Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-11-14
THE COLORED PEOPLE UNDER
A DEMOCRATIC ADMINIS-

perilOus strain.
THE COLORED PEOPLE UNDER
a DEMOCRATIC ADMINIS-
TRATION.
AS far as events can point to the future,
the next President of the United States
is likely to be Democrat and those who
administer the government at Washington
with him will be Democrats. We should
like to say word to our colored citizens
as to the effect of this. Many of them are
intelligent men and fully understand the
fact that no change in the Federal admin
istration can affect their rights as citizens
in any degree, any more than it could those
of white man. But the great mass OF
them are ignorant and painfully alive to.
all the anxieties and appreheDsions that
| ignorance gives birth and nourishment to
We thoroughly appreciate their anxiety;
surrounded by their former owners; in
decided minority; with minds filed for
political purposes with fears which those
who had access to them were cruel enough
to insti, they have been brought, not I'M
naturally, to the belief that change o.
the National government into the hands
of the Democracy, means to them the loss
Of the privileges, if not the very name OF
freemen. To that class of colored people
for whom we feel not only kindness. but
sincere compassion, We would like to say
this /; that the Democrats of this country
are as much pledged and determined that
the colored mans liberty shall be protect
can possibly be; that the Democrats of
this country and State are determined that
the co!ored man shall have his schools
equally with the white man his rights of
person and property equally with the
white man, and that in nothing wherein
the law can affect his condition shall the
colored man be less that the equal of any
other man. The laws which guarantee
the life, liberty and property of every
citizen will be enforced by the Demo-
cratic Administration of Nation and State
as firmly in behalf of tie black as of the
white man, whether the black man be a
Republican or Democrat.
We think we we'll understand some of
the principal thoughts that are passing
through the minds of the colored people
though of course thu intelligent of them
know better. 1t is hard for an ignorant
black man to realize that a man who once
went to the battle field to keep him in
slavery should be now safe to trust to
keep him free it is hard for a colored
man who has been told campaign after
campaign that his children will have their
schools taken from them if the Democrats
won and who has had it artfully instilled
into his mind that his freedom would end
or be abridged under Democratic govern
ment, to believe that one of the great
political parties of the country means as
well by him as the other.
Nevertheless this is true, and the
colorsd man will find that he has had
no better friend in Republican national
administration than he will have in MI
Cleyeland7s administration. He will be as
free man under Cleveland as under Gar
field, as prosperous man under Cleveland
as he would have been under Blaine, and
the field to make himself useful, intelli-
gent and well-to-do citizen, and for his
children after him, will be just as wide
open and unobstructed under Demo-
cratic President as under Republican.
Ard all this, no matter whether he votes
the Republican ticket to the end of his
40 hot ;l1o Of 1iohf
complexion, be is ''for the Democrats be-
cause the Democrats are fer him."
No white man with a mans heart in bis
breast can see the apprehension in these
black faces, or the intensity of the expect
ancy with which they hang around tie
sources of political information oren to
them during our national elections, with
out feeling compassion for them, knowing
as he does what thoughts agitate their ig-
norant minds. They know nothing of
Capitalization or tariff; they have no hope
of office; they are content only to know
that their freedom is safe and their privi-
leges preserved. We trust the intelligent
of their race will deem it their duty to set
their fears at rest and explain to them
that no harm can possibly come to them
from the change in government that now
seems to be inevitable. The Democrats
who come into power will see that in free
dom, in their public schools, in all their
rights before the law they shall have every
protection and support that any other citi
zen of whatever color has. Our colored
ministers, many of whom are clergymen
of education and familiar acquaintance
with secular government, might do good
work by making these things clear to
their congregations who hold their utter
ances and opinions in high and merited
respect.
HON. CHARLES I. O'FERRALL.
The Democrats of Augusta will always
have a warm side for Chas. T. o 'Ferrall. |
No matter though he be in another district |
he is up to this time their representative,
and his success in his new district is mat
ter of pride to them. He has swept the field |
in his new district and has changed three |
of it's counties back into the Democratic |
Shena ndoah and Rockingham