Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-11-18
A TRIBUTE TO FITz LEE.
THE MANNER OF MAN HE rs AND HOW HI
CONDUCTED HIS CANVASS.

/
comment. Let the malignants read and
digest:
| The Herald has steered 80 clear of politics
and OF partisan bias that, during the excit
ing political canvass Just clesed, no one has
been able to tell from anything that has ap.
peared In the paper whom we preferred foI
the high office of Governor of the Common
wealth. We shall not depart now-althougb
the canvass is over and the election is decid-
ed-from the rule we have laid down, not
to allow partisan politics to enter the col
umns of the Religious Herald. But there
are several things which we do feel called
on to say for the especial benefit of some OF
our northern contemporaries, which have
| ibsASed that they have told the truth about
tie South' in endorsing the charges of
Senator Sherman and Governor Foraker, OF
Ohio, to the effect that we are a set of bal
ot-box suffers and negro intimidators, who
carry elections by fraud or the shotgun,
and that we have killed more negroes for
political purposes than the number of men
who fell on both sides at the battle of Get
tysburg.
l. Although the past canvass has been
| one of the most exciting ever had in Vir-
| ginia, there has been no riot and no blood
shed, except that an sIndependnt' candi-
date and several friends, at Wytheville,
waylaid, shot. aud dangerously wounded a
Democratic editor; some Republican negroes
| shot white Democrat at Williamsburg;
and white Republican shot and badly
wounded white Democrat and colored
Democrat i'll Halifax county. lSO far as
we can recall, these are the only cases of
bloodshed, and there has been no riot
2. There has been nothing approaching
intimidation" except that colOrad Repub-
licans have regularly used every form of
intimidation towards their own race who
| wanted to vote the Democratic ticket. We
have been crcdibly informed of cases where
colored pastors have not only used all of
their influence to induce their members to
"vote right" but have threatened to turn
them out of the church if they dared to
vote the Democratic ticket. Senator Sher-
man and Governor Foraker, of Ohio, had
made themselves especially obnoxious to the
Democrats of Virginia by charging them
with intimidation of the negroes, massacres
Of colored voters, ballot-box stufing, cheat
ing, fraud, and every method possible to
defeat the will of the people and make a
solid South" And yet these men came
to Virginia, went where they pleased. spoke
when and where and what they chose, and
we're in no way hindered, or molested, or
matreated.
8. Our new Governor, General Fitzhugh
Lee, is one of the most conservative, ma
tional, broad-minded, patriotic men in
America. He was as gallant Confederate
soldier as ever drew blade to defend the
land of his birth and the cause heHloved
with knightly devotion and conscientiousy
and honestly believed to be the cause of
truth. But when at Appomattox he sur
rendered his s ainless sword to ''overwhelm-
ing numbers and resources" he became at
once loyal citizen of the United States,
and since then (while he has never cringed
or crawled in the dirt, and has always been
| manly in his utterances) he has not only OBJ
served strictly the terms of his parole, but
has always raised his voice for fraternity
and goodwill between all sections. In
1876 he went to the Bunker-Hill celebra-
ton at Boston, and made a speech in favor
of harmony and a union of hearts, as well
as a union in name, between all sections-a
speech which elected the heartiest applause
of the vast crowd who heard him and of the
| whole country. At the Yorktown Centen-
| nial he commanded the Virginia troops, and
was greeted with enthusiastic cheering un-
| equalled by that accorded to the President
of the United States or any other official
present. On visit to New York several
years ago, and at West Point last year,
| where he went as one of the Visitors of the
| Military Academy, he was cordially receiv-
| ed and enthusiastically greeted by ''rnen
who wore the blue" But when he rode
up Pennsy lvauia avenue at the head OF
southern troops at President Clevela nd 5
| inaugural, and when he rode beside Gen.
neral of General Grant in New York, he
was accorded by all parties an ovation such
as no one else received, because he was re-
garded as representative of the solid
South" wheeling into line, and ''ke eeping
step to the music of the Union" Indeed
he has been universally regarded as lead
er of "peace and good will' between all sec
tions of our common country. And he has
done nothlpg in the recent canvass incOn-
sistent witt this record He has worn citi-
zens' clothes, and not s'rebel uniform. y
He has not ridden through the country on
the saddle of his uncle'-though we pre-
sumo he would have considered it no harm
it he had CHANGED to ride ON tho saddle of
R. E. Lee, and certainly we of the South
do not believe that this saddle is "traason
stained" or that the great chieftain who
rode it in series Of battles which have il
lustrated bright pages of American history
was other than pure patriot. He did nj
| carry in his cavaicades the battle-H2g OF
Pickett's DIVISION" which was borne in
that historic charge on the heights of Get
tysburg; but he did carry the ''stars and
Stripes" and taught his old soldiers, who
came by thousands in citizens clothes, to
ride after him, that this is henceforth the
flag they must follow, and that under this
banner OF our common country. and not un-
der the "bloody-shlrt OF sectional hate, we
are heneeforth to battle and to conquer.
4. We have not said, and do not NEAR
that the canvass is over, and General Lee
and the Democratic ticket elected, we viii
and OF all creeds will be safe in his hands,
de VIII De Governor OF all the people, ane
an lntlmate personal acquaintance enables
this writer to say that he is man OF broao
views, stainless character, and answering
patrlotlsm! that ne Will know no master
save tne VIII OF tne people; That ne Will ably
and faithfully execute the laws otthe land
and that all coiors ana all classes Will ind
protector ana frIend In our new Governor
the gallant gentleman ana chlVairous patrl