Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1884-02-25
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DANyILLE INVESTIGATION.

Tn the committee room on Privileges aud
Elections this morning Senator Sherman
called attention to a paragraph in the Rich
mond state (which he claimed was crrone-
ou.) to the effect that colored people con-
rrc.atcd about the room but Sherman's
orders were stringent not to admit any who
could not show y summons.
Congressman John S. Wise was The first
witness. He stated the issues of the Vir.
gina campaigns, beginning vi h that OF
1881. The true issues were the public
debt and the eleemosynary institutions
of the State. The funder party sought
to perpetuae The race issue; the readJusters
would have been fools TO have sought to
keep alive the race issue, depending, as they
did. upon tho colored vote in part for sue
cess. He flied The Richmond State of June
10th, 1881, as specimen Of the issue the
Tunders sought to make. He also filed q
circular which he picked up in Carroll coun-
ty, Il county having but IS colored voters
against . 800 whites. Itset forth that whites
who voted for the readjuster ticket voted
for population, mixed schools, etc. He filed
a speech Of eX Senator Johnson, of Virginia,
delivered in Newbern in 1881. Gov. Cam
| eron had said they would carry the war into
Africa Johnson replied he wonld carry
Africa into the war. He filed an editorial
from the Norfolk Landmarks.
Senator Vance entered his protest against
the further progress of the investigation.
Mr. Wise was making a party speech.
Judge Lapham said if the papers were to
| illustrate the condition of affairs they were
proper.
MIR. Wise said he proposed to show that
the whites had brought on the emute at
Danville for political purposes, having des-
| paired otherwise to win their contest Con-
| liuung, Mr.. Wise submitted further papers
| designed to show that the flinders set forth
that their opponents were seeking to make
The negroes the social equals of the whites,
and that the readjusters in their utterances
| declared that theonly issue was the debt qnes
ton Cameron, the readusler candidate for
Governor, was elected by majority of white
votes. Gov. Cameron, in his message re-
pudiated the idea of mixed schools. In the
next canvass in which Massey and witness
were opposing candidates at large for Con-
gress, the same effort was made by the
funders to keep alive the race issue. IN the
last campaign witness asserted that repre-
sentative "bourhons" had stated i'm his pre-
sence repeatedly that until they could revive
| the race issue they could not hope TO win
their contest. He submitted pnblica-
ti6ns in support Of these statements.
The race issue then subsidized until May,
1883 Then Governor Cameron appointed
two colored men members OF the School
| Board of Richmond. The school children
numbered 900 whites to 5000 colored.
This action was seized upon as a prctext
for reviving the race Issue. He submitted
publication, in support Of the statement.
From the Danville Times he read: 1.-The
Mahoneites band the negroes together and
we can only conquer by uniting the whites
against them
Senator Sherman asked if the flinders
were inspired by objections to the persons
or to the race.
Witness said it was an objection to the
race. The men appointed were unohjec-
tionable. Coming then to the last election
for the Legislature he said the ''bourbons"
were by large majority in favor of ncor
porating the color line in their platform.
lie read and submitted editorials in support
of this statement. Two democrats of Lynch
burg, witness belived, induced the conven
ton not to incorporate the color line into
their written platform. In the canvass wit
ness had preserved notes Of his discussions
with his opponents. He asserted that from
beginning TO end they had sought not to
win colored votes but to make the coalition
party so odious to the ignorant whites as to
make them band together against it.