The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-04-29
TUESDAY EvE'G, APRIL 30. 1873.


The Journal confesses the weakness of "our
peoples because it does not partake of it. We
feouid elect men to office because they are white
men. We do not acknowledge that a negro can
have 'the qualifications which would entitle
him to be preferred to q white man. We do not
admit that there is a village town, city, town.
ship, or county in Virginia wherein the negro
can name more competent person of his race
than the whites can name of their race We
shall vote for white men white men. And,
finally, we don't qodnt to view the question from
any such rational standpoint" as our neighbor
occupies. w.
The Dispatch is frank, and frankness we
concede to be virtue. 1t don't want to
look at the question which it forced upon
our attention by its assaults upon the Re-
publican rarty of the state, from any such
rational standpoint as that occupied by
The STATE JOURNAL. 1t desires to
shape its own views, and those of the peo-
pie of Virginia, by an unreasoning preju-
dice, or even vicious principle, rather than
to appeal TO wisdom and philosophy as
guide. 1t proposes to vote for white men
as white men, without regard to the rela-
tive qualifications of candidates or
any other mertorious consideration
entering into the question Of
choice. Well, the entire candor with
which this confession is made, leads us to
respect, rather than disparage, its author.
The human mind unlearns with difficulty
what time and prejudice have long inculca-
ted as virtues, though the truth be ulti-
mately disclosed that such virtues are
only prepossessions in favor of vice, or a
garb put on to cover some defect in vir-
tue which is equivalent to vice. As we
prefer open, avowed enemies, to those who
are only SO in name, 50 we like The Dis
patch all the better for speaking its mind,
with no effort to conceal the truth on the
question in dispute between us. 2TH
But there are one or two points in The
Dispatches article of yesterday, which we
wish to dispose of here. 1t objects to our
test of character and qualification, even in
the case of policemen, and insists that the
appointment Of negro to office in ward
composed chiefly Of negroes, is an outrage
upon the white men in such ward, however
great their paucity in numbers, as COM
pared with the blacks. There may be but
two white men, and they entirely deficient
in character and qualifications, to as many
thousand qualified colored men according
to our neighbor, the right of these two
white men to have white police
men placed over them outweighs that of
the two thousand with qelored skins to have
colored policemen placed over them. But
our position is that a colored policeman is
placed over nobody. He is simply pub
lice servant, or civil officer under magis-
trate, whose duty it is to preserve the pub
lie peace, protect life, property, etc. and
we think, in a ward largely colored, he
may be far more efficient and useful in
ferreting out crime and bringing offenders
to justice than a white man, especially
where be is under the direction of an intel
ligent and competent police magistrate,
with warrants to serve upon those of his
own color.
The Dispatch makes no allowance for
the prejudices Of the colored man, but in
sists that white prejudice alone shall settle
the question; and this, it assures us, is
not only its position, but that of the white
people of Richmond and of all Virginia. If
this be SO, the adoption of the fourteenth
and fifteenth amendments of the constitution
by the Conservative party of the state was
a sham, and very shabby one at that. 1t
was trick to impose the white mans pre-
judice upon the black man, as an element
Of power in a free government, and may
be urged as an excuse for The worst sort of
intolerance by the blacks where
ever they may be numerically in
the ascendant in the United States. The
Dispatch should dry up on the negro gov
ernments of South Carolina and Louisiana,
if it insists upon carrying out so malign
principle in Virginia. If white men may
govern negroes by prejudice and intolel-
ance in the Old Dominion, by what rule are
negroes to 60 vern white men in the Pal
metto state? Or does The Dispatch fall
back on the divine right. OF the few land
those of its own color to govern the
many? We hugely suspect it of entertain-
ing very strong proclivity in that direc-
ton.
But the whole question is bagatelle, after
all. in the estimation of our contemporary.
The principle we laid down as one which
we believe the colored people of the state
would accept, is secuted at by The Dis
patch, on the ground that negroes "never
can have the qualifications I" to entitle
them to office under it. Well, if our neigh
Dor believes this-if he believes that every
man on our police force is the superior of
Mr.. John Oliver and Samuel B.
GARRISON, in intelligence, character,
and capacity-he has no occasion to fly at
our position, and peck at it as a dove
would at an ugly falcon. If we are
wrong and The Dispatch right, in our esti-
mate of qualification, there is an end to the
dispute between US, even upon our own
proposition. We 60 for the requisite quail
ification without regard to color. The Dis
patch goes for color without reference to
qualification. Its genetic definition of the
negro as having his mental volume boun-
1ad NV n copofapt ourxo nf r,l,to ,,,,.1a,.;