The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1882-07-29
A Test.
A Test.
DO the Mahoneitcs believe that thei

no the Mahoneitcs believe that theii
marty contains one half the white voters OF
virginias We have often known them to
net up such claim. II they are In earnest,
they ought to be very seriously concerned
"A 20 the fate Of their candidate for con-
gressman at large; for II the claim alluded
10 be well founded, the negroes will have
n N their power to elect to Congress next
November the Rev. Mr.. DAWSON, the negro
candidate. Virginia has never had negro
representative In Congress, and Is mol
likely. = have one very soon, we suppose
unlesssit be fact that the whites are SO
nearly equally divided as to put 1t into
their power to secure that honor for man
Of their race, and thus for their race ITSELF
What are the facts? We have before us
"Consus Bulletin No. 300" showing the
number Of males Of voting age In each Of
the United States. The number In VIZ
p1nia Is much larger than those not familiar
with the facts are apt to suppose. There Is
no exagperatlon Of the number, however,
rs is sufficiently evidenced by the fact thai
the entire population Of the State is almost
exactly five times the voting population
The whole number OF voters IN Virginia
that Is, OF men over twenty-one years o'd-
IS 334,505. OF these 20G,24S are whites'
and 12s,257 are colored Including Few
Chinese, &C.,. In round numbers, there
are 206. 900 white voters and lbs, 900 colored
voters. As the half of 100000 is only 1857
600, whilst the number OF negro voters Is
12s, 900, 1t follows that II the white voters
divide equally between WISE and MASSEY,
and the negroes vote sOlidly for DAWSON,
the last named will be elected by majority
OF $4,000 il all the voters are at the polls,
or by a majority as large relatively to the
whole number Of votes cast, whatever this
number may be.
The regular Democrats do not concede
that one half the white voters are Coalition
lists; nor even one third Of them. In this
city, for instance, DANIEL received about
5000 white votes, and CAMERON about
$500 votes, principally negroes. In East
ern Virginia generally, with exceptions
here and there, the number Of whites vo-
ting for CAMERON was very small. West OF
the Blue Ridge it was otherwise. AT any
rate, the regular Democrats do not con-
slider that there is the least danger that the
negro candidate for Congress will sue
coed as consequence OF their action.
Surprising that their candidates receive
this year as their candidates received
last year, 100000 white votes, and
DAWSON and WISE receive between
them $4,000 votes, as CAMERON did last
year, it is evident that the two latter will
be distanced if they divide the 10000
votes about equally between them. But
will they be so divided? II DAWSON re-
ceives the solid negro vote he will be
second in the race. So that from the
Democratic point OF view there is no dam
ger of DAwsON's election. But not so from
the Coalitionists' standpoint. When they
claim that they can control half the white
votes in the State they do in effect concede
that II the negroes vote sOlidly for DAWSON
it is possible Virginia may be represented
i'm the next House Of Representatives by q
negro.