Daily Kennebec journal., 1884-05-28
FROM WASHINGTON.
THE DANvILLE MASSACRE.
The Majority of the Inve.tigatlng Com.
mittee Reports to the Senate.
WasHINsrnS May .

WARRINGTON May "a
The majority of the Danyille investigating
committee reported TO the Senate todsy. that
1.-THE massacre" was premeditated and sane
toned by the democrats OF Virginia for ef-
feet. The report says that while there was
no motive on the part of the coalition party
10 excite the race issue which would have the
effect TO aiienat the support OF the white
voters, there was every indueement on the
part of the democrats TO raise and intensity
that issue The committee here quotes ex-
tract from democratic papers and circulars
illustrating the efforts which it assumes was
made to raise and intensity the race issue.
In Danville, the report continues, the col
ored voters outnumbered the whites and early
| in the canvass the democrats sought TO raise
and intensity the race issue in that locality.
Democrat clubs were formed and resolutions
were passed in two or three wards withdraw
ing support and patronage in business from
the coalitionists both white and black. A
proposition was made that the real estate
owners refuse to rent their property TO colored
people or coalitionlsts. A Danville circular
is here quoted and its original purpose de-
scribed.
Respecting the massacre the committee
finds no evidence that the negroes fred a shot
until the whites fired general volley and
that very few had weapons. The whites on the
contrary were generally armed. the fire bell
was rung but not for fire. Ii was a signal
| for the white military company. The whites
came rapidly from all directions and arms
were distributed among those who had none
| from shops and stores The committee finds
conclusive evidence that the violenpe was
| premeditated. Under the sub-headipg ''How
the democrats made use of the occurance at
Danville, "the report says that almost in every
! par ~ IF tha Cfafa aI Of lao
massacre were circulated. Circulars and
extracts from the testimony of many wit
nesses are given showing the sympathy which
was aroused by the supposed danger OF the
white people of Danyille. The ringleaders
of the rioters were place on guard; every
white democrat was armed the negroes fled
in terror to their houses; the authority of the
readjuster mayor was defed and the white
company ordered out.
The report concludes The object of the
| democrats in their efforts to raise the race
issue to alarm the blacks and excites the
whites was two-fold. First: To intimidate
the colored voters in places where they were
as strong as in Danville. Second: Bot
chiefly to produce such freRzy OF feeling in
the State as would induce the white electors
to join their own race and escape contumly
and reproach, to which they would otherwise
be subjected for fraternizing politically with
''niggers." The efforts which were to gloss
over this terrible outrage by the committee
of 40 needed only moments notice. 1t was
done on expert affidavits taken before the
magistrate. They were judicial and no one
incurred the responsibility for his statements
The real facts were not called ont No one
has been arrested, indicted, tried or punished
for the crimes committed on the third of No
vember. There should be found some rem
edy for such state of affairs as the investi-
CATION discloses. The constitution of the
United States provides that when the right to
vote is denied or in any way abridged in any
State the basis of representation shall be re-
duced accordingly, while these resorts to
terrorism and violence are kept up from year
to year, and the party the ascendency, in
stead of providing laws to prevent recurrence
or Furnishing the offenders, enacts measures
designed to throw obstacles in the way of
free ballots, and enjoys the benefits, politi-
cally, which are the necessary consequence,