Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-12-05
FRIDAY MORNING. DEC. 5. 1884.

FRIDAY MORNING. DEC. 5. 1884.
Mr.. Blaine cannot be dismissed with sheer
and an epithet. When he referred to the
manner in which elections are carried in some
of the Southern States-the means employed
to secure Democratic electoral votes enough
to elect President and control the govern
ment, he opened question of portentous in
terest and fearful significance 1t is ques-
ton that will not down at the bidding of par
tizan scribblers who have no higher aim than
to excite prejudice and infame passion-one
that is pregnant of great danger to the coun-
try, and should be discussed dispassionately
and nationally, SO that the public judgment,
both South and North may be intelligently and
wisely passed upon it. 1t is "a question that
has to be settled sooner or later and settled in
accordance with the laws and constitution, or
trouble which no man can now measure, will
come upon the country. Valley Virgtaaidn.
While it is certainly true that the dis
cussion of this subject, was only an
afterthought of Mr.. Blaine to divert
the attention of the country from
the weakness he had shown as
candidate; while it is also true that
before his defeat, this question $50 preg-
nant of great danger to the country, " had
received no attention from him, and was
of so little import ninety days before the
election as to find no specification in his
letter accepting the nomination of the
dominant party for the highest place in
the nation; still, even as the campaign after
thought of a defeated candidate, we agree
with our contemporary that the public
Judgment N orth and South should be intel
ligently and wisely passed upon it. Before
attempting it however the most lntelli-
gent and wise observers of history will
have to concede in advance, that whoever
else may be able to deal with this question
the Republican party has shown that it has
neither the wisdom nor ability to settle
it. This party has had just sixteen years
to settle the matter in. and according to
Mr.. Blaine it has not advanced step.
The Republican party has dealt with it in
such impotent and puerile fashion land
failed so totally to adjust it that accord
ing to the Virginian, ''the American peo-
pie may be launched upon sea of trouble
that no man can now fathom." Such a
record shows that it was full time for the
party to be retired from power. A polit-
ical organization, clothed with full power
that cannot deal with the public questions
of its day and which after sixteen years
of effort, backed by the whole power of
the national government, leaves so mo-
mentous question in so perilous condi-
ton, has fully indicated the verdict of
the people, rendered last month, dismissing
it as an incompetent and unfaithful SER
want.
The only matter therefore left for the
people to pass upon is how, and by whom
it can be settled. In looking at this aues-
tion they will be aided by going back a
little into the history of the creation and
character of the vote which it is alleged
is now suppressed. La the Thirty Ninth
Congress the Fourteenth Amendment
comforting suffrage originated. Many
battle was waged against it by some of
the wisest of the Republican party before
the resolution submitting it to the State
legislatures was adopted, and some of their
utterances read to-day, seem to have been
inspired with the spirit Of prophecy
Nevertheless, the Republican party tried
the experiment.; and not only that but
passed all the supplementary legislation
necessary in its eyes to make its success
certain. 1t has had the President, both
houses of Congress, the Judiciary, the de-
partmens of Justice, Election Supervi-
sors, U. S. Marshals, and the army and
navy, to enforce its legislation. 1t has
spared no effort to give the Republican
black man his vote. White Democrats by
the car load from the far Southern States
have been seen going through Virginia to
the Albany penitentiary for violation Of
the election law. 1t has not been very
long since some of the most prominent
citizens of the metropolis of Virginia we're
standing in the prisoners dock of FEEDER
al courts for the alleged violation of cleo
ton laws which were passed more for the
protection of the colored Republican vote
than for any other object. In short the
Republican party has done all within its
power to make the Republican vote at the
South correspond numerically with the
census of the blacks flor after all that is the
gist of Mr.. Blaine's complalntl and failed.
The two can't be made to tally. To ex-
plain this Mr.. Blaine says the vote is sup
pressed. Well, how is it suppressed?
This question of suppression from being
burning one ten years ago, has been lit
tie heard of of late, until Mr.. Blaine seized
the opportunity of the public eye being
upon him after disaster, and held it up as
an excuse for his defeat. Little by little
it had died out and so had the occasions for
it. Six days before Mr.. Blaine made his
speech, an election for President had been
held all over the Southern States without
single exhibition of violence towards the
colored Republicans at any polls in the
land. Not one drop of blood was shed at
the polls or elsewhere in the immense
area covered by these States. The vote
was not suppressed by physical violence.
How was it then? The answer is that the
CoiolCu scPuoiiOdu Sooo LII VIC oou1H 10
suppressed just like the white Republican
vote in the North Is suppressed and like
the Democratic vote in Virginia in the
struggle Of readjustmenJ was suppressed
like votes of all men, everywhere, are
suppressed-by self interest. The colored
man who gets to be intelligent enough to
understand his interests is Just as open to
suppression of prejudice and assertion of
Judgment as a white man. Mr.. Blaine
and our contemporary are anxious about
the absent Republican vote at the South,
but are not so concerned nv the diSapDear-