The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1869-07-02
Slavery in Virginia.


Slavery in Virginia.
The old form of slavery--the miidest
md e~entles. that ever. existed on Garth
has been abolished; but another far more
debasing and demoralizing has sprung uT
in its place: it is The slavery Of the will and
theconscience. The great body Of the colored
people are held bound by the most thorough
system of tyranny yet known. The arch
intriguers-fanatical parsons and Office
seeking MISUNDERSTANDING, when the war
was Just ended, and the white people OF
Virginia were kept somewhat within their
houses, poisoned the minds Of the colored
people against their former masters, we're
afrsid to leave them free to follow the die
tatcs of their W judgments; so they
established o system of leagues with secret
machinery Of oaths and intimidation to
suppress any resistance to the resolves and
orders Of tie leagues. The colored people
were completely entrapped and bound tho
roughly to che newcomers, who really had
no sympathy with them, and only meant to
use them for their OWE promotion and adj
vantage.
There has been but one election since
the war, and that exhibited the rare fact
that so large a body Of men as the blacks
compose were 50 completely held in chains
that they voted as one man-separating en-
tirely from the whites of Virginia, from
whom all that they could hope for In busi-
ness employment had 30 come, and with
whose interests theirs were indissolubly
bound
Time has opened the eyes Of the colored
people somewhat to the selfish motives OF
their deceivers and to their true relations
with the white people of Virginia. Still the
leagues have the large body Of them IN
absolute slavery. They are afraid to
say that their souls ore their own. These
will be found voting to continue the disa-
bilities and acknowledgements Of the whites,
while they are furiously demanding Tor
themselves equality in everything. They
viii vote for WELLS, the open and unscru-
pulous enemy of the white people of Vir-
ginia, who said they were not to be believed
on oath, and exerted all his influence and
ingenuity to deprive q 5000 of them Of eyen
the right to register accorded to them by
the laws Of Congress. And these Virginians
are the only true friends of these rnisled
colored people. They have the only means
that exist in the State to give "aid and
comfort" to the colored man, to give him
employment, and TO open the way for him
to accumulate money, to own land, and
become an independent farmer, or the
pursuer of some other of the callings by
which men mako honorable living and
establish respectable consideration for them
selves in the community.
Here, then, we have an innocent people
ruthlessly enslaved-enslaved by men
to whom they owe nothing, and from
whom they never can receive one jot or
title of advantage or benefit. This slavery
is, indeed, i" the sun Of all vilainies." The
true Republicans and Conservatives are
laboring night and day to free the ill-fated
bondsmen Of this nefarious~ bondage. They
are one GREAT EMANCIPATION
SOCIETY. They have the double motive
of freeing white and black. They will
never rest until they fulfil their high mis-
sion of knocking off the shackles from
every man., SO that the soil of Virginia
shall be indeed free! Strike, citizens !!
Strike with your strong arms batter the
shackles from off the limbs of the enslaved /;
and never cease your blows until it is pro-
claimed from the mountains to the sea,
along the valleys, and up and down every
tidal and running stream, that oil men are
free, and no bondsman anywhere appears |!