The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-09-09
Communicated.

oecy 81 council of Central Ev Luth. Churcn, Staui
ton, Va
Communicated.
COMMENTS ON THE ADDRESS OF THE coLoEEp HAN
COCK AND ENGLISH CLUB OF RICHMOND, va.
Edttofs QStns Ktllev giTginian:
I pro missed to speak of some other points In TN
address' issued by the Colored Democratic " GU
at Richmond, ana Will commence at the part o
Ghe address where these words are used IAN! pau
which has for years the disposal OF millions OF mon
ey and thousands of public offices will become cor
rupt and the Republican party has not escaped uii
consequence. The interests OF the country demand
change OF administration and that can only pc OF
fected through the Democratic party. The mrs
sentence OF this quotation Is not perfectly sount
statement, butI suppose that the trainers OF theau
dress were, like good old Patrick Henry, judging
the future by the past, for 1t is matter OF history
that from the time tho Democratic party came lntt
power until 1861, the government very corrupti1
administered: ct 1t does not follow, as natufa
consequence, that the Republican party has become
corrupt the contrary, 1t is another matter OF MS
tory that the government has been pretty honesty
administered for the last twenty years.
The sentence of the quotation makes startling
declaration: ''The interests OF the country demand
a change OF administration" SO say our coloret
Democrats. Now let consider whether the IN
of the country really demand any change OF
not cannot better present this case Tor consdera
ton than by quoting the preamble OF the Natlond
Republican platform adopted by the Chicago Con
yenton. 1t says: The Iiepab1 can party Suppressed
a rebellion which had armed nearly million OF
men TO subvert the national authority; IL recon,
aLructcu the onion oI states Win If6cuOu luSttdu
OF slavery its corneiStone IL transformed 4,OU0,
600 human beng5 from the likeness OF things TO the
citizens; 1t relieved Congress from the ina
nous WORK OF hunting fugitive slaves, and charged
it to soc that slavery exist; 1t has raised
the value OF paper currency from 80 per CENT I,
the par of gold; 1t has restored on solid pas1s
ment in coin OF all national obligations, and mas
given a currency absolutely good and equal IN
every part of extended country 1t has lifted the
credit the nation from the point where per cent
bonds sold Sc, to that where per cent bonds are
eagerly sought premium. ''Under It's admins
trton railways have Increased from 81 0OO miles III
1860 to than 81 600 miles in 1872 our foreign
trace increased from 500 900 to S,15O,OOOOoO In
the same time and our exports, which were S2O,OOO
coo less than our imports In 1861 were 800
more than imports in 1879. Without reSoft1lg
loans it has, since the war closed, betrayed the
ordinary expenses of the Government besides the
accruing interest the public debt, and has dis
bursed annually more than $4,000, OOO for soldiers,
and sailors pensions 1t has paid SoOOOOOOO Oh the
public debit and, by refundlng the balance al
lower rates. has reduced the annual interest charge
from nearly sl50O000O0 10 less than SS90O000O All
industries of the country have revived labor is
in demand, wages have increased, and throughout
the entrecountr there is evidence OF coming pros
perity creator than we have ever enjoyed UPON
RECORD the Republican party asks for the con-
tinued confidence and support OF the people,.
This is hepuOttcun evidence, but it Is trae. NOW
show how why the interests Of the country de-
mand change OF administration The above QUO
tatiOn from the platform contains simple enumer-
alton OF facts which cannot be contradicteds
But FL re4rlange the sentence spoken OF, In this
way: 'sThe interests OF the hungry Democratic
off1ce-seekers, together with some OF our colored
place hunters demand any change that Is likely to
give them one OF those heavenly things. a govern
office" Any who will look the facts in the
face will confess that the country is in very pros
porous condition, and there is no need OF 'chanSe
III the administration and certainly Inc interests OIL
the country 10 not demand a Democratic admins
tration, and never Will until the democracy ceases
to.gtJ"T the St4ne Hr"ctpes tdt lee 4ata Sdchsoas
fottyht four ge,,rs TOR expressed by General
Hampton not long since. The address assures us
that change 'can only be effected through the
Dom ,cratic par5y'' This is very encouraging
tn tbnGn u,n knnIU N
whole country is for the Jow-boy, scholar, citizen
soldier, statesman and Pres tdent, Gen. James
A. Garfield. The cry four years ago was sreform
now the only excuse the Democrats oHer for want
ing to have full control OF the government Is
'change;' thought tho cry would nave been Inc
fraud Of 1876 The Democratic platform, In speak
ing of the 'fraud of 49, says "This issue precedes
and dwarfS every other" Ii there was fraud COM
mitted in 1876 by the Republican party, the country
should hur ii from power, but conference.-the color
ed friends say change is issue before the vo-
ters Of this great Republic. The patrtottc ctttzens
ty denittnd tie continuance IF the Republican purity
pooer ''If that party (the Democratc) has here
ofore given few pledges to colored men, 1t has pro-
ken none" Such is The language OF the address,
but DOESN'T 1t look little strange that the coored
voter is asked to accept the pledges that may be
given by party which has always been unfavorable
the laws passed for his especial protection? The
that address certainly never felt the
fangs of slavery. SO can account for the whole ad-
dress by assuming that it was either written by d
white person, as asserted by 'lu1ckS1ver IN lot
ter published In the ~ gtuto fos or 1t was writ
ten some SOfeheadS belonging TO the class called
s'free-negroes.' Perhaps these colored Democrats
o0meo negro or two before the war, ''on The stu."
The time has not yet come when the colored voter
Will trust any pledge the Democratic party makes
him. The coiored voter judges the future by the
past, and, judging by the past, what has the demo-
cratic party done enttle 1t to his favor and
confidence? let soD4e good Democrot unstoer. "That
party is pledged to the maintenance OF the Union.
so says the address, but it pledged to that in
1860 and yet it sought the overthrow of the Union
lit is pledged o the preservation of all the rights
and privileges of coored people conferred by the
20 our colored Democrats say, but
right here In Virginia, Notwithstanding the const1tu
zion of the United States says that the right to vote
shall not be abridged except for participation In re-
beliion other crime, we have law requiring the
of one dollar head tax, before a citizen
can vote. reform Of the government means the
turning out OF all Republicans that are in office
and filing their places with Democrats. And then
the government will, very likely, be administered
more economically, and the taxes consequently re-
uuccd God save the nation from s'the cormofantS
and the commune 1! -
The address styles Gen'l Hancock as ssone who
among the galaxy of heroes and patriots who expos
ed their lives for The integrity of the government In
the darkest hours, The noDleSt OF them all. Ev
cry colored man ktot0S that GRANT was the nobeSt
Of them ALL and so does every other fair-mtnded
person in The whole world The right of trial by ju
~, the habeas corpus the liberty of the press, the
freedom Of speech, the natural rights OF persons,
and the rights of property were preserved before
ten hancock born. These six rights were the
doctrines laid down in the Const1tu
lion; therefore Gen. Hancock is entitled to no eX-
ira praise for simply repeating the fundamental
principles upon which our government was found
I'd,
The white people Of the South sshave been slow to
accord political equality not 'because we gave
them cause to fear the use that would make of
our power by the blind devotion have evtnced to
a party imbued with prejudice against the South
us to be incapable OF doing JUSTICE, but because
they have always considered US born for nothing
Else but slaves We intend to correct the MUS
lice which they have done u.s. by voting with the
party which gave the six rights that they say
gave to the people of Louisiana and Texas
he is indeed elevated to the dignity Of American
citizenship" and that with judgment and equity we
exercise its rights.
l agree with the address in the statement that
through the labors of the African the white
people once enjoyed great prosperity, but the color
ed people Will know thai the freedom which
We now have was rather the gift of envy and 5eal-
ousy than of philanthropy. Was the work of such
men as VIM. Lloyd Garrison, Wendell Phillips, and
other great advocates Of liberty the gift envyand
ealously philanthropy?An intelligent person will
ay it the gift of philanthropy and not Of jeal-
)uSy forthe North had no cause to be jealous or the
oouth'S slave labor when they the citizens of the
North were far more wealthy, Intelligent and proc
sresstve with free labor Yreserout.o Of tile
rights spec! ed by Gen. Hancock in order No. 4O
They will not they cannot forget past services"
Ind that is the reason they willing TO grant us
e4ual rights before the law; the s'memor1es of the
past yet float before them, and they then prone
. wish for The ante beit.n days and the sConstitu-
ton as it was ''Our liberties" says the address,
are safe from interference at their hands,. And so
are they safe from interference the hands Of the
party which made us free; therefore we are Repub-
leans from choice, and not from fenr.
The address closes by saying: ''and we have but to
show that we know that our interests and their In
erestS are the same to win from them regard
more cordial and more sincere than politicians are
likely to more than profess
[ assert perfectly sound doctrine that we will
gain respect from the Democratic party and es
pecally the Democrats of the South by fidelity to
party than will by deserving 1t and going to
he party which we k7a0o to be our enemy to have
oeen our enemy in the past Our duty then, Is to
stand up to the party that gave liberty
am satisfied that the address will not accom-
olish much, for it contains too many glaring mis-
and unsound doctrines. The coored vo-
Ter must be alive to his interests he will be de-
,eived by such arguments put forth by the
address.
Let us be warned by the abuse the Funder Demo-
rats of thisState heap upon theNegro,a let
ice the 1nsincerty OF the Readjusters They passed
in the Legislature disappearing the de-
slon of the Supreme Court in regard to the action
II Judge hives in the Reynolds case They profess
% have desire to abolish the law requiring the
payment Of the head before voting, but they re-
used to make that tax mere nominal sum this
rear.
Review all the partisan measures of the Democrat
C party in Congress- read the sentiments of the
Democrats expressed by their newspapers
throughout the length and breadth of this
great country: remember that by high authority
ye are told that the Democracy is Eghtinq for the
nne prineipieS Mtd Lee and Jdckson fought fou,
for, and colored VOTER you will not be very
likely to desert the Republican party Let us vote
or principles, not men; but mon the representa-
i've of principles.
Yours for liberty, G AN,
HARRIsoNBURG, VA.