Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-09-04
WHERE rs THE GOOD IN IT?

the court yard. A large number of color
ed voters were sitting in the gallery of the
court building waiting. It was announced
that the Republican meeting was about to
commence in the yard. Every colored |
man, but one left for the Republican |
meeting. This was sorry sight for two
races that have to live the rest of their
lives together, and who must both be
prosperous, if either be so. Why was it !?
1t was not because the whites are solidly
arrayed against the colored man; there
were plenty of white Republicans listening
to the Republican orator. It was not be-
cause il they staid to listen to the Demo-
crat, they would hear themselves abused
as colored men; for the speaker in an
hours speech did not even mention them,
that we recollect, once. Their departure
was very suggestive. and in the minds OF
the intelligent among thu colored race
must have caused some questions to arise.
One must be, what benefit are the colored
men to derive from holding themselves
aloof from the great mass OF the whites
and going with small minority OF
them Because the latter are Repub-
licans? Well, take our own little
neighborhood around here, where we all
live together. many of us next door to
each other. The Republicans had full and
complete power in the State government
of Virginia for three years. They could
have done for you everything they did for
the white men Of their party. Did they
do itr Do you remember any colored men,
Der of the Boards Of the Asylum or the
d., d. & B. Institution ? Not one. Any
directors in the Valley Turnpike or the
Petersburg Turnpike Not one. Any
State proxies In any of the railroad COM
panies Not one. You had for some
months a Republican County Treasurer
in augusta: did he appoint any of you as
his deputies Not one. We are not dis
cussing whether you are qualified for any
of these places, we are only stating the
fact that you do not get them, and the
further fact that you will not get them.
So you will at least agree, that as far as be-
ing recognized" by your own party which
you support, and of which you are the
main support, you are in no better plight
than if you belonged to the Democratic
party which you assert will not recognize
you. You assert that there is nothing for
you to expect from the Democratic party!
How do you know? Have you ever tried
it? How much do you expect from
party whose ticket you do not vote, whose
speakers you will not listen to, and whose
meetings you avoid as you would a pestl-
lence? If you did that way with the Re-
publican party it wuuld treat you eractlv
the same a0ay. For some years the white
men of Virginia avoided the Republican
party just as solidly as you now avoid the
Democratic party. and they were treated
by it just as you are by the Democratic
party. Friendship counts as much in poll
tics as it does in any other matter of
every day life. =t
How long will 1t be before common
sense will induce you to see that there
are two sides to the question The Re-
publican party set you free ? So it did.
and for seventeen years you have given it
in return your votes and work at elections.
and many of you have given it your mon
ey. In Virginia YOU set the Republican
party free. and put it Oh top for three
years. How much did they give uou fol
that E? Nothing. How much more share
did you have in the State government
because Republicans ruled Not bit.
You distrust the Democratic party because
1t does not take greater interest in
people who will have nothing TO do with
it, who openly express their hatred of it,
and who march up like one great machine
to vote against it I! DO you think the
Republican party would oe kinder to peo-
pie that thus opposed them? Do you
know of any political party, secret society.
business house, church, factory. or farm,
that will help those who are trying to des-
troy it? Is it not the law with your color,
az it is with ours, with all eolors and all
peoples the world over, that we help those
who help us ?
What better time can you find to try
the experiment of breaking up your color
line than now2 You saw at the Court
House last week that the whites have
broken up theirs, so you have no longer
the reason of their being solid against
you. The govern ment of the United States
with all It's great power is in the hands
of the Democrats for the next four years,
aud in the first of the four years you have
seen that all your rights are safe. No
power on earth can remove the Demo-
Gratis from power at Washington until
1889. Nor take away single right you
have. The State government of your own
State is already nearly in the hands of the
Democrats. and after next January will
be entirely 80. Whatever you are to get
either in National or State affairs hereaf-
ter must come from the Democratic party.
Why then should you present solid front
against it? Why are there not some colored
men Republicans and some colored men
Democrats just as the white voters are
divided? We leave these enquiries with
you. They are. to say the very least of
them, worth thinking about. The same
arguments addressed to white voters
would receive long and thoughtful con-
sideratiOn. Your interests in Virginia
are as important to you as theirs are to
them.
a REP PUBLICAN 4 TTORNEY GEN.
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