges was included that of holding Office. He
had been as much invested with the prejudice
just manifested against the political equality Of
the negro as any, but it was prejudice that
must give way-that must be wiped out The
colored people were in majority IN this coun-
ty, and both the political parties that now d'-
vided the country would be glad TO receive