The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-08-17
THE CANVASS IN HANOVER.
THE MEETING AT THE COURTHOUSE.
General williams &. Wickham Defines HIS
Position-The Story About Weeping nj the
Sight or the Old Flag Denied.
Correspondence Of the Richmond Inspatcb.i

Sight or the Old Flag Denied.
iCorrespondence OF the Richmond Dispatch.l
HANOVER COURTHOUSE, August 10, 1888.
To-day (court-day) was memorable one
In the history OF the good old county OF
Hanover. AT al early hour the citizens
began to gather. The gang OF negroes and
composing the whole Read.
iuster- Codlitlonists was present IN fuli
force, and represented their entire strength
In the county. There were hardly enough
white men in their ranks TO make 1t even
" black-and-tan." a negro band, imported
by Jersey" Jones, whooped them up;
and for an hour, during the session OF the
court, the din OF brass, and the frantic howls
OF one Estin (also an importation), anc the in
1ammatory appeals TO passion and race pre-
judice, made by one Rev. Anderson Tay-
lor, disturbed the business Of the court and
disguised every decent man OF either color
that heard and witnessed the exhibition.
That sight was enough to arouse every
man to the danger threatening
the safety Of the citizen and the very life OF
the State. These men ovcrplayed their
part. and showed TO all, white as well as
black, the infamous plans OF their employ
ers to draw the color-line and incite and
infame the blacks against those in whose
midst they lived.
Att o'clock the candidates for the Senate
addressed the people, the courthouse hay
ing been vacated by Judge Newman for
the purpose. and 4 division OF time having
been agreed on.
General Wickham, the standard-beareT
OF those whose watchword is "This way,
freemen.v opened the discussion, and was
greeted with the most enthusiastic APP
plause. which was repeated again and
again at the telling points he made in ex-
posing the corrupt methods OF Mahoneism.
During his remarks he said that mas.
much as he knew that there were those
who would be glad to misrepresent him,
he had written down that part OF his
speech which bore upon the general issues
of the day. He then proceeded:
THE SPEECH.
unite with the Democracy of Virginia
to defeat the Coalition-Readjuste party
because / regard it as the most dangerous
party that was ever organized in Virginia;
to overthrow all real traces OF
popular government, and to substitute for
it the reign OF big bosses and petty bosses.
by backing OF bought votes, which will
be about as free as those that were cast in
France under the order OF the Emperor
Napoleon the Third. They have estab-
lshed system OF corruption OF the ballot
that makes their clap-trap cry OF ga free
ballot and fair count" a crying falsehood,
and strikes at the basis of free elections,
Il a1fi
sible. They have adopted system Of
pledges for their candidates for the Legis-
lature given under seal to obey in all be-
hests the orders OF a caucus, of which
their party bosses have control, which
pledges are eXtorted by the giving or with
holding supplies with which TO corrupt
the ballot, thus destroying the proper
position OF the representative TO his con-
and making him the tool OF the
central organization of bosses, breaking
down the independence Of the representa-
tive and degrading the character OF the
Legislature.
They have made the offices OF every de-
scripton, in any way under State control
the school boards, the schools, the Judge
ships, the literary institutions, the humane
themselves, great and small
the prizes for partisan services, and they
are held up as brides and given as rewards
with the understanding that the chieiest
qualification for the office is TO be q Reid
iuSter democratic preferred). or the uncle
or the aunt, &C., &C.. to a Reddiuster.
They endeavored in the last presiden-
tial election to dciraud alike the Demo-
cratic and Republican parties OF the state.
I.F, Ln To-
but for the disturbance they procured OF
the plans OF the Virginia Republican man
ayers by Brady and Loveland, and Burr,
the instruments OF Cameron and Dorsey,
the Garfield ticket would, | think, have
received a majority.
They proposed to remove from office the
circuit judges Of the State, and will do so
If in 4 majority in the next Assembly, and
will fill their places with partisan judges.
Whilst charging upon their opponents a
desire to draw the color line, they are actu-
ally drawing it themselves in the worst and
most dangerous way by forming clubs OF
the colored people in all communities
where their votes will be Of possible SER
vice TO them in the next elections. inducing
them to come together in the dead hours OF
the night by the unlimited distribution Of
free whiskey and n regular mOneyed sti-
pend, have them addressed by lncendiary
speakers. who endeavor to inflame and in
cite them against the white people amongst
whom they live, thus endangering the peace,
welfare, and good feeling of the community;
whilst if they had one spark OF the in
terest which they, for selfish ends,
profess to have in the colored people,
toto 90 nj Il
labor to bring about good feeling and
between the two races, whose
interests here are so similar and so init
mately connected, and between whom it is
so important that the most kindly relations
should exist.
Again, one Of the incidents Of member
ship Of these clubs is that each member
shall in some formal manner bind himself
to vote for some named candidate, he re-
ceivlng some moneyed consideration in
hand and further one after he votes rs
pledged. This Is in direct violation Of the
laws of the land and OF morality. The
high right Of suffrage degenerates and
tends to subvert the liberties OF the land.
What mark OF scorn and condemnation il
too severe to place upon men who would
thus engage to degrade the morals Of so
large class of their fellow-beings?
They have encouraged system Of lob
bying upon subjects under consideration
in the Legislature, by which their partisans
could realize large sums by procuring the
passage Of bills, and it is in some cases be-
lieved that sums paid them to procure
legislation for the settlement of claims due
the State diminished by their amount what
would otherwise readily have zone into its
treasury.
Such condition OF affairs cannot be
allowed to continue amongst people en-
titled to be called .freemen; and | call upon
the people OF Virginia to rise in their ma
iesty and take from the hands OF these
people that control of the government OF
the State, the Use OF which is bringing
upon the State the deepest degradation,
and if permitted to continue will plunge
us into the most serious misfortunes.