The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-02-17
Who ia Responsible p

SoHiC VI Liz coioIcu pcoPio Will uho A''7""
justers in the campaign of 1879. 1t states
that they care nothing about the debt, mas
much as they had no part in its creation,
nor do they care about Mr.. McCulloch or
the bondholders, and intimates, as has been
frequently done before, that they are re-
sponsible for the defeat of the MeCulloch
plan of settlement adopted by the Legisla-
ture of lS77-7S. Assuming all this to be
true, for the sake of the argument, where
does the blame lie ? With the party that
is upheld by the Landmark. From the time
the True Republican party" threw off its
disguise and assumed the nominalism of Con-
sentative, the primary object with 1t has
been to practically annul the amendments
to the National Constitution, in their guar
antees and protection to the colored man.
Its work is epitomized in the restriction up
on suffrage, the enlargement of the range
of d sfranchisement in the criminal laws
and in the whipping-post. These changes in
the conditions under which the ''True Re-
publican" party was passed into power,
through Republican influence and votes,
were, every one of them, directed against
the colored voter. They were designed to
strip him of the rights the Constitution as
sured him, and the people of Virginia had
pledged themselves he should enjoy. In
stead of generous consideration for the
condition Of the negro resulting from in
voluntary slavery and the fidelity of the
race to the white people, not only during the
war, but for two hundred years previous
thereto, and recognition of the duty to aid
andencourage him in the new relations which
were suddenly thrust upon him, as to gov
eminent, labor and society, hostile policy
was adopted, and neither statute nor Or
ganc law was respected in carrying it out.
Had humane and catholic methods been in
stituted, a broad philanthropy ruled, and
the intelligence and sagaeity of the party
in power 10 the State been directed to their
Improvement and education into the duties
and responsibilities of citizenship, through
liberal laws and christian counsel, instead
of the enactments to practically decitizenize
and degrade them, the negroes, to-day,
would be of the most conservative elements
of the Commonwealth. They were driven
away by harsh legislation from any and all
utilization with the Conservative party, and
it was perfectly natural for them to lean to
any faction or party which manifested
purpose to antagonize those who had thus
proved their political enemies. With the
colored man. the political and civil rights,
which are so outrageously assailed and in
some instances denied. are dearer than any
other consideration connected with govern
ment. These are to him, as they are to eve
ry freeman. of higher dignity and will be
more tenaciously defended than any other.
The amendments to the State Constitution
fixing a tax on the voting privilege and
extending the DISTINGUISHING provisions
of the criminal laws, so as to make the most
trivial offence work disfranchisement, were
aimed at the negro, and he feels it. Nor is
he so ignorant that he cannot appreciate
the motives which instigated this line of
policy and the purpose that fed and nour-
ished it nor is he incapable of understand
ing the false pretenses through which the
against him
If the Landmark and its Democratic con-
freres will study the history of the party
they represent and its dealings with the po-
litical and civil rights of the colored man,
they may readily comprehend why it is that
the colored voter will seek alliance with
any party or faction that promises his delv-
erence from such injustice and wrong. If it
is demonstrated that the Republican party
ispowerless of itself to work out the re-
forms and notifications in legislation ne
cessary to place the negro where the Con-
stitution OF the country designed he should
be, with all the rights it assures guarded
and secured, then it may be expected that
he will unite with any other party that will
aid in emancipating his race from this mod
err species of slavery, and restoring to him
the privileges and rights of which he has
been robbed. 1t is with no primary purpose
to infiict an injury upon the credit of the
State, that with him the State debt is sec
ondary in Importance to his manhood rights
He has an example, impressed by repeated
acts OF the Conservative party, that there
are questions of paramount Importance to
the State debt, and if the Conservative
party could practically repudate the inter-
est on the bonds of the Commonwealth by
falling to make provision for its payment,
for fear that proposition to increase the
taxes to meet the legal demands of the
creditors would effect its destruction, it is
not marvellous departure from the duties
of citizenship for the negro to combine his
efforts with all others who are at war with
the party that has proved not only faithless
to the credit of the State, but the solemn
pledges it has made to observe and respect
the strict letter OF the cardinal and statute
laws of the nation, obligations just as high
and as sacred as any other which rest
upon the people.
Whatever relation the colored voter of
Virginia may maintain to the public discus
sion and determination of the debt question
will be directed by consideration for his
own security and the restoration of the
rights OF which he has been unjustly de-
prived. Ii the canvass upon which we are
about entering should find any of them ar
rayed with the Re-adjusters, it will be be-
cause they have been driven there by the
harsh treatment of the Conservative party.
We hope to see the Republican column I'M
broken, for we believe it will, be in the power
of that party, with concerted action and
well organized forces, to command nu-
merical strength in the Legislature suffi-
Gent to determine much of it's legislation,
and elect the State officers. But should the
developments of the preliminary canvass
demonstrate otherwise, the Landmark and
its short-sighted co-laborers may prepare
for an opposition that will be strong
enough and fierce enough to at least excite
their well-grounded fears, if not effect an
utter overthrow and destruction of the party
OF prejudice and passion they represent.
1t comes with bad grace from any repre-
sentative paper of the Democratic party of
Virginia to arraign any class of voters as
responsible for the debt complications. 9TH.