The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-12-20
1.-The Ebon Czar.n


rial degeneracy.
The Ebon Czar.'
Bro. Lafferty. of the Christian ADVOCATE, |
Is nothing if not sensational and illogi-
cal. He assumes to discuss questions af-
fecting society and government from an
elevated philosophical standpoint. yet dis
torts the predicates he introduces from
their legitimate relations, and flies to con-
clusion net warranted by Efacts. Having
that the result of the recent
Presidential election was danger signal"
warning the people of the South of an
assault upon their social sys-
tenn and political equality. he follows it
up with the 10 lost illogical and indefensible
conclusion that eyer emanated from a
sane man.
First" says he, Harrison, without
the electoral votes of New York, would
have failed. His majority there was
14,OC0. There are $4,000 negro voters in
that State. The Africans gave him New
York. Second. Harrison carried Indiana
by 1000. The Africans gave Indiana to
Harrison. And so on in other and decisive
States. Third, there are one million aid
half negro voters in the United States
Cleveland. with this huge vote against
him at the polls, has received popular
majority of one hundred thousand. He
is, in TACT. the choice of the people, and
they haye so said through the ballot-box
The election machinery will deprive the
people of their President. Cancel the
negro vote, and what an enormous popu
lar majority of the white citizen vote was
given to Cleveland.
This assumes that there is but : one
side to this matter. Did it never occur
to the Adcocate that but for the negro en-
tering into the census enumeration as
citizen. ard the basis of representation in
Congress and the Electoral College being
fixed upon population. and not upon the
votes cast, Harrison would have been
elected without either New Y ork or In
diana? Did it never enter into the arith
metic of Bro. Lafferty that in the States
with the largest negro population. it was
there that Cleveland received his largest
maiorities ? All of his electoral votes
were obtained in the former slaveholding
States. except in the small States of
Connecticut and New Jersey. and oh
tanned by the suppression OF 1870. 600 vote in
Georgia 81 900 in Alabama, 100 900 in
Mississippi, 200 in Louisiana. 125, 900
in South Carolina. and so on, notwith
standing these suppressed votes are
counted in the basis of representation
in Congress and the Electoral College.
Take from Mr.. Cleveland the electoral
votes based on the vote thus suppressed.
! and what would be the aggregate of his
strength. And did he never consider that if
it was not for the prejudice against the
negro at the polls, Virginia and all the
border Southern States, majority of the
! white vote, the white vote would be for
the Republican party?
| But why all this fuss and Juror about
the negro vote? Their rights are part
of the State and National Constit utions.
1t is right which good citizenship can
not get over recognizing. 1t is as much a
crime to withhold or deny it. as it is to
violate any other provision Of the funda-
mental law. Why then this agitation of
a condition that is fixed in the statutes
fixed in the political economy of the
government-and fixed to stay. Revo1u
lions meyer 60 backward. The thing to
| do is to accept the laws as they are and
| live up to them. 1t is this retroactive
spirit that has kept the South back. Had
the Southern States accepted the situation
as they found it, as a result of the war,
i'm med,ately after its close, they would
now be twenty years ahead Of the condi-
tion in which they are. They have
been biting a file for these many Years
under the lead and direction of just such
Bourbonism as the Adrocate Is preaching
Instead of 5emoaning the past, and
worrying over things that cannot be
prevented, it would be infinitely better
aid wiser to address themselves to The
present, and look forward hopefully to the
future, trusting to the intelligence and
patriotism of the people to meet all emer.
gencies and solve every problem. whether
social or political that may be presented.
The "Ebon Gar" is myth of dis
eased imagination. The idea of 10000
900 OF white people being dominated by
6, 900, 900 colored people, and the laws and
,sti,utCns Of the country administered
50 the injury and humiliation of the dom7
inant race, is such superlatively insane
apprehension that no one who is capable
of nationally thinking, would seriously
consider it.
1t is bad enough for the political Jour-
nails to seek to arouse race prejudices
for partizan purposes, but it is infinitely
worse for a religious paper to present
the notion that there is danger OF The
negro passing 10 the control OF the gov
eminent and the AngloSax0n TO retire
before bis superior civilization and in:
teleetuaiity.