National Republican., 1873-10-09
A CONSERVATIVE TRICK rxposRD,

Although there Is in round numbers ma
jority Of $4,000 white over the black voters
Of Virginia, 1t Is evident, from the tone
and conduct of tho Conservative press,
that they rely on the apparent apathy
Of the blacks to carry the State. The Rich
mond Whig, in particular, has devoted
great deal of space, and more brains than 1t
could well spare for such purpose, to argu-
ments to prove that the Republican ticket,
with Colonel R. w. Hughes at It's head, Is
composed Of gentlemen who are or have been
unfriendly to the colorcd race. The records
Of generation have been ransacked TO fur
nlsh basis for those arguments, and the
bombastlc rhetoric Of all the sham Conserya-
tive writers In the State has been in
voked to dress up those arguments in
q convincing style. When the campaign
began the same papers were loud-mouthed
and blatant In their efforts to array
the two races against each other by appeals
to the prcjudices of the whites and misstate-
mcnt Of facts relative to the condition Of
affairs In other Southern States. The horri-
BILE pictures painted by them, and presented
to their readers with each successive issue, OF
negro infamy and oppressive taxation In
South Carolina could only have been pro
duced by IN Imagination, drunk and heated
by the vilest and most partisan bigotry
They refused to admit even q glimmer o
truth or ray OF fact regarding the subjec
into their columns, md probably by repeate,
utterance Of their Infamous falsehood
finally persuaded themselves to believe then
US true. Their illusions to a want OF abilit.
tl. 81 ho hlanEa IN aynrriaa
rights and privileges OF citizenship wer
invariably accompanied by declarations tha
under Republican rule these same incompe
tent blacks will be placed In office TO the ex
cluslon OF intelligent whites, whose heaven
born right to rule over their late slaves wa
asserted Us the cardinal principle of til
Conservative or Democratic party.
This Is the situation to-day. The Con
seryatiyes decline and positively reject tn
support Of the blacks; hut at the same tim
are anxious, now that the $50, 900 excess Q
white voters Is In danger Of being lost :
them, to prevent the blacks n nm voting tn
Republican ticket. But they arc countin
without their host. The blacks arc too In
telligent 10 be deceived by such Transparent
attempts to mislead them. They know, frs
Of all, that to the Republican party they ow
their freedom that to the Republican part
they owe every right and privilege of citi
zenship that has been accorded to them sine
their emancipation, and they know that thes
rights and privileges have been fairl
wrenched from the Conservative and slave
holding population Of the South by the mos
earnest and watchful care Of that party
.Thsv Enny that to-day thew have no Othe
natural aiiiliation Of political characte
except with the Republicans. They az
naturally jealous Of those rights an'
privileges, and know that their jealous de
mands for their preservation have lnyariabl.
met with prompt response from the Rcpub
iican party. They know, also, that the frs
aim OF the Democrats, both North and South
and particularly in Virginia, has been to re
strict them ln the exercise Of those right,
and privileges. In Richmond, the centre o
the Conservative intelligence of the State
from whence the directions for the manage
ment Of the party arc Illuminated, they know
that the recognition by the municipal, q
well as state, authorities Of those privilege
is the mcrcst sham, They remember tina
under Conservative rule their children hay'
been robbed Of the free-schOol education
guaranteed 20 them by the constitution o.
the State, which guarantee, they know,
were placed ln the constitution BY Republl
can Influence, In opposition TO the pronounced
determination Of the Democrats to keep then
In the Ignorance and degradation which wn'
the restlI OF generations OF unrequited tol
~ the slaves Of cruel aud exacting masters