Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-12-01
THE NEGRO IN VIRGINIA


A resident of Gordousville, Va, in letter
to the New York SIN says:
"rhe great prominence into which the
colored race OF Virginia has been brought
by unfortunate circumstances attending the
recent election impels me to give a briefpcn
picture of the negro as he is, and a state
ment of facts as they exist.
II wish it to be understood that l am not
a Virginia Bourbon. On the contrary, |
have been Jealous supporter of the Liberal
cause since its inception, fighting shoulder
to shoulder with the radical negro party, as
it is derisiyely styled by the democrats of
the State Furthermore, feel that have
a right 10 speak on this question, because
for three generations my family have lived
and part Of the time owned slaves in Vir-
ginia.
with only superficial sense OF his moral
duties, not very deeply imbued with prn-
ciples of decency, honesty, and virtue, IN
capable of Intelligent selt-governmcnt, with
an inadequate conception of his rights, with
weakness, vacllatiou, ignorance, credulity.
Incidence, and indulgence as his prominent
characteristics, the Virginia negro was sud-
| tenlN NtSlcu WIFI luC IlSllo VI
''No wonder that he became the willing
dupe of political charlatans, who, TO accom-
| plish their ends, took prompt advantage Of
| his condition. Under the leadership and in
struclon Of adventures, he soon lost his
kindly feelings and respect for his former
master, and viewed him in the light of an
oppressor. He came to the conclusion
that the bottom rail was on top"
and, instead Of being longer !; servant he
sought TO be ruler. He knew nothing Of
| politics, but he had instilled into his credu-
| ious mind spirit of opposition 10 the
whites-his real friends and beuetactors-
and, as il consequence, he steadily, per-
sistently, stubbornly opposed them at every
| election.
$50, in order TO protect the State from
negro rule, the conservatives in 1875 passed
a law requiring the payment Of the capita
ton tax, the receipt for which was to be
presented to the judges of election before
any citizen could vote. This DISTINGUISHED
thousands OF negroes, as well as many thous.
and whites. Becoming IL prolific source of
corruption, the capitation prerequisite law
was abolished at the last session ithe Legis-
| laturc.
The repeal Of this odous law was q pet
measure OF the liberal party, and it was
thought that the repeal would greatly aug
ment the liberal vote. But 10! it proved Il
boomerang that returned and fioorcd its
inventor For at the first election there
after Nov. &, 1885, the democrats were over
whelmingly victorious
"rhs victory has cost Virginia dearly.
The cxt:elnists in the liberal party, without
the nanlincss 10 acknowledge the defeat
and gracefully accept the situation have set
UP q howl, nagrantly and vchementiy tier
aling and reterating charges of intimda-
ton bulldoZing, coercion, and wholesale
murder of the negro against the opposition.
| The vilest, coarsest epithets are hurled ut
the heads of the good white people of this
commonwealth, and the refrain is caught
up by extremists and fanatics all over the
country, and contumely, inVectlve, and
abuse arc heaped upon Virginia with in
creased violence and emphasis.
''They would have the people outside of
| Virginia believe that the recent defeat of the
Liberal party was due to an organized sys-
TEN of intimidation; that murder was re-
sorted to by the opposition in all parts OF
the State that negroes were massacred il
the city of Danvlle by wholesale: in short,
that the shotgun policy reigned supreme.
"Whie the democracy of this State mani
fest a strong partisan feeling, it cannot he
truthfully said that they resort to the bar
barous methods attributed TO them. !"
"One count in the indictment against the
democrats by the malgners of Virginia is
that at Madison Court House negro was
murdered because he dared assert his political
convictions. Madison Court House is only
twenty miles from this place. | have had
an opportunity of learning the truth with
regard to this affair. The fact is that poll
| i: Il iptn ba oil
negro, instead Of being Liberal, has, for a
number of years. voted the democratic tick
ct. | know the murderer personally and
the impression | have Of him is that he is a
drunken, irresponsible rowdy. AS to his
politics, never heard him express himself
| This affair was only q drunken row, IN
which the negro was killed.
Judging the other statements by this af-
fair, 7 think it can be reasonably assumed
that all are false. But the vote itself is in
controvertible and convincing proof that
Yazoo methods are not practsed to any ex
tent in Virginia. The total voting popula-
ton of the State is 3334 sos, Of which 2o6, ,24S
are white and 12S,257 are colored. Now
for the proof that voters were not intimi-
dated at the late election. The aggre-
gate vote poled on the 9th OF this month
was 271 $50, an increase on the vote of 1876
of Sc COS votes, SO,036 more than was polled
in 1880, greater by57, sos than thew of1SS1,
and 1876 more than was polled in 1882.
No one charged bulldozing and intimida-
tion at any of those elections yet the vote
was much smaller than that polled this
year. Does this look as if there was reign
of terror in Virginia?
"Besides this have the means of know
ing something of the inwardness of the
campaign just closed. In this county, Or
ange, the voting population is nearly equal
" divided, there being 1,4G2 whites against
1855 blacks. Yet, to my certain knowl-
edge, there was no bulldozing here. The