Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1883-11-23
FRIDAY MORNING, NOV. %. 1888.
A REMEDY PROPOSED.

REMEDY PROPOSED.
A telegram from Staunton to Gen. Ma
homes Washington organ, the National
Reoublicam, dated November 18th. says.
that, following sermon by the minister
at the colored M. E. Church here. ''a mass
meeting of colored people, numbering
1000, took place at that church, at which
George E. Stephen, Principal Of the col
ed public schools presided, at which
a hymn with the following couplet was
sung:
eWnen shall see the day that ends my woes,
hen shall victory gain DER all my foes"
And the following resolutions were
adopted:
First, Whereas number of colored men have
Eeen murdered recently at Danville and 10 other
parts of this State without cause Therefore re-
solved that we disapprove OF and condemn the
Danvlle massacre. and hereby tender our heartfelt
sympathy and coincidence to the widows and Or
phans OF the murdered meD
2nd. Resolved that we accept the proposition OF
SsbSath in December for the purpose Of delivering
funeral orations on the death OF the colored men
recently mastered in this State. .,o,.-..
Bird. We urge our people to deport themselves
with prOpriety. dignity, forbearanee and patience
in the future as in the past leaving he Danyille
affair and ali such questions TO Just Cod and The
Judgment and conscience of an enlightened pubic
sentiment to rectify in due time.
4h Be it further Resolved. that we tender our
thanks to the Mayor of this city for his courageous
conduct in having the man promptly arrested and
jailed for shooting, without provocatlon coiotso
man. on the day of election. and we look to the
Mayor to see that justice is done in this matter
5th Resolved. that we appoint a committee OF
five judiciOds men. as follows: T. Ware James
Parago, W NJ Carter, Samuel Adams and R. c o.
Benjamin, to confer with similar committees in
into Confederation the feasibility Of emigrating
from this State to other sections of the country
There is little comment on these resolu-
tons needed to show that they are for
political effect. The absurd ole thanking
Mayor Cochran for his courageous con-
duct,'' as If Staunton was community
of such a character that the chief law
officer incurred danger when he ordered
the arrest of drunken men who had shot
another, clearly shows the animus of
those who prepared them. But their
proposition for emigration is practical
one and should receive consideration.
If this resolution is prop osed for practi-
cal enforcement and not. like the others,
merely for political effect. those who
adopted it are in the right way to seen e
a remedy for all their troubles. There is
no greater curse to country than dis
satisfied people, black or white. If the
black man cannot live in Virginia peace
fully, it is certain he cannot live in any
other former slave State. If notoriously
conservative Virginia cannot contain him
in peace, then his future home must be
north of the line. 1t will be Heaven sent
day to Virginia when all of her popula-
ton are white. as in Pennsylvania. This
Valley of ours would blossom with small
farms, prosperous farmers and happy
and contented people. Then we might
have immigration which will never &C me
until the character of our population il
changed.
Emigration would also be the making of
the colored race. 1t is hard for them to
become free citizens in heart as we'll as
name. while they are here surrounded b.
the scenes and customs OF their former
slavery, and in most cases by their former
owners. 1t is hard to become mau amid
such surroundings of former degradation.
Even the man with the white skin thrives
better when removed from degrading sur
roundings; it is no better with the blacks.
Political legislation, new political parties.
civil rights bills and all that sort of thing
are merely quack medicines which char.
: latons induce the negro to swallow. bn4
which cannot help him. So far from it
they hurt him. The gaudy label of equal
ity the smooth tongue of the political
doctor whose interest it Is for the Negro
I he clerical nonsense which IS preached
to him from pulpits about equality and al
that sort of things is the most cruel de-
ception and is used more for the populari
ty of the preacher than for the help of the
congregation. Living on the sam ground
where they were slaves, surrounded by the
same men who once owned them, these
poor ex-slaves never feel exactly safe, and
remain sensitive to all the false statements
made by INSCRIPTIONS men for poll, zeal
effect. The widest stories that even 4
child would not credit are taken up by
these grown children as facts and treated
accordingly Every white adventurer who
sides with them for no matter what sell
fl N purpose and of no matter what char
acter, is received with open arms as a
friend to their freedom.
But in State, or section of America
where slavery had never existed, these
paople would soon become different sort
of population. Their old apprehensiens
would be abandoned; the old surroundings
would be gone; and they would for the
first time have fair start in life. They
would, we think, grow to be men. or il
not they would at least have had an I'M
hampered chance for 1t. We cannot say
that we have very much expectation that
they will ever emigrate. That is some
thing that, as rule. it takes ready
made man to do. In the most ignoran;
of any color the love of locality IS more
intense than in the more Intelligent, and
with race having the ignorance of slavery
still upon it, it is hardly to be hoped that
trey will have the intellectual courage tc
go to new land. Nothing it seems will
convince them that in the eX-Slave States
they will never be admitted to equality
They have seen the United States try it
and fail. They have seen it tried in every
State in the South and fail. They have
seen brief experiment in Virginia &c
down in political whirlwind. But we
doubt if all these failures will convince
them as long as political adveuturer Cal,
be found to give them hope
It would pay every land holder in ou'
State to assist these people away, will,
money. He could get 1T all back in The