The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-09-09
Asking COIOred Votes.

HOW HON. ALEXANDER II. STEPHENS APPEALS
TO TIE BETTER JUDGMENT OF CoLoRED
MEN-wHAT lie HAS DONE FOR THE RACE.
In his speech in Atlanta, Ga, Alexander
III. stephens said: 81 wish to say some
thing TO the colored people who are pres
ent. want their attention. You have as
much interest in the pending contest as
YOUR white friends-perhaps more. You
| know that have been your friend. L may
be INDUCED by those who do not know me
in stating how have befriended and have
felt toward your race. was for your ed
ucation before the war. Thought II
wrong, thought il was against the inter
csts of both races, TO deny them education.
/ thought they could fill their places bet
ter with education. The Legislature OF
Georgia, under my entreaty ana
DR.. Talmage's published communications,
came within one vote OF allowing educa-
ton to the colOred people the year before
secession. After the war / divided my
plantation into five tencmentS, the heads OF
five families. | did not sell horse, nor a
mule, nor a COW, nor sheep, nor pig. i
divided all my stock with the heads OF faml-
lies and gave them provisions from my own
crib TO run them. The mulc-power. the
horsepower, the cows, the calves, the pigs,
the sows, and the sheep, to every one l
gave five head apiece. That is the way L
set them up. That shows YOU how / felt
toward them, and the whole OF these fami-
lies remain there to this day. They know
their friends. When there are short crops
see that they do not want. When there
are good crops they pay out. patronized
the first colorcd school ever in that coun-
ty-bOarded the teachers. | believed, rs
| said in my speech to the Legislature
i'm 1866. we ought TO educate thcm-we
ought to give them all civil rights. /
advocated it early-all the civil rights they
were entitled to. | have defended the
lives OF more, | expect, than any other
man in Georgia-saycd them from eXecu-
ton. | could detail many cases OF this
sort, but will not. This very year | had
four colorcd persons at the schools in At
lanta. some at the University and some at
the Ministers School-the Scminary-four
in all. educating them for the ministry.
will say no more. my colored friends. All
Won who want to know whether am your
friend or not, and have been, whether
have stood by you in your troubles. go
down where | am known. Ask Bishop
Turner, of this city; ask Bishop ilalscy, OF
Augusta; ask Mr.. White, Of Augusta.
They have all been at my house, and | have
entertained them with all respect, according
to their condition.
"Wcll. now. in this contest. from indica-
tions that have seen, it would appear that
it is the intention OF most OF thcm-that
seems to have been the WatchwOrd to go
QUITO vote solidly against the nominee OF
the Democratic party-against me. Wen,
I ia i
thing, the sensible men OF you, before YOU
take that step. | would admonish you, be-
cause YOU must know that il you take that
step simply because OF the nomination OF
the Democratic party, when you have no
objection, or can have none, to the candi-
date, you must know that it, ten
dency would be TO sOlidily the op-
position. 1t is the law OF nature.
Is it wise for you to do it? | do not solicit
or ask any mans vote except so fal
as his Judgment tells him it is his best in
tercst to 90, but when ! have done all this
for your race, and many other things, why
should you vote for my competitors Be-
cause / am 4 DcmOcratI Why, he says
that he is an older one and a better Demo-
crat than / am [appauscl; that he was a
Democrat when | was ferOciOusly aSSailing
II. Is III so! w ny SnOulu you CHOOSE I'm
instead Of me! Can he produce such a
record for your race a. | have? Take them
and compare them; | submit il to yo,I
! Judgment. out Of his own mouth he de-
clares roundly and repeatedly that he is an
older and better Democrat than | am.
What is your complaint against me? Is
! it simply to concentrate and 80 solidIy
against the nomination Of the Democratic
party! Consider! Think Ii You do the
natural tendency, however painful and re-
luctaDt it may he for patriots who have
been doing all they can for you TO elevate
| your race, however reluctant they may come
to the conclusion, the tendency will he. and
there it will end, race conflict. Is that
wise? / submit it to you rs sensible men,
men that ought to consider well what is
for your best interests. II that is made by
you, your best friends, however reluctant
ly, will feel constrained by law of nature
TO 20 solidly with their race on the oppo-
site side. A race issue will he thus Joined,
and you must know that you in the end
will be the sufferers from it. |, as your
friend, would urge you not to present this
|