The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-11-01
The Negro Question.


once had the confidence of the people of
Virginia resort to such miserable trickery
and demagoguery as the Democrats ARE:
doing in this canvass. Without zone sin
gle argument to present",.to the intelli-ss
gence, the judgment or theI reason of the,
voters, the Democratic speakers are SEEK
ing to arouse prejudice and passion, by
proclaiming that the triumph of the Read
juster cause means mixed schools, So
cial equality and miScegenation in Vir-
ginia. If the speakers who give utJerance
to such sentiments are in earnest, then
they are the most miserable set of coward
ly poltroons that ever disgraced a Com
monwealth-that ever brought discredit
on the Anglo-Saxon race. To stand up
and boldly proclaim that the white. people
OF. Virginia, outnumbering the negroes two
to one, and possessing nine-tenths of the
wealth and intelligence of the State, are.
afraid Of negro domination, is to confess
to craven cOwardice that deserves moth
ing but the unmeasured condemnation OF
the voters Of Virginia. But the speakers
who employ these app calls h1soau, as eve
ny sensible man in Virginia knows, that
they are only contemplate efforts to cover
up the real issues of the campaign: that
they are only designed to delude and de-
celve the ignorant and are resOrted to be-
cause the party in whose behalf they are
made, and the position it has occupied
with reference to the reforms instituted in
the State Government.
Whenever the Democratic party imag-.
ined it could influence negro votes for its.
candidates, there was no position too hui
initiating for it to assume. 1t groyeled at
the feet of the negro when it thought it
could gain his. support, and when it
found that it could not thus influence
him, it sought to arouse the hate of the
white people against the black.
For years and years Democratic Board
OF Education placed negroes in office as
school trustees, but when, the Readjuster
Boarddid precisely the same thing, immac
ulate Democracy raises it's hands in holy
horror, and proclaims that the first step
Gov. Kemper's administration alone,
appOintet lnIne negro school trustees. Their:
names were as follows
John Cox, Chesterfield county;
Lafayette johnson, Chesterfield
VIM. Langtry, Chesterfield
VIM. Henry Taylor, King and QueeB.
Beverly Sparks, Ring and Queen:
Henry Robinson, Middlesex:
P. G. Morgan, Geo. Washington and J.
H. Hill, Petersburg.
The Board Of Education presided over
by Governor Holiday also appointed negro
trustees. .EtFF rE9A
The first negroes elected to the Legisla-
ture were elected as Democratic candidates
from Halifax.
The Democrats of Charlottesville elected
negro as member of the city council.
And so on the list might be extended to
a column OF more. Wherever they could
get votes by placing negroes in Office they
did it without hesitation.
They had tImee-fourths of the negro
schools taught byiwhite ladies'.
And they are the only party to-day in
Virginia who talk Of mixed schools.
The Readjusters would not have them \
the negroes would not have them, and no,
party but the so-called Democratic party
ever speak of mixing the races in the
schools.
Now, what the Read ulster party prom
ises the negro; what they propose to give the
negro is exactly Democrats have sacor7,
to do--that is, give to him every right
which the laws and constitution guarantee
him. That is all that anybody thinks of
doing that is all the negroes ask, and if
the Democrats dare do less, they will per
jure themselves.
And, SO, Readjusters, when these people
talk of mixed schools to you, tell them that
you are not afraid Of them; that you are
not afraid of social equality that goa
don't dream of marrying outside Of your
own race. and that none of your kin have
any. such thought. If they are such pit
liable towards as to fear that one negro will
control two white men, then that is not
the party whieha brave, honest man wants
TO join.