The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-03-17
A Good Beginning.

,s .- A Good Beginning. ".>l
The results Of the new registration III
Richmond, which we gave in fuii'on yes
terday, should, open the eyes of the negroes
and their allies in the Convention to their
real strength in Virginia. Our people will
no longer refuse to register and vote, bnt
will do all they can to protect themselves.
The white men Of this city who refused or
neglected to register last fall have nearly
all now done so. The gain In this city,
Notwithstanding that the blacks also re-:
gistered more names than they did last
year, amounts to over one thousand. Rich
mond constitutes less than one-twentieth
of the State, and as the whites Of the
country registered even less generally last
year than did those of Richmond, it may
be safely assumed that when the lists are
again opened we shall add twenty thou
sand to the white majority in the State
thus making that majority between thirty
and forty thousand.
We have consistently maintained all the
while that there could be no danger as to
the future of Virginia. A white majority
of thirteen thousand was sufficient ASST
rance that the whites must have the rule
!. in this State; for while no negroes are
coming to this country from abroad, there
are many whites constantly coming hlther
from both Europe and the northern United
States. and the natural increase OF tho
whites will be much more rapid than that
of the negroes, who take little or no care
of their offspring. But with majority of
FORTY THOUSAND VOTERS-which
indicates majority in population of two
hundred thousand-this assurance is rem
dered "doubly sure" We, already have
the State. s..
The fortunate result in Richmond is due
to untiring exertions upon the part of the
white men to bring out every voter OF their
own color. We trust that this example
will be initiated throughout the State when
the lists shall be opened again. There can
be no excuse for supineness. The way to
victory lies plain before us. Let us walk
in it.
81 Negroes have great respect for physical
power. Where they preponderate in
numbers they have very different de-
pertinent from that which characterizes
them in communities in which the whites
are known to be the more numerous. For
this reason, among others, we rejoice over
the result in Richmond and for this rea-
son, among others, the whites in the
country should all register. If they want
to be respected by the negroes, they must
register their numerical strength. The
negroes last fall registered here eleven
hundred more votes than the whites; and
although every white man might have felt
certain that his own race was the more
numerous, yet apparently the figures were
against them. But now, when we know
that although there are two or three hun
dred disfrancbised whites and several hun
dred non-naturalized foreigners in this
city, neither of which classes could regis
ter, besides the whites who would have
done 80 but could not, yet the whites
registered more good votes than the blacks,
we have the very best reason to know that
there are hundreds more white men in
Richmond than negro men. This assurance
is worth something.
There are many reasons why every
white man in Virginia should register, and
none why he should not register. We
have mentioned some of them-not that
we believe the people Of the country to be
less vigilant than those of Richmond, but
because we may induce some few to regis
ter who have been hesitating as to whether
they should do so.
Virginia is white mans State. For
eigners, northerners, capitalists, and all
others, will please make note of it. Come
and see US, and invest your money.