Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-12-01
ADDRESS OF THE DEMOCRATIC
STATE COMMITTEE TO THE PEG.
III T. OF VIRGINIA.

ADDkESS Of IL DEMoSIkhl liz /
STATE COMMITTEE TO THE PEG. |
PIE OF VIRGINIA.
The State Central and Executive Commit
ees desire to congratulate the democratic
party Of Virginia upon great and signal
triumph at the polls. This is their formal
duty but, to give full rein to the feelings
of the hour, their congratulations must
extend farther and embrace all the
people of this State and all the
friends of republican government in every
part of the Union; for an ancient Common
wealth has bccen redeemed, travesty OF
free institutions will no longer disgrace the
earliest home of political liberty in Amer
ca, Virginia has shaken off the degrading
chains of a corrupt and corrupting tyranny.
The late election illustrated many OF the
best features of popular government. None
ever more deeply stirred the hearts Of the
voters: vet, in substance, the peace was
nowhere broken.
\ revolution in the government was ell
fccted; vet the machinery of the election
was under the control aud absolutely IN the
hands of the party now driven from power
The colored race, inllamed by ambitious
delnagouleS, with unreas0ning prejudice
against their white Gellow-citizens were led,
with rare exceptions, in solid battallons to
cast their votes against the party now trl-
umphant vet no trace Of passion or resent.
ment against the colored people will find
any place in the conduct or the legislation
of that partv. The liberal declaration of
principles to which the democratic party
pledged themselves III July last, when they
asked the votes Of the people, will not cease
TO be their guide in the hour of victory
Every pledge of that declaration will be full
filled as the most sacred promise.
These general statements would suffice in
VIRGINIA. where the facts are known to give
the only answer needed an indignant de-
uial--io The mInlndcd charges against the
rood people Of this State contained in re-
cent addrcs>, from the leader Of the Coali-
ton party. But AZ hat manifesto was meant
to affect the opinion of distant communities,
its principal allegations must be noticed i'll
detail.
1t is not necessary, however, TO expose
infinitely the mistakes in figures and fallacies
in argument which pervade and vitiate all
the boastful claims therein made as 10 what
the Coalition party has accomplished for Nlr-
GINA.
1t Insufficient to say that the public schools,
both in the acts establishing them and the
later legislation which prevented diversion
OF the funds rightfully their own, are the
creation Of the democratic party.
The railroad and industrial progress of
the last few years has been achieved in Viz
ginin in sympathy and cooperation with the
great movement Of energy and enterprise
which ha@ enriched neighboring states dur
inn The same period. and in spite of bad laws
1 ~. l,A In, 4 fill n
trranrc- Of the Coalition manifesto may he
thus dismissed with il few words, but It's
charmc,, Of intimidation Of voters and sys
ic,aic violence and hlocdshed shall have a
NOR" careful sud detailed refutation.
the voters were inundated, as alleged,
tie result ought 10 appear in II diminished
total vote, or at any rate, in diminished
coalition vote. What are the facts?
The total vote cast in 1876 the largest
ever cast before this year-was 233.222S.
The total vote cast this year was 2I2, GJl,
or 81 900 more than III 1876.
I'm 1876. sS at this election. the payment
of capitution-iaX was not qualification Of
voters.
In 1850 The entire vote cast was 81 600
less than the vote of this year. In 1882 it
was -. Wn less. One sixth in number of
the entire population, white and black: mi
nors and adults, male and female, voted i'll
the late election.
Upon these figures alone the question
NAV we'll he asked, Where are the voters
who were deferred from voting? lntimlda-
ton at elections by secret ballot must opcr.
ate almost exclusively TO prevent voters
from voting ut all. Now, the enormously
increased aggregate of the total vote must
alone 90 far 10 rcmovc the suspicion OF such
undue Influence but when it further appears
that the cualitun party actiallyincreased its
vote by more than l%,nun ifthe comparison is
the election orlSSl and by more than u, 600
that Is. hy more than Que fourth COM
pared with the coalition vote of 1882, it
may nc fairly asserted that all the general
indications which ought TO disclose intimi.
,latiou of voters are absent from this cleo
ton. In truth, the only ground on which
the charge rests is the partisan necessity of
suggesting some reason other than the
natural reason TO explain the defeat of the
coaItionists ut the polls. Now, it is iortu-
natcly possible to analyze the votes ofccrtain
counties in which the perfect purity of
election, so far as the democrats are con-
cerncd, has never been impugned, and in
Which the negro element is comparatively
unimportant. Take the votes ofthc counties
shown in the following table, many of
which had been strongholds of the coall-
tionists
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