Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1877-06-04
ALEXANDRIA VA, MONDAY, JUNE f. 1877.
Alefau0ria Q6axette
MONDAY, JUNE 1, 1877.
John Il. SyDhax or the Political Sit
natiOn.

john B. Syphax, who was slave on the
Arlington estate, but more recently has been
member Of the General Assembly of this State
from Alexandria county, has written the fol-
loving letter, which we take from the Wash
ingtou Capital:
ARLINGTON, VA, May 10, 1877.
{. l.. Jones, esq, Lynchbmy.
DEAR SIR: Your letter requesting my judg:.
mept as to the drift Of public sentiment, and
will seriously affect tho interests of the colorcd
people of Virginia, and what should be their
| hope and political action 10 the future, is now
before me. | Can but reitcratc what from the
| beginning seemed very clear, that whatever
difficulties or problems barred the natural ad-
| Justment Of the peculiar qu ucstlons resulting
| from the death Of slavery should, ought and
must be settled by the parties aCgrlcVcd in the
case. God has 81 ordained this. Man may
hesitate, doubt, defy, but he cannot reverse
this decree Now, if man goes to war like
Joshua, with an angel flying two feet above his
head, what matter whether he have one or y
thousand Iegons Yet. with divine aid under
cloud, admit that the cJiorel people OF the
country have in heaven 4 large stock upon
which to draw. What Is the primary condi-
ton OF relief? Political emancipation fou
must be liberated from the tyranny of power
which is lodged in fraud and controlled by dis
honest experts.
Some honest detective will write history
and show how freedom resulting from the fury
of circumstantia war was changed TO political
scrdom, with the ghost Of slavery a. its lie
and essence i|laltcrcd by official promi-
ncncr. 10 which they are not accustomed,
many negroes have been silcnced into what
appsrcnlIy received their deliberate sane.
,ion, while others. like Rlton's Satan, cry,
(which way | fly is hell; myself am
hell" and hutler jn the field ol imaginary
exploits tu die, like the moth, hy their own
folly MIR. RamSdclI holds the key to tho po
sltoD. Ask him TO resign rs chairman OF Your
State ceplral COMMITTEES; remind hlm that ha
is United States marshal for the eastern district
OF Virginia Tell him that there ARE grave
questions affecting the fate OF orr State with
which he is ignorant and 10 which he has no
interest; tell MIN that as the country ald Pres
idcu! Hayes coLcur IN your request, although |
lalr, he Cugnt 10 surrender at once. Now my |
plan was 10 push the negro INTO tho controversy |
in his uwn BEHALF anu ii had my way would |
paralyz, the tongue oi sentimental mcddIcrS |
always eager 10 champion hs cause. but whose
souls are stamped With burning Iuc Hurry |
iuate General ". H. 7. Lae tor governor AID |
cry peace. cancellation and Z restored union of
hearts and hands. God knows fail 10 see the |
superiority OF right in this wonderful column Of |
prolessed kindred sympathiea Our claims it |
would appear haze q priority OF date.
The South, by forcing the fight, l0Osened thc |
chains OF slavery IN 1868, but TIC red blood did !
rot cease 10 flow, nor he haad throw down the |
torch, until 1863 Many IDEAS present them
selves Just here, s1CighIy with the burden Of |
thought Nov. almost Il hundred yGarSago Mr.. |
,Jeilerson advised the Legislature Vi Virginia |
to culancilatc the slaves, obicctng TO their re-
naming in the State, because The pre- judices and
rrcOccti0nS OF past condition would destroy the
clements essential to peace 10 the body polite
am uciincd to believe that il this Iilust:i0us Nir
irian had lived fifty years later, ha'! witnessed
the annihiatcn Of tbs negro az 4 distinctive |
race; ii he could look upon Virginia to-day with
her glory under 4 cloud, could sec tEchantmCnt |
in The very ruins and humiliation, and with |
the inIabe principle in his mind that unlike |
attracts and like rcpcs, lie wcuhl with corll' |
deuce affirm that aliinlIea with her people do !
exist, aud that the day Is pot ISL distant when |
they will iJin, for veal 0G zoe, in the achieve
nielt and preservation Of Whatever Providence |
wills they should enjoy, an1 will develop and |
prh ;;lcsbO.
You EnDw that unsIatcsmln:!kn b!undcrS |
have been canmittcd s!ncc the close Of tho war; |
but suppose this is natural 10 4 country like |
ours, where III. scum nl creation was brought |
irta prominence b. the tide 0l revolution. l |
verify believe that Ii TIC biHnIcra ul rCCunstruG
tion and tic painful ioiilG5 Ot the last eight OF
ten wears had coui@uc1 two years later, the
triumph Of tho South rGn!I have been 10 sec
the statue Of jackson IL place OF Mop phcrs0n
and lee in the rotunla Of the national Capitol.
must cpi:OiolZr and cOiuc At once to tho spirit
of your inquiry. Mr.. Hayes lDcais well, hut
no mau ever came into au elective Oillca in a
hundred years surroundcd by such cnbarrass.
mcnts Il Mr. TiIden had been elected, and
had taken the same course as Mr.. Hayes,
sensational orators would have had their
| field, au,l from Maine to California a rc-
surcctel Conicdcracy would have fired
| The imagination, and the ncgro would have
continued the inevitable i0bty: hlr. Hayes
| has done for the North, South, EISt and West
| what Mr. Tlllcn could not bavc scarcely at
| tempted with any degree Of success. Dir.
| Hayes says that Wc have virtually thlrty-clght
little republics, make them equal IN FAC. AZ
| they are ia law, and although intermcddlIng
wa. the only stock and trade Of my party, yet
| !
wascd in the beginning for the ucgrp's liberty,
50 iu the end be must thrOW hmseI! upon God
and his own resources.
! Now this Information ha, been kept back,
but Mr. Hayes is honest 10 serving Do,lce even
| now. OF course no allowance must be made
for ignorance on this pop:. ] will prove to
you that the coorcd people arc sale and mani.
| testify the natural preservers Of government and
| narrics, II this was the trying hOnr seen by
Lincoln when the jewel OF American liberty
should be preserved by this class, theo they
c.nnot be forgotten for elec,ing Mr. Hayes, as
even Pennsylvania aud ONO, his own State,
| would have gone tor Mr. Tdcn We're it not for
their votes. Another view :-Ihcy can say
10 the people OF the South, We have done for
You What you could not do for yourselves. We
are out Of the fight, as allies half mi!liou
strong have opened the lines so Ibat they Gao
not be closed, and given chancn 20 show VI
| ,oE,, al rr;nrinlr IF any ryis WOuu be