The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1878-11-12
aitl1a,t,td ispalfh,
TrrEsp NovEMBER il. 1875,
! Free suffrage.
Speaking Of the recent elecs sohs, tlie Do

Free Suffrage.
sneakiug Of the recent elections, the Bos-
ton Transcript says s. .5 u.
IF free suffrage had been possible as the
South, the Republicans wotildt contfot tue
NEXT House OF Representatives by so large
q majority that no clerk Of the boay co 'llV'
change It's political complexion"
That Is to say II the negroes had been Of
loved to vote Cor the miserable carpet-bag'
gers and scaiawags whom they supported q
few years ago, the Republicans would have
elected majority OF the members OF tue
next House. It is assumed as fact that the
negroes were by force prevented from yotihg
orthc men OF their choice. Weknow not no"
true this is as to other States. Weican speak
for one state-yirginia. Here the negro is
lust as free TO vote as he desires TO vote as
the white man is. These northerners VINO
are raising all this clamor on the subject OF
the wrongs OF the negroes as voters would
clarnor Just as loudly in favor OF making
them voters il they were not now such. II
we OF the South allow the negro vote ana
he does not cast it for the candidate OF the
Republican party, all the blood o! the sate
war was shed for nothing. Ii we feiuse
him vote, 1t is equally true that the late
war was failure on the parf OF tue
North. Such are the teachings OF the raoid
Republican Journals OF The North. They
FIRST represent the negro as % man and
brother" entitled and qualified TO vote;
but Immediately turn round and represent
him as mere automaton, that the Republic
can party set UP in the South. de ough1
to be moved by wires in the hands OF MS
"friends," and ought never to vote 1or q
Democrat. II he is fit to vote he is capable
OF protecting himself in community In
which his race outnumbers at least TWO TO
one the white race. What sort OF "iree-
man y is he who permits himself to De
bulldozed into voting contrary TO BIS WISHES
by little fellow not half his size? Ana
that, too, when he has the whole power OF
the United States Government at MS Dack.
1t cannot be too often repeated that il the
negroes are to be allowed to vote Tor none
but Republicans, all the machinery Of eiec-
tions might SIS well be dispensed with, and
all the negro votes counted as so many he
publican votes. The census tables might
thus be made TO do duty in place OF the pal
lot-box. 1t is the same thing as calling the
negro an unqualified voter to say that ne
cannot vote for the man OF his choice be-
cause white man desires his vote for some
body else.
The negroes were made voters by the peo-
Die OF the North-not by those of the South.
However willing we may be now that the
negroes shall vote, it is not to be denied
that il the matter had been left to the deci-
sion OF the southern people the negroes
would never have had the right OF Suffrage.
In other words, the negroes were maze Vo-
tiers by wrong upon the southern people
and in violation OF the Federal Constitution.
We mean inst what we have said-that the
amendment comforting the right OF suffrage
upon the negroes was never ratinea
in the manner prescribed in the Fed
eral Constitution, but was forced upon
the States Of this section OF the Union.
1t was an outrage upon the free White
people OF the South and wrong done
to the people Of the entire Union When
the forms of government were thus by
the Republican party prostituted to the
basest Of uses-an attempt to perpetuate
the ascendancy OF the war party by the use
OF war measures in time OF peace. II the
schemers overreached themselves, and
placed in the hands OF the governing race
OF the country q weapon with which they
may defend themselves against the aggres-
sions OF the Republican party, nobody in
our end of the Union is to be blamed for it.
"Tbe tools to him that can use them'' is an
old saying.
But the North need not fear a 'ssolid
South " if sectional issues be dropped Let
the Presidential hattie be fought upon the
tariff question, or upon the currency ques-
ton, or upon any other politico-economica
question, and the voters OF the South will
no longer be all upon one side. 1t was out
side pressure that kept them united so long
Remove that and there will be in our sec
two parties viii be equally qualified to
control the votes of the negroes, and will
divide those votes between them. In Vir-
ginia the people are ready to range them
selves upon one and the other side Of all
such questions. In this district the Con.
seryatives are not unit on the tariff or the
currency question. III ali sectional issues
could be dropped, and all fear OF northern
aggressions dispelled, the white voters
would soon range themselves under different
bannerS Wron ps committed iIpon us by the
North made us all OF one mind. The fear
Of new wrongs will keep us united so long
as northern speakers and writers breathe
forth nothing but fire and slaughter when
speaking Of us. But remove this fear, and
il goes without saying that it would be i'm
possible to get all the people to vote together
il we Of the white race shall be allowed
60 free suffrage"
New York takes snuff and the whole CONN.,
try sneezes. The New York papers make