New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1871-12-07
Letter from Rich ilOMd.
RICHMOND, Nov. "a, 1871.

RICHMOND, Nov. "a, 1871.
To the Editor ofthe New National Era:
Following feeling of disappointment in
regard to our late election, our people seem to
be again moved to look around to ascertain the
cause why the Republican party lost the cleo
ton and the Democratic party successful with
such large gains over our State election in
1869. This stir now, after terrible defeat
reminds US of the old hateful days of slavery,
when stakeholder would 90 to New England,
and, by force of the fugitive bill, be enabled
to hunt down his slave and take him back per
hsps to this very city. After the poor fellow
had been cruelty taken off before their eyes,
the friends Of freedom would become indignant
and aroused; all their latent fires would be
all ablaze; the silvery voice of Phillips on
ordinary occasions would amid thousands, be
turned into biting 'sirrah." The husky voice
Of Parker, with folded arms, would seem to be
the medium through which his liberty loving
soul would hurl the deadly weapons of moral
reform against the institution of slavery. Then
would come Garrison, standing as Luther stood
with his ninety-6ve propositions in hand, and
they must be nailed up, and from that deter
mination he would not retreat single inch !;
and from the fervor of his speech, as it would
appear next day in the Liberation, the blood
of all Boston in every circle would be stirred
against the STAKEHOLDER and his agreement
with the devil. Colored men there, as here
now for the hour, came together for mutual
consultation as to how best they could, with
the aid of friends, prevent like occurrence.
Some men here, who have foated along in
criminal lassitude, have just aroused them.
selves to find that their inactivity has helped
to give US Legislature, one of the frst acts
of which will be, with the aid of Governor
Walker, to appoint hundred judges to the
various county courts of the State
The constitution of the State adopted in
1869 was mutilated by the last Legislature in
all its sections, and the incoming one, with its
more than two thirds majority, will send what
remains of it in the waste-basket. 1t invests
in the judges, clerks, and commonwealth at
torneys Of the various courts, the power of
selecting the jurors and by this process it is
easy to see that these courts can upon any pre-
text send as many Republican voters to the
penitentiary as they may please. and in local.
ties where the vote is close. / have been in
formed that Republicans were sent to the State
prison, from one to two years, for petty offences
not exceeding in value two dollars and fifty
cents. In proof will give you an instance
that will illustrate the Democratic virus of the
ruling party in our midst, taken from the
Richmond Whg:
"A PERJURER CONES TO GRIEF.-We have
noticed, time and again, when attending the
Mayors court, that in almost every difficulty
which came officially before his honor in which
negroes were compliments and defendants, that
one set OF Witnesses would swear point blank
to one statement and as many on the other side
would say, False witness swear on q stack
Of Bibles it faint SO, and dey know it faint So
Now, this state of things not only existed in
the Mayors court, when our business used to
call as there, but it has become a general rule
In the Hustings court for every negro offender
with friends to have witness ready to prove
that some strange man gave him the stolen
property found in his possession. a2
This was so palpably the case in the trial Of
negro named John Wright, the other day, for