The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-12-27
The Negro vots.

Inc SCUM are iaOOTlDS lnauStIlOuSly w Sel
up scare atcut the negro vote. 1t is the
last resort of political agitators and MERGE
Aary place hunters They know, in Va,
there is nothing in the negro vote to cause
apprehension. or to give uneasness. 1t
| is a sipgular fact that the measures affect
| ing State interests which the negro has
supported have been Endorsed by the Dem
ocrats. The policies in national affairs
which the negro vote generally sustains,
are those which a large majority of the
white people of Virginia favor. The law
and the constitution give him the right
to vote and if that privilege is exercised
for the general good and approved by r :
publicans and Democrats, where is the
sense or the justice IN raising hue and
cry about the negro vote
: In State affairs The ntgro's vote IS
sisted in restoring the public schools to a
condition of comparative prosperity. It
was cast for free ballot. 1t aided in e.
moving that relic of barbarism. the
whipping post.
In national affairs it has been deposited
in favor of protection to American irdus-
tries and American labor. lnfayor of the
repeal of the internal revenue tax; and
national aid to public educ atom. l. has
sustained the wise financial policy of the
government, and been against tie vicious
notions OF the Democratic party
Tie negro vote at all liiGes has b en- con.
| iG fri OF il. "a J.
lot box. and in every political relation the
privileges conferred upon him have been
used to promote wise and healihful gov
ernment. His rights are guaranteed and
guarded by the same statutes which sur
round every other eli Zen. and this legsla-
tion cannot lie changed to discriminate
against him, without violation Of the
fundamental law of the country He is
with us as an essential and indispensable
part OF oIr domestic and industrial econ
omy. His labor CREATES values. He is the
ubstratum of our farm labor system, and
coul! not well be dispensed with,
Then Why lis cruel and wicked war
fare upon him as d political factor? Ii
his vote is not harmful to the State where
is thessense Or the Justice of seeking to
arouse prejudice against a condition that
cannot be changed and which can only
stir up strife and bad feeling, with no com
pensating good
1t is the last resort of desperate politi
clans. and nothing more or less. The
, Democracy realize that their lease Of
, power is of short duration, if their appea
, is to the people upon the record they have
made. They know that popular sentiment
is fast crystalizing into a triumphant
power among the white voters of the
regard of the wishes of the people wbicl
+ has ma ked the legislation of the Demo
2 cratic party. And it is to avert that It
, buke that this wicked attempt is beirs
! made to present the race issue in the mex
a State election, as the controlling question
] to be discussed
C The pretext of fear of negro dom inatiol
] in State affairs is the yeriest falsthood tba
c was eyer coined in the mind of man
e There is not an intelligent Democrat il
0 really no such apprehension. They al
: know that there is no possibility of such
0 thing, even were there desire, whicl
there is not. 1t is device of the politi
C clans to infame passion and prejudice
r in order to obscure the record that ha
q been made by the Democracy, and thu
8 attempt 10 carry the election by appeal
t which will have in them nothing but harm
s to the State.
+ We do not believe that the intelligent
}, conservative portion of the people vii
a countenance such an issue. They ough
q to meet it with stern resentment, becaus
Q they know that nothing would be SO eiiec
}. tive in checking the material progress an
d aggravating domestic relations as to mad
den race prejudices and institute crusad
o against rights which are interviewer Hit
h our whole political and Industrial rela
e tions, and fortified by the sanction of III
h cardinal laws of the state and nation.