The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1885-10-22
The Yirglnin Cnnrns..

Ame VArSAmAu CtmNusS'
New York Herald
A colored clergyman in Virginia
writes to friend in this city Many
of my people will vote with the demo-
Gratis this year, and ] am inclined to do
so, too. have hitherto followed the
republican fortunes, but ! do not like
the kind of appeal which General Ma
hone makes to voters of my race, and
Ihave come to the conclusion that
whatever may be best in State like
New York, here in Virginia it would
be well for both races that the demo
Gratis should carry the State this fall."
We believe this colored clergyman's
conclusion to be entirely sound, and
we shall think the colored voters OF
Virginia sensible if a large part of
them vote the democratic ticket in
November, We will make plain to
the colored readers of the HERALD in
Virginia the grounds for this advice.
1t is plainly the intention Of the re-
publican leaders-such men as Mr.
Blaine, Senator Sherman, Senator
Hoar and General Logan-to keep up
and, so far as they can, intensity sec
tional prejudice and hostility They
choose this course because they be-
lieve that they can carry the North
ern States more easily on an appeal to
prejudice and sectional hatred than on
any policy which they are willing to
adopt.
Now, it is useful for the colored
voters of the Southern States to bear
in mind that whether the Sherman
and Blaine republican policy succeeds
or fails in carrying the North, either
case they, the Southern colored men,
will be seriously compromised and in
jured, unless by their political action
they show themselves clearly opposed
to such policy. The battle which
Senator Sherman has opened in Ohio
and which the republican leaders in
Massachusetts, and other Northern
States are urging, is about the colored
people of the South, but it is not fol
them. They are merely the pretext
used to excite partisan passions in the
North.
1t is a cruel and dastardly game
these republicans are playing be
cause the appeals by which they hope
to inhame sectional prejudice herr
cannot fail also to arouse i'll feeling
among the Southern whites and to ex
cite ignorant and violent men among
them to that very course toward tll'
colored people with which Messrs
Sherman and Hoar charge them
Thus the colored man is made the vic
tim Of these Northern republican dem
agogues, who care nothing for him ex
cept so far as they can use him 70
J. their selfish ends.
u 1t is the Southern colored voter
y duty to himself, as it is most clearly t
! his interest, to condemn and punisl
this Northern demagogism by votin
. with the democrats in Virginia thi
y fall, and in every Southern State here
after, until by this course he ha
: taught Northern republicans that h
: will not be used by them as a mer
. catspaw. A decent self-respect,
proper care for their own welfare, wi
= lead the Southern colored men
# show the resentment and thei
l. power to punish those who thu
o unscrupulously seek to max
p them the hapless bone of contention
sure to be crushed whichever side sha
= win.
!. We advise the intelligent colore
:, men of Virginia to vote solidly wit
the democrats in November, and whe
~ they have thus helped to carry til
State for that party to let it be unde
stood by men like Senators Sherma
\ and Hoar, Mr.. Blaine and General l.
/. gan that this is the colored mans r
;, ply to the attempt Of these Norther
:, demagogues to use and abuse him fl
- their selfish ends.
A will. in which the testator,