Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-11-16
THE NEGRO AS CITIZEN

THE NEGRO as A CITIZENs !
Our contemporary, the VALLEY -Tirginiam,
has an article under this caption with
much of which we agree. But it is not the
negro as citizen that is objected to. The
people of Virginia are perfectly willing
that the negro shall have all the rights
of the citizen which the Virginian emu
merates. If that were all, the race trouble
in Virginia would be of easy solution. Our
contemporary knows we'll that the rights of
the negro were not given him by Gen.
Malone, but by the Republican party, the
last of these being the jury service ques-
ton raised by Judge Rives, a Republican
Judge, and affirmed by the Republican q.
s. Supreme Court. When Gen. Malone
found the negro he had every right that
the white man had. 1t was then, that for
political power and to secure the colured
vote, Gen. Malone commenced giving him
privileges. We all recollect the history of
that attempt. The State was unusually
quiet. there was no disposition anywhere
to make political war on the black man,
notwithstanding Malone had very gen
orally secured his vote. The negro him.
self was quiet and the white man equally
so. As long as the Coalition party went
no further than the wiser Republican patty
before it in Virginia went, and only guar
anteed the rights of the black man. quiet
could be maintained. But the first step
on the dangerous ground of the privi-
faf oil RI fho
privilege of serving On the school boards
opened the eyes of the negro to new field
of advancement and fred the African
heart. Here was step that the negro
had nett her asked nor expected; 1t sur
prised HIM as much as it startled the
whites, and from that hour impossible
hopes filled his heart and a new political
activity filed his brain. The privileges OF
| State cannot be granted in any ex-slave
State with any sort Of impartiality with:
| out putting large number of white men
I in positions of inferiority to negroes.
| Previous to that act of Cameron, the Goa
| lition party itself had recognized the truth
of this. If a negro was appointed, it was
| to place 80 near the bottom of the lad
der, that no white man could possibly be
put under him. Cameron's was new de-
parture. The negro showed his apprecia-
ton Of it by boldly and de6antly re-
| jecting the olive branch of the Democratic
State Convention. If the Coalition leaders
were drunk with success, the Coalition
negroes were crazed with it. Those of
them that did speak didn't hesitate to say
and right here in the white districts
where the commonest prudence should
have taught them better, that they demand
ed place on every school board. That de-
mand alone was sufficient to settle the fate
of the Coalition in Virginia. And did
settle it.
The Democratic party wishes the negro
no harm. 1t wants peace with him. 1t
has the power to give him free, prosper
GUS and peaceful life in Virginia If be
will only have peace. On one thing it is
settled, that the negro shall have every
right under the law that white man has.
but that as long as the sun shines it will
never put black man over white man
no matter how humble that white man
may be, if the white man objects to it,
That is the way to disturb the peace, not
to preserve it. What is the use of discus.
I sing theories that we kno.v cannot be put
Iput in practicep What is the use of start.
Ting a theory that. when you try to put 1t
in practice, turns a political party into the
ditch? The great power Of the United
q States, with it's army and navy, tried to
deal with this question during reconstAuc
tion times when it held the States with
the iron grip of military commanders.
Ewhere are all it's efforts now? Dead and
I(the black man just where he was.
Il What is the use of every adventurer in
the South Selling upon the negro to utilize
him for some new political scheme? His
success in all the ex-slave States, like in Vir
ginia, is temporary and of short duration
and ends with his disgraceful defeat. And
at each effort the negro is pushed forward
by the schemers to receive the hatred ano
Il animosity of the whites. The Democracy
don't want to war on the negro; it don't
want him to leave the State; it don It wan
him to suffer any injury that the law car
lIremedy. 1t wants him to break up his
tcamp, disband his army to vote as it pleas
es with political parties, and declare for
peace. 1t wants him to have the common
sense to see that as long as he bands
against the Democratic party, just so long
will he miss friend that is powerful
enough, wealthy enough, friendly enough
and willing enough to be OF great value &c
him. The day that the negroes in Virgin
ia divide and vote equally between the
two contending parties-Republican and
Democratic, will be the day on which the
sun will rise on new era for the colored
man in Virginia.