Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-07-26

docket was called over ana the oates hNeu
for the hearing of several important cases
covering heavy suits for damages.
ROBIN ADAR,
The Negro Question.
To he E.itor of1te Dispatch:
The negro question is up. It will not
down. II is a growing question. il grows
with every birth of negro child. and with
every thought of the thoughtful. II has
made tremendous strides In the last twelve
months, and IT il destined 10 make still
greater in the years 10 come. Thought,
once aroused. sleeps not. II is, therefore,
always on the alert. Its argus eyes pierce
everything. Until 1877 there was no fear
Of the negro on any question. We were "a
solid as q Muldoon. and he was as quiet as
a lamb. Then II was that Mahone-per-
cciying what breach he might make
leaped like an enraged bull into the pOllti-
cal arena, and cared not for horse nor
matador, so he could send disembowelllng
horn into the vtals Of any opponent
who dared TO cross bis enragod career.
Having lost the presidency of his pet rail
rOad and the gOycruOrsmp, which was 10
saive his wounded honor, he turned. Ike
Catiline. upon his native state and deter
mined 20 rend her. if from her ruins he
could rise to positions of profit and honor.
Loving authority and command. cunning
bv nature. adopting the adroit political
maxims of Burr the worst politician Of his
time. skilled in them by bad contact with
those who had mostly thriven upon them,
prcferring. like Satan, to reign IN hell
than serve in heaven" and feeling, like
him. "to reign is worth ambition, though
in hell" be soon rose TO the proud emil
nence Of him who, reckless of conse-
quences,
"WouId pour the sweet milk Of concord into
hell,
Uprool the universal peace, and confound all
unity on EARTH
so that he might establish his reign and
make those bite the dust who had detied
his power
Until 1877 il was not supposed that the
white men of the State could or would di-
vide seriously upon any question. A COM
mon woe had thrown them all into q COM
mon condition, and the daily necessity for
bread and meat had excluded n forecast of
the future from the employment of llte.
And when in 1880 the white voting pOpula-
ton oftbe State was found 10 be 2O6, PAS and
the NEGRO voting population was l28,257,
leaving q white majority OF W,y9l, the
largeness OF this very majority had con-
solng effect upon the multitude, and drove
the Cassandras into unmerited seclusion.
Dul lut NHEllih MAJ lilFA hA'A AARN ~ WIN
them. He saw his opportunity, and deter
mined TO make the most Of 1t. "Feign a
virtue if YOU have it not" Is not lost
maxim in his philosophy of life. Let the
voice be the voice of Jacob, even though
the hand is the hand of Esau. is part Of
the deceiver's creed fully as old as Isaac
and Rebekah, and fully as recent as the
Hancock and English electoral ticket,
when thirty-one thousand We're misled, af-
ter which exploit Malone exclaimed as
did Macbeth:
~ am in blood;
swept in 20 far, that, should wade no more,
Returning were a. tedious a. go DER
And go over he did. And so Malone was
a better Democrat than Ben. Hill until he
could safely be better Republican than
ingalls, or Sherman. When the yelled pro-
phet Of khOrassan removed the mask there
was disclosed the hidcOus features of Mo-
kama. There are always ambitious men.
There are always yenal men. There are
always men who are bought with price
The price depends upon the station and
the capacity. The constable struts with As
proud an air as does the senator. The
magistrate IS as elated rs the President
The notary public Is more pompOus than
the Secretary of State. And give those am
bilious or venal men far show of sue
cess and they can easily persuade them
selves that they have a grievance 10 ayenge
or an error in their political faith and
economy 10 correct. Thus when they
saw that they had 12s,257 negroes at
their back-a solid phalanx to do their
bidding, they knew that they could easily
find pTeteXt for dissatisfaction, and Whe-
ther that pTeteXt was debt or no debt,
tariff or no tariff, protection or no pro
lection. incidental revenue or no revenue,
I a.. g.. . D..
were perfectly willing TO offer an excuse
when they could not give a reason for their
tergiversation. And then, these are men
of such desperate fortunes that no chance
can injure them, who hope that IN the
crest Of some blundeTatlng wave they may
font into some unseen. unknown, and m
defined haven of rest. These men-sOme
designedly, some thOughtlessly, some IL
norantly- have united their fortunes with
the III 600 and for years have made the
State the hapless sport Of their caprices.
They have carried her from CamerOn's
gubernatOrial majority of 1915 IN 1881 10
the congressional Republican majority OF
is. al in 1856. and from a 5000 vote for
Garfield in 1880 to "a $50, 422 vote for HGrri-
son IN 1888; whilst we have gone from %
"A. ll2 majority for Tilden in 1876 TO ,655
majority for Cleveland in 1855.
Now, what does this argue? 10 demon
strates that cons derable part of the
white vote of this State has been banded
about from pillar TO post" without any
abiding purpose or settled faith. There
stood the dark and solid column OF negroes
ALWAYS going one way-and that way dc
tated by powers inimical TO u5-and there
stood the column of white men made un-
certain by intentional deserters and
thoughtless stragglers. What shall be done
for the latterg Call halt. Explain the
matter TO them. Engage their attention.
Enlighten their intelligence. Reveal TO
them the folly of their course. the certainty
of the end. the degraded character OF the
fellowship of their association.
There are thirty-one counties in the
State that have actual negro maiorities
They are Northampton. Lancaster, Glou-
cester, Middlesex, and Essex. in the First
district; Norfolk, South
ampton. Warwick, York, James City,
Charles City, and Surry, in the Second;
New Kent, and King William,
in the Third; Prince George, Sussex. Dim
widdle, Grecnesville, Brunswick. Mecklen-
burg, Lunenburg, Nottoway, Amelia, Pow
hatan, and Prince Edward, in the Fourth;
Charlotte and Halifax in the Sixth; Louisa
in the Eighth, and Buckingham and Cum
berland in the Tenth.
In some of the other counties the white
majority is very slight as in Westmore-
land. where it is only four.
The other counties that usually give
Republican majorties are Elizabeth City,
Princess Anne. Nansemond, AppOmattox,
Northumberland. King George,
Stafford, Caroline, Orange, Allegheny,
Rockbridge, Montgomery,
Floyd, and Scott.
Would these counties give these MAORI
lies If they understood that something
more important was at stake than the State
iebt, the tariff for revenue, OF incidental
Suppose they knew that the
continued reign OF the white man in this
State was at issue, how long would they
'ollow after the false gods Of Malone and
ais misled associates2 Suppose they were
o know what would be the result Of the
domination Of the black man in this State,
low long would they hesitate to make that
domination an impossibilityf Blood is
Kicker than water Ingram said when he
'ushed TO the aid Of the English in the Chi.
iese sea. And blood Is thicker than water