National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1873-10-28
VIRGINlA CAMPAIGN.
ADDRESS BY THE non. JOSEPH SLGAR.

ADDRESS BY THE RJN. JOSEPH SLGAR.
R.pubiiern Meeting Mt namp- '
ton--A Review Oft the Issues Of the tam
pnisp-The Conservative Bugbear Dis
posed Or-How to Rtrupcrate the
South.
HAMPTON, October q. is7s
Last night the Hon. Joseph segar adj
dressed large Republican meeting here, In
which tho moro important issues OF the cam
palgn were discussed. lie said he had In all
time past held the Idea that In this free land
every citizen had the undoubtful right to
think as he pleased on political matters, and
when he went to the polls to cast his vote as
he pleased. But Of late the Conservative
editors and speakers had made the discovery
that the man who should decline to vote tho
Conservative tlckct-or, In other words,
shonld vote with the colorcd peoples unit
for association with gentlemen; and, to use /
the language Of the Richmond Enquirer, |
''should be handed over to perpetual iniumy." |
The ground, for the Examinations Of these |
modern thundercrs were chiefly that tho Re-
publican party Is n social equality party, and
that the success Of that party In the present |
political struggle would ID but tho establish |
mcnt OF a pure negro government In the |
State, and that the ndhcrcnts OF party hold |
ing such doctrines put themselves beyond
the palo Of respcctablllty.
In reference to the frst accusation, those
who make II know II TO bo wholly unfounded;
for not a single man In tho State, white or
cOlorcd, had raised such an issue-no, not
one. In reference to tho establishment Of
AZURE NEGRO GOVERNMENT,
II was simply and absolutely impossible, TN.
| less n race numbering 5120OO could put
down at the polls one numbering So, COO.
The ouly way In which the thing can be worked
out was to put down as ncgocs oil the whites
who should, by voting with tho colorcd poo
Pile, make up tho majority. There can I've no
disgrace or humiliation In voting with any
rnce or class that Is recognized by the Com
stitution and the laws OF the land as entitled
to suffrage. Those, indeed, who put under
tho ban Of prescription all who choose TO
vote with tho colored people violate grossly
the spirit OF the Constitutional amendment
that confcrs upon that race equal right with
the white man TO vote. But
THE DIo BrdnrAR
OF all tho most frightful rav.head and bloody.
bones which has been conjurcd up to Brighten
timid people out Of their propriety Is the
alleged terrible result Of combined negro and
carpct-bag rule In tho more southcrly recon-
strtictcd States,in which 1t Ia charged that
there has been inordinate increase OF debt,
and taxation, and oppression, and ruin OF the
J people. Mr.. Scgar showed that on this whole
, subject there had been either much exnggcra-
tion or q great deal Of voluntary inlsrepro-
scntation. In North Carolina, for example,
the increase Of tho public debt had ro-
} suited from tho joint actions Of both
political parties, aud was on account Of
railroads which tho people, without politi-
cal distinction, needed and demanded. A
large amount, some nine or ten millions, so APP
pi 0prlatcd had been squandered by public
, agents intrusted with the negotiation Of the
State bonds, but those agents were neither
negroes nor carpct-baggers, but native poo
Pile, aud Democrats at that; aud rs much has
been said about the neglect Of free schools by
the Republican party In the Southern States,
Il may be as well to state that In North Caro-
lima the whole school fund, amounting to
several Millions was converted into Confed-
q crate bonds, not worth the coarse paper on
! which they were printed, and, Of course, the
whole fund has "gonc las the saying runs
i, to Dayy Jones locker" where the hand OF
: resurrection can never reach it," This Ger.
taiuly cannot be put on the backs Of the
= negroes and tho carpet-baggers, but is a
I dissertation Of pure white rebel preparation
!, IN SOUTH CAROLINA,
D where II Is said the corruption and rascallty
are almost beyond belief, the principal actor
Z In the work Of iniqulty were native Caro-
| lnlhns. Mr!Woricy, hn oiu citizch oi nisi
standing, said In the taxpayer convention
at Columbia, South Carolina; Frauds would
| not exist were 1t not for private individual:
: who act the part of corruptors. Were none
: of these engaged In bribing members Of the
Legislature we would hear nothing Of such
frauds US the one have endcayored to ex'
pose. Mr.. President one prominent feature
, In this transaction Is the part which native
Carolinians have played In 1t, and II Is to TIL,
:, feature that I ask to be allowed to address,
= myself In closing. ] say, and ! say II Ia
= sorrow that some Of our own household
d men whom the State In the past has delighted
Il To honor, but whose honors have been with
. cred by the atmosphere Of corruption they
:, breathc--arc involved In the swindlc.' AMI
. yet all the responsibility Is saddcd on th,
v poor negro and the carpet-bagger.
II Large additions, 1t Is true, have been mad'
!. to the public debt In Georgia, Alabama
!, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas and Florida, bu
" the increase has resulted from
. APPROPRIATIONS TO BUILD RAILROADS
n needed by the people, or for the levecs Of the
Mississlppi-seyentee millions for the lattel
: object by Louisiana, to save New Orlcani
u from being flooded away-but In most OF tn,
N States making these appropriations they arr
II secured from loss by first lcins on the road
"a helped, with the right to make sale whcneye
= there should be default In the payment of In
50 tercst. Alabama, for her large advance Il
nus u HErt lieu INV iHilNl
is OF completed roads to indemnify her agaius
IN loss and the Governor Of Louisiana statct
" officially, In June, 1871, that the New Orleani
y and Texas Railroads.&c. mics In length ant
l. to which the State had appropriated sli,
g. 600, 0O0-wonld be, when completed, tn,
Y source OF immense wealth and vastly aug
70 mcnted commerce for the State and the cit,
OF New Orleans, and that II every railroad
+ aided by the State, should be completed, they
= would be worth four times the amount OF thu
It guarantees Of the State, and Georgia lease:
l. but single one OF her roads for $500, 600 pei
, ann,m, worth at this moment, In cash, 81,
. OOO, 900, to say nothing Of her liens upsr
i other roads. Along the line Of ten Of hcl
railroads, helped by the State to III,
amount of sl0 O0O, 900, the value Of thu
lands has been enhanced 10000, 900
n four millions more than the State sppropria
ton. The largest appropriations made IL
N the State Of Alabama, amounting to eli, 7oJ,
il 600, wore made In 1867, and were voted b,
.; the Provisional Legislature, which wa
d strongly Democratic. 1.-THE railroad act
= (says the Ku-Klux Senate rcporD wer
\. adopted by votes of men of both parties
% that OF 1867 by the Provisional Legislature
ID which was Democratic, and those Of 1868 an,
,f 1870 by the Legislatures having Republca,
y majorlties-but IN no instance, TO our knowl
y, u edge, were party lines drawn on these gucs
~ tons" The completed roads In this Stat
ct had increased from sos In 1865, 10 l,G9T Il
,e lSTl-Ta, and the cost OF the completed roads
9 with the equipments, was coy, $50 ,oB, on IL
|. miles, Of which she has the first lien to saw
y her from loss; so that here, at least, the poo
a negro and the carpet-bagger arc not respon
si6le. In 1868 there were 805 miles Of rail-
IN road completed. and In 1871 70 1,69I miles
a being an Increase Of SO miles. The cost O
u completing and equippng these roads wa
y eco, $50. 900.
10 The simple truth Is, that these reconstruct
IN States, finding themselves totally crushed b.
,r the war, looked around for some agency O
y relief and redemption, and hit at once, an
~ most wisely, upon the policy which Virgini
In had for forty years pursued, and set to wor
IS. to build railroads Us
ne THE BEST MEANS OF REGENERATION.
y and restoration. Hence tho large, yet polite
T. increase Of their respective debts; with th