Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-09-21
ALE.mER OF The REV. J. W. DUNTEE X
HIS CoLoREc FRIENDS OF THE SOUTH.

So numerous are my letters from
Louisiana and from all parts of the
South, and from both races, that it
would consume large proportion OF
my time were l to attempt to answer
them in detail. I must, then, briefly
respond to them collectively and give
the more important reasons: that have
prompted me to cooperate with the
Conservatives and Democrats OF my
State and of the country in the support
of the men, measures and principles OF
the Democratic party.
claim no greater honesty or patrio-
tism than influences others OF my race,
who differ with me and who see pros
per TO unite with the few whites OF the
South in their crusade against the
great body Of the whites of my section,
| will not denounce them for so doing,
for they are but acting upon the pre-
iudices that have been instilled into
them by selfish and corrupt leaders, un
til they verify believe, in banding
together aud forming color line, they
are but performing their duty to their
God, their race and their country
While, however, / eoRceae to them
honesty of purpose, I claim like lnteg-
rity in following the dictates of my
honest and deliberate Judgment, and
feel perfectly we'll assured that the time
is not distant when our race through
out the South will not hesitate to de-
clare that the path | now point out to
them is the only one that can lead to an
abiding peace between the races, aao
that prosperity, happiness and content
ment that must be the desire of all wor
thy the smiles of beni6cent Provi'
dence.
There never was a time When the
TACT was more clearly perceived and fell
that the two races, and the colorcC
numbering 100000 and the whites
100000, have to live together within
the limits Of the sixteen Southern States
and that their highest moral intellec
tual, and physical well being depend or
the fact that both shall harmonic il
their respective spheres, so that eacf
may attain the greatest progress, in
these respects, to which their race i
capable
We believe, after ten years exper
fence, that this can best be attained by
the colored people ceasing TO antagon
ize the white race in their political cam
p&igns, and manifesting that confidence
politically in them which they daily
manifest towards them in their buslnes.
relations.
see constantly that oolored mer
trust most implicitly the whites in vita
matters appertaning to their contracts
for labor, by which they and thei
families are supported. Why, therefore
should we not equally trust them abou
our political matters, which are fa
interior in their bearing on our we'll
being?
If we answer candfdly why this wan
of confidence in political matters, VIZ
must say, in our judgment, it is due tx
the fact that our political guides an1
associates, mostly from the North, hav,
persistently instilled in the minds Of The
colored people the idea if the Democra
tic party obtain power that the amend
ments to the Federal Constitution anc
the guarantees of the States in behalf O
freedom would be repealed, and that VIZ
would be put back into slavery. Thu.
has placed the colored people politically
more in antagonism to the Southern
whites and rendered their minds more
susceptible to all forms of imposition a
the hands of the oarpet-bag elemen
than all other causes combined. The
experience, however, of Conservative o.
Democratic asoendency in the last 81,
or seven years in most of the Southe1
States, is causing the scales of perjudict
and error to fall very rapidly from oul
eyes, and so fal from placing our right,
in jeopardy we are rapidly learning tina
our personal security seems to be only
assured to rs where that party has con-
trol in the South
We begin, further, to see that such q
dire result as pulling four millions OF
people back into bondage is not even
desired by the larger class of the
Southern whiteA if they could accom-.
plish it, and we begin. moreover. to
learn that IFS accomplishment is utterly
impossible, even if they desire it. In
fact, the public sentiment of all civilized
nations would be utterly hostile to it,
if it should be desired by the Southern
whites, backed up by the Northern
people.
In regard to the Fourteenth amend
ment, which gives TO the Southern
States some thirteen or fourteen more
members of Congress, and, by con-
sequence, the same number in the
electoral college, more than they would
have without it; the Southern whites
controlling this additional political