Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-02-26
VIRGINIA'S PARTY FEUDS
j. s. WISE BREAKS A LANCE
WITH SENATOR VANCE.

The Virginian's Views of the Campaign
Issues of the State-Papers and Doc
uments Submitted In Proof of His
AssertioDs-How One of the Grand
Jurors Reached His Decision.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 25.-In the com
mittee room on Privileges and Elections
this morning, Senator Sherman called at
tention to a paragraph in the Richmond
State to the effect that colored people con.
gregated about the room, but Mr.. Sher.
mans orders were stringent not to admit
any who could not show summons. Mr..
Sherman said that he wished to say, what
was apparent to all who had been present,
that this statement was an error. The
only instructions were to admit first CON-
ers, but only in such numbers as could
conveniently be accommodated in the
room.
Senator Vance rejoined that Mr.. Sher-
mans statement was in accordance
with his understanding, and that the
room had been uncOmfortably full most of
the time.
Congressman John S. Wise was the first
witness. He stated the issues of the Vir-
glnla campaigns, beginning with that of
1881. The true issues were public and
eleemosynary institutions of the State.
The Funder party sought to perpetuate the
race issue, and the Readjuster would have
to fight to keep alive the race issue, de-
pending, as they did, upon the colored
vote in part for success. He filed the
Richmond State of June 16, 1881, as a
specimen Of the issue the Funders sought
to make. He also filed circular which he
picked up IN Carroll county, having but
siXty-three colared votes against $500
white. 1t set forth that the whites who
voted for the Readjuster ticket voted for
repudiation, mixed schools, etc.
CARRYING THE WAR INTO AFRICA.
He filed a speech of ex-senator johnson,
of Virginia, delivered in Newbern in 1881 +.
Gov. Cameron has said that they would
carry the war into Africa. Senator john
son replied that he would carry Africa
into the war. He filed an editorial from the
Norfolk Landmark.
Mr.. Vance entered his protest against
further progress of the course of the in
vestigation. Mr.. Wise was making a
party speech. Judge Lapham said that
II the papers were to illustrate the condi-
tlon of affairs they were proper.
Mr.. Wise said that he proposed to show
that the whites had brought on the emeute
at DanVille for political purposes. having
despaired otherwise to win their contest.
Continuing, Mr.. Wise submitted further
papers, designed to show that the Funders
set forth that their opponents were seek
ing to make the negroes the social equals
of the whites, and that the Readjusters in
their utterances declared that the only s.
sue was the debt question. Mr. Cameron,
the Readjuster candidate for Governor,
was elected by majority of the white
votes. Gov. Cameron, in his mes
sage, repudiated the idea of mixed
schools. In the next canvass. in which
Mr.. Massey and the witness were
the opposing candidates at large for Cen
gress, the same effort was made by the
Funders to keep alive the race issue. In
the last campaign, the witness asserted
that representative Bourbons had stated
In his presence repeatedly that unless they
could revive the race issue they could not
hope to win their contest. He submitted
publications in support of these state
ments.
THE RACE ISSUE IN 1881.
They had sought to make the race issue
prominent in the canvass of 1881. 1t was
not so prominent in the canvass of 1882,
but it was revived in 1888. Then Gov
ernor Cameron appointed two cOlOred
men members of the School Board of Rich
mond. The school children numbered
1900 whites to 5000 cOlored. This action
the race issue. He submitted publications
in support of the statement. From the
Danville Times he read: "The MahOneites
band the negroes together, and we can
only conquer by uniting the whites
against them"
Senator Sherman asked if the Funders
were inspired by objections to persons, or
to the race?
The Wltness-Itwas an objection to the
tionable.
Coming then to the last election for the
Legislature he said that the Bourbons
were by large majority in favor of incor-
pOrating the color line in their platform
He read and submitted editorials in sup
port of this statement. Two Democrats
of Lynchburg, the witness believed, in
duced the convention not to incorporate
the line in their written platform. In the
canvass the witness had preserved notes
of his discussions with his opponents.
He asserted that from the beginning to
the end they had sought not to win
the colOred votes, but to make the coali-
tjOn party so odiOus to ignorant whites as
to make them band together against it.
AN .oDIoUs SPECTACLE.
He submitted documents and papers
used as campaign documents. One of the
latter displayed black teacher whipping
a white pupil. When the witness went to
Danville to speak, the local papers ad-
vised the white men to stay away. DAN
vile and PittsylVania were the most law
less communities in Virginia. Pittsyl-
vania county and the adjoining county in
North Carolina were alike in this.
Senator Vance-This is a Republican
county by large majority, sir.
The Witness-Yes; and wherever there
is a Republican majority there will be
Bourbon shotguns.
MIR. Vance-There will be a large num-
Der of convictions to the penitentiary.
The witness-And crowds will go down
before the mouths Of Bourbon shotguns.
Mr.. Vance-I don't know as there is
any necessity for you to assail North
Carolina here, sir.
The witness-I allude to these matters
with regret.
The witness described crimes which he
said had been committed in and about
DanYille.
THE CAUSE OF THE EXCITEMENT.
He regarded the attempt to attribute
the state of excitement preceding the riot
to Sims speech as a subterfuge. The ex-
citement was due to inhammatory publi-
cations and the effort which he had de-
scribed.
Mr.. Sherman asked if the witness wish
eu 10 say anything ABOUT Jne cause OF the
riot.
The witness said that when he went to
DanvilIe, Mr.. Jennings, a Readjuster,
called on him and said that be was Re-
adjuster at heart, but had been waited
upon by Democrats and threatened with
ruin in his business if he did not withdraw.
MIR. Jennings was compelled to join the
Democrats. The witness submitted the
advertisements of hardware dealer from
whom the rioters of November 3 obtained
their arms. In these advertisements guns,
pistols and ammunition were made to ap-
pear more prominent than anything else.
SOME SHARP PASSAGES.
During the cross examination by Mr..
Vance several sharp passages at arms oc-
CURED.
Mr.. Wise said to Mr.. Vance: "When l
first knew you, thirty years ago, you be-
lnnoed to the Il. N. (KnnW- -NnfhincA \