Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-10-09
PREPARING TO BREAK.
It is related that among the designs O

PREPARING TO BREAK.
It is related that among the designs of
seals submitted to the government OF the
she Southern Confederacy for adoption,
was one bearing pile of cotton bales on
which lay Negro. sleeping. Oae of the
cabinet looking at it remarked, that 1T
was 'ominous of a bad sign,' for when
that niger wakes up it will be a bad day
for the Confaoeracy." Well, though THAT
nigger' slept through the war, he is get
ting pretty wide awake now. In the cot
5on states this year he made eight mil
lion bales of cotton, and in the same Sec
tion of the country he pays taxes On nine
ty million dollars of real estate belonging
sense, too, and is setting his face towards
the morning in the matter of party free
dom. We do not count the Colored Mems
Convention which assembled in Lynch
burg, last week, as assuming the
proportion of a break in the solid colOred
vote, but when we turn upon it's utter
ances the light of period but Fifteen years
back, its Importance cannot be ever
estimated. Fifteen years ago it would
have been hard to find ninety intelligent
colored men in Virginia who would have
had the nerve to hold convention 10
public and announce their independence
of the party which the moment they were
given the ballot had absorbed them all. Fit
teen years ago it would have been lmpos-
sible to gather convention of native col
ored Virginians containing as much
talent, as much cratorical ability, and as
much knowledge of public affairs as was
evinced at Lynchburg. And fifteen years
ago such convention would not have
commanded the same friendly interest in
its members as citizens, from the Demo-
cratic party as did this one. The Demo-
cratic party in Virginia in this particular
seems to be as strongly marked by It's pro-
gress. as the Republican is by its inability
to distinguish between the intelligent
black man of to-day and the freshly en-
franchissd slave OF twenty years back. The
situation seems to be settling down to
these conditiOns-that the more ignorant
the black man remalns, the more blindiy
he clings to the Republican party, and the
more intelligent he becomes, the more
plainly he sees that the Democratic party
Can as easily be made his friend as the
Republican was. While the Lynchburg
convention is not break by which the
Democratic party will at present realize
much aid from the c0lored men, 1t still
constitutes an avenue through which in
the future the two races may approach
each other in political matters. With a
permanent State organization indepen.
dent CT either Of the great parties, and
which viii grow in strength every year, it
will not be Icing before the colored people
WILL look impartislly on both, and vote az
their interest dictates.
The personelle of this, the first con-
its members " ere some of the largest col
ored property holders of the State and
representatives from all avocations, law
yers, editors, merchants and farmers. F.
lature, r. D. BecEley Of Alexandria, now
filing prominent office undsr President
Clevaiand; John Adams, an Alderman OF
Richmond; w. j. scott, editor OF the
Richmond Star" Edward D. Scott OF
PoWhatan, graduate of Harvard Uni.
verslty, John Oliver, prominent leader
in TIE CID Republican party, Capt. Ben
Scott. commander of colored military
company in Richmond, and men Of like
pr0mlnepea. and there, on. invitation,
WIS Thomas Fortune of New York, the
editor Of the Freeman" the leading col
ored journal Of the country. He advoca
ted the election Of Blaine, and it is only
since the renewal of the "bloody Shirt
waving by John Sherman, that he has an
tagonized the Republican party. He takes
tbs same view as is taken in this extract
from the Sentinel" the paper published
by tile coIored men of Philadelphia
tOstensibly the bloody shirt is waved fer black
men in reality it is for white men, for the ones
who have lost power. AS long as power rested
with these men, the negro could suffer the tortures
Of the damned for all they cared. but when the
power is torn from their grasp he is made hobby
horse by which to gain the favor Of the people.i'
The convention adopted a bIief aud eX-
ceedingly practical address to the colored
psople Of Virginia. 1t says at the outset
that:
"We the colored people of Virginia, believing as
we do that the time has come for us to call halt
in the unqualified support that we have given to
the Republican party here in convention assem-
hled, do solemnly declare ourselves politically in
dependent in all matters which pertain to US as
citizens and voters Of this Commonwealth.
After rehearsing the unceasing fidelity
of the colored men to the Republican party
for twenty-five years; its practical aban-
donment of them in former campaigns
end its refusal lin all matters where the
Negro ought 10 hsye recognition IN pro-
portion TO his voting strsngth and intelli-
gence," it adds.
THESE foregoing reasons lead US to adopt such
methods, and so demean ourselves as to make
friends OF those whose interests are identical in
every way with our own. We therefore appeal to
the coored people of our native State, to look
well TO the altered condition of affairs. and so in
the future, maze political alliances as will most
advance our interests, exceptionally, financially
and political. We feel ever so sure that there is
throughout the broad limits OF the Commonwealth,
general disposition en- the part of white people
to accord us all rights before the law, and meet
US heartily in every advance we make for the up
holding of our people,"
We have already said that while this
convention does no5 make a pronounced
break in the co.ored ranks, it has done
body to do, opened an opportunity for
Contamination between the Democratic
party and tha coiored people. It remains
now for the Democratic party Of the
State to show itself wise enough to