Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-12-11
A DIR II . .
OF THE
Democratic State Committee
TO THE
PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA.

PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA..
The State Central and Executive Com
mittees desire to congratulate the Demo-
cratic 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 Commonwealth has
been redeemed, travesty of free institu-
tions will no longer disgrace the earliest
home of political liberty in America, Vir-
ginia has shaken off the degrading chains of
q 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; yet, in substance, the peace was
nowhere broken.
A revolution in the government was eff
fected; yet the machinery of the election
was under the control and absolutely in the
hands of the party now driven from power.
The colored race, inflamed by ambitious
demagogues, with unreasoning prejudice a.
gainst their white fellow citizens, were led,
with rare exceptions, in solid battalions to
cast their votes against the party now
triumphant, yet no trace Of passion or re-
sentiment against the colored people will
find any place in the conduct or the legisla-
ton of the party. The liberal declaration
of principles to which the Democratic par
ty pledged themselves in July last, when
they asked the votes of the people, will not
cease to be their guide in the hour of vic
tory. Every pledge Of that declaration will
be fulfilled 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
denial-to the unfounded charges against
the good people of this State contained in a
recent address from the leader of the Coali-
ton party. But as that manifesto was
meant to affect the opinion of distant COM
munities, its principal allegations must be
noticed in detail.
1t is not necessary, however, to expose
minutely the mistakes in figures and falla-
cies in argument which pervade aud vitiate
all the boastful claims therein made as to
what the Coalition party has accomplished
for Virginia.
It is sufficient to say that the public
schools, both in the acts establishing them
and the later legislation which prevented a
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 Vir-
ginia in sympathy and cooperation with
the great movement of energy and enter
prise which has enriched neighboring States
during the same period, and in spite of bad
laws and worse administration. The boast
full utterances of tine Coalition manifesto
may be thus dismissed with few words,
but its charges of intimidation of voters
and systematic violence and bloodshed shall
have more careful and detailed refutation.
If the voters were intimidated. as alleg-
ed, the result ought to appear i'll a dimin-
1shed total vote, or, at any rate, in a dimin-
ished Coalition vote. What are the facts T?
The total -ote cast in Virginia in 1876
the largest ever cast before this year-was
235, ,228.
The total vote cast this year was 272, 654,
or 1900 more than in 1876.
In 1876, as at this election, the payment
of a capitation-tax was not a qualification
of voters.
In 1880 the entire vote cast was 81, 900 less
than the vote of this year. In 1882 it was
70, 900 less. One sixth in number of the
entire population, white and black, minors
and adults, male and female, voted in the
late election.
Upon these figures alone the question may
well be asked, Where are the voters who
were deferred from voting? Intimidation
at elections by secret ballot must operate
almost exclusively to prevent voters from
voting at all. Now. the enormously-in-
creased aggregate of the total vote must
alone 60 far to remove the suspicion of such
undue influence; but, when it further ap-
pears that the Coalition party actually in
creased their vote by more than IS, 900, if
the comparison is with the election of 1881,
and by more than 26, ,000-that is, by more
than one fourth-as compared with the
Coalition vote of 1882, it may be fairly as
serted that all the general indications which
ought to disclose intimidation of voters are
absent from this election. In truth, the
only ground on which the charge rests is
the partisan necessity of suggesting some
reason other than the natural reason to ex-
plain the defeat of the Coalitionists at the
polls. Now, it is fortunately possible to
analyze the votes of certain counties in
which the perfect purity of the election, SO
far as the Democrats are concerned, has
never been impugned, and in which the ne
gro element is comparatively unimportant.
Take the votes of the counties shown in the
following table, many of which had been
strongholds of the Coalitionists: