Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1883-12-01
VIRGINIA TROUBLES.
Address of the Democratic State Com
mittee to the People of Virginia

hltHMoND, VA. Nov S0.-The State Cen
tral and Executive Committees desire to coll
gratulate the Democratic party Of Virginia
upon great and signal triumph at the polls
ms Is their formal duty; but, to give full
rein TO the feelings OF the hour. their congratu-
lations 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 institutions
Will no longer disgrace the earliest home of
political liberty IN America, Virginia has
shaAen on the degrading chains of a corrupt
ana 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 no.
where broken.
revolution in the government was
effected; yet the machinery of the election
was under the control and absolutely in
power.
The colored race, inhamed by ambitious
demagogues, with unreasonaing prejudice
against their white Ow-citiZens were led
with rares exceptions. in solid battalions TO
cast their votes against the party now trium-
phant; yet no trace Of passion or resentment
against the cOlOreG people will find anv place
IN the conduct or the legislation of that party
The liberal declaration of principles to which
the Democratic party pledged themselves in
July last, when they asked the votes of the
people, viii not cease to be their guide in the
hour Of victory. Every pledge of that de-
claratiOn 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 mcclellan
indignant denial-tO the unfOunded charges
against the good people of this State contained
in recent address from the leader of the Co
alitlon party. But as that manifesto was
meant 10 affect the opinion Of distant commu-
mites, its principal allegations must be no
ticed in detail.
In the address of Gen. Malone systematic
murder and blOOdshed are charged in Charles
City. Halifax, Hanover, ElOyG, Augusta
Madison and Lee counties, and in the town of
In those counties Except Madison) the
Coalitionists polled 2,496 more votes than in
lSS2.
THE DANvILLE AFFAIR.
II must be promised that since the election
of May. 1852, Danvile has been under negro
government. with negro policemen. and that
a belief had grown up in the minds of the
negroes that, as against white men, they
| W uid- IN every case, receive the support
| and protection of the municipal government
| In consequence they had become rnde-
/ and insulting to the whites, and bad
1 feeling had been mutually brought
I about. This tendency to race excitement
I had been aggravated by the heated canvass
| Of the last few months, and had been spe-
! cially intensified on the night of the 2d of
/ November by an incendiary speech delivered
/ by a Coalition leader Sims to an audience Of
/ 800 negroes. In this fevered state of feeling,
I ON the 81 of November between , and :
I O'Clock. a fist fight-the second of that dav-
I between a white man lNOell and a negro
! dawson struck the spark which kindlcd a
violent but brief explosion.
And here IL is important to observe that
| both of these fist-dghts were brought on bv
I insults first proceeding from the negro Law
son and his companion, and the negro Lawson
is the same who had on the LIST of November
offered an unprovOked insult to a white man
I Taylor who was quietly passing through
I crowd of cOlOred people.
\ little after midday on the Sd of November.
SOell passing down the street, had, without
any provocation. been insulted by Lawson
and hIs cOlOrcd companion. This NOEL re-
seuted with blows. and, passing on. deter
mined 20 let the matter drop ami 20 into the
country, expressing his determination to keep
ont of further trouble on account of the pre-
| vaIllng excitement. But afterwards, as he
was driving along in buggy, he was, with
out pr0vocat0n on his part, three times de-
family ieered al by his late assailant Lawson
who followed him with a crowd of negroes
Not able to brook these insults. NOEL rapidly
called 10 his side. to secure fair PLAY, his
friends Lea and Taylor. white men to whom
he declared he would strike Lawson only
with his fists, and again got to blows with the
negro.
A6REAT CROWD OF BLACKS
were now pressing around and Lea and Tay-
Tor bade them stand OFF. as il was n fair fight
and the two men should be left to fight il out
To enforce this Lea and Taylor drew their
pistols.
SHORTLY &lLtIM dEtlcs H- the testimony OF Is.
+. Williamson shows. a negro named Adams
ran up behind Lea and attempted to snatch
hJs pistol from him. In the scuffie which fol-
lowed the pistol was discharged. This pistol
shot, for which the negro George Adams as
the aEgressOr, is distinctly responsible. seems
To have wrought up the crowd of 100 to 10
some say 300-negrOes to an uncomfortable
pitch Of excitement; and though the colored
policeman Withers and his white cOmrade
and Booth, Oliver, and other white citi-
zens. entreated the cOlOred people to dis
Q and keen fhe Dplpp- cries nj
heard from the negrOes-Outnumber-
ing the whites by certainly five
and probably ten, to One-that "they might as
well have II ont there as anywhere" firmly
/ answered by the little band of whites, ''We
/ are ready, for You. Ii you won't disperse.
/ the crowd and, holding up a pistol, shouted.
/ "D-n YOU, come on At that moment the
/ firing bcCan-frOm which side cannot be as
I certained-aud was kept up from both sides,
though the negro policeman (Withers) testi
iies that lat first the white people shot up in
] the air rs IL TO scare the people away, and
/ then the firing seemed 70 be on both sides at
/ each other"
WHAT SEEMS certain
+ Is that il the ten or fifteen brave white men.
I standing there and facing that angry crowd
/ 80 enormously Outnumbering them, had
I ninched for an instant or retreated one foot
/ from the ground thev occupied. they them
I selves would have been butchered. and the
/ town would have beeu At the mercy of an
Z infuria ed mob. That there was Il predispO-
/ sition on the part of the negroes and their
/ Coalition leaders TO bring on n disturb
/ ance is shown by the unprOvoled insult
. offered TO Taylor on the LIST of Novem-
ber, and twice repeated on the Sd to
/ NOeO; by the declaration Of Epp Barks-
dale, an active white Coalit0nst on the night
I OF November 2d: I'VE have got the negroes
I solid against YOU. and I'll be damned if we
/ can't turn them loose on you in five seconds;''
f bv the statement of Arlington (cOlOred) that
I he heard Taliaferro. leader of the negroes,
say about y O'Clock on the Sd of November,
i There viii be a difficulty here to-day" and,
I lastly. by the inflammatOry speech of Sims on
the night of the 2d.
/ During the fight all the leading white men
I of Danville were gathered in public meet
/ ing in the Opera House. 4 few Of them
/ reached the scene of the conflict towards its
/ conclusion. ard by their aid peace and order
! were Immediately restored by the local
/ authorities. so that on election day there was
/ not quieter town in the country than Dan
l vile. But before quiet was restored two
[ whites and seven negroes had been wounded.
or the negroes, four afterwards died. One of
I the white men wounded was certainly shot
I bv "a negro. and the other most probably also.
/ 4 third white man, patrOling the streets as a
Z special policeman, was shot on Saturday
/ night by a hidden assailant.
In conclusion. the real truth Of the matter
/ is that on the 9Th of this month of November
/ the people of Virginia rose. as patient, long
/ suffering. law-lOving American freemen will
always rise against outrage and oppression
+ q majestic spectacle for all lovers OF civil
{ and political liberty in every part of this
abOunding land. The fullness OF time had
come. the petty dictator had played out his
selfish and reasonable game till even the
blind cOnld see that bitter end which short
time ago only the wise could predict.