Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1869-06-15
For the Spectator.

To the Colored Voters of augusta County:
Fellow ITIZENs-l am plain spoken
white man. [ am In the habit of saying what
[ think and doing what [ say. | wish now to
say few plain words to you. | will express
my sentiments and what [ believe to be the
opinions and purposes of nine-tenths of the
white people Of Virginia.
They have no unkind feeling toward the col
ored people. They have no disposition to de-
to deal fairly with them and to cultivate kind
feelings between the two laces They believe
that the interests of both races will be promo
ted by this condition Of things The colored
people want employment to enable them to earn
wages, and the land-holders want to employ la
Dor to make their farms productive The two
races can thus play into each others hands as
long as kind feelings are preserved. Each can
supply to the other exactly what that other
wants. seso v-lfa t
But there are certain mischievous people 60
ing through the country, trying to deceive the
colored people, and to array them against the
whites They wish to persuade them to vote
against the white people, and to prevent them
from having the right to vote or sit on jurles,
&c.
Now am quiet, peaceable man. l wish
to have no unpleasant feeling, or controversy,
with any body black or white. l wish to deal
fairly with all. l have never refused to employ
black man because Of his color, nor do L ever
wish to do so. taa
But am like all other men, I have good
| deal of human nature in me. And one OF the
promptings of that nature is, if man hits me
| to hit him back If a man seeks to do me an
| injury, or to take away my rights, will defend
myself in the best way can.
| Let US now see to what the counsels of these
bad advisers Of the colored people will lead.
Suppose the colored people, choose to set
themselves up against me, Is 1t not natutal that
[ should set myself against them? If they
| seek to disfranchise me- is it not natural that
| should wish to retaliate?
|. How then will the matter end 1t can hard
| ly be expected that | will patronize, and en-
| ploy those who show themselves to be my enc
| mics. And if this kind of contest comes,
who will be the greatest sufferers, the whites
| or the blacks?
Suppose the white people say to the blacks !:
II have no occasion for your services SO long as
you are doing all you can to injure me. l will
neither rent property to you nor employ you as
| tradesmen, nor as farm hands, nor have any
| dealings with you" What would be the con-
dition of the colored people? Ninety nine
! hundredths of the land and other property, is
| in the hands of the whites. They are the only
persons who can give employment to the co!ored
people ana pay them wages. LII they refuse 10
do so, the only alternative left to the colored
people will be to move away or starve. And
where will they get the means to move with
| 1t may be said that the whites can't do with
out the backs-that their labor is necessary to
them. This is mistake. 1t is very easy to
get white labor With few scrapes of my
pen [ can have half dozen or dozen Irish or
German laborers here in week. Others can
do the same And do you doubt that they
will do it, if the colored people are soft enough
to array themselves in hostility to the whites?
am one of those who wish to avoid this
thing. have kind feelings for the blacks |
wish to see them prosper. / wish to see har-
mony and good feeling in the country. Hence
I counsel them to cultivate kind relations with
the whites, who are disposed to be friendly
with them.
But if they choose to take a different course
if they prefer to array themselves against the
whites. let it be hardest fend off! II blows are
to be given, blows will be returned. Ii an at
tack is to be made, defence will follow, and in
the conflict the weaker party will go to the
wall. Which that weaker party is, time may
| show.
Colored men! You now see the ground you
stand on. If you choose the path that leads
to your injury, you will have none to blame but
yourselves AN OLD FARMER.