Norfolk day book. [volume] (Norfolk and Portsmouth Va.) 1868-1880, 1869-06-11
TALK TO THE COLORED VOTER.

TALK TO THE COLORED VOTER.
We would like to see the Richmond
Wings prediction of fifty thousand ma
jority for the Walker ticket verified, land
we believe it can be done easily, if eff
forts are made in the right direction.
There are large number of industri-
Gus, well-meaning colored people in the
State, who naturally want the right to
vote conferred upon their race, and
would naturally oppose every interest Of
the whites as long as that right is with
held from them. But now that that
right is proposed to be conceded by the
whites, if this matter is properly ex-
planned to them by those whites in
whom they have confidence, or by those
who give them employment, they are
reasonable beings and many of them
will readily vote against Wells and the
oarpet-baggers whom they have no con-
fdence in.
We do not propose that force of any
kind should be used to influence them
in their choice, nor do we think such a
course is necessary. Their votes can
better be secured by securing their con-
fidence. They are as open to the argu-
ment of self interest as the white labor
ing population of the North, whose
votes are always more or less governed
by the interests from whence they draw
their bread and meat. 1t is in no case
against the law to present fair bread
and meat argument to the voter who
has to labor from day to day for sup
plies for his family !; but it is really a
duty incumbent on the employer to
present these views. In fact, it is moth
ing more than what the press and the
canvassers are now showing to the peo-
pie of all classes throughout the State.
The bread and meat argument is what
is moving the native whites of our State
to abandon their former prejudices and
array themselves on the True Republi-
can ticket for Walker and the expurga-
ted Constitution, and it is the legitimate
argument to move the colored man from
his prejudices and cause him to fall into
line with the whites for the preserva-
ton of their homes from the grasp of
the adventures.
We ask any colored voter of intelli-
gence in the State, what would be think
of the tens of thousands of white men
who work in the mills and factories of
Massachusetts, if they were to come
from their work and go deliberately to
the polls and vote against the manufac-
turing interests from which they derive
their support. This is virtually the
thing that the colored voters are asked
to do when they are asked to cast their
vote for Wells and against the whole
productive interests of the State of
Virginia.
The fact is, it will be a rather DANA
ging posi- ton hereafter for any respect
able color ed man to place himself into,
as being found to vote alongside of a
white mari, say his former master, d.
rectly for ian individual that he must
know has 40 interest in the welfare and
prosperity of our State, and directly
against the interest from which he de-
rives his de.ily bread. No white labor
ing man or mechanic North ever at
tempts any thing of this kind. We hear
any amount of bombast about the free
dom of cleo tons; but it is but bombast
when that memorable law of self iuter-
est comes in conflict; and what the
Northern white man cannot attempt we
conceive it would be utter folly for the
Southern black to carry out, particular
" now that the Freedman's Bureau does
not furnish rations.
1t is to the interest Of the colored vo-
ter, that the expurgated Constitution
should be ratified, and we call on him
to vote for it. But it is against his in
terest that the Wells ticket should be
elected, as the election of Wells will
completely destroy the confidence OF
millions upon millions of capital now
seeking to come into this State for in
vestment, besides causing much capital
already here to leave us-and therefore
we call upon the colored voter to vote
against the Wells ticket. We make
this call on him, because we think we
have a right to make it. We have tc
work for our living as we'll as he does,
and we wish to throw no obstacles in
the way of our State securing all the
capital it can to help along its material
prosperity and give us all a plenty Of
work to do at good pay.
But what does Mr.. Wells wAnt-ot-