The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1890-04-26

1HE APPEAL correspondent visited
the Hon. joni Mercer Langston at
his pleasant home in THE city,
last Friday. He was shown about
the spacious grounds by their honored
possessor. Among the NATURAL adorn-
ments of them are three trees namely a
larch. birch and sycamore which were
given to their present owner by Hon.
Chas Sumner. The friendship of these
two men was only severed by the death
OF Mr.. Sumner. It is not an acknowl-
edged fact of history yet the famous
Sumner Civil Rights Bill was the work
of Mr.. Langston at Mr.Sumner's request.
AT present Mr.. Langston is contesting
the seat of Mr.. Venable of the Fourth.
Cong. Dist of Virginia and so far has
spent $4,000 in fight not for prefer
ment but for principle and tor recogni-
ton of the Colored man as an integral
part ofour population and not not as
more factotum or unknown quantity of
an unequal equation. Mr.. Langston
gave your correspondent brief review
OF his case as follows: elm the 4th Dist
of Va. there are 33.645 voters of this
number 19, s55 are Colored. The District
is Republican by a majority of over 5000.
The highest number of votes ever
polled by a Democrat, previous to the
election of Fitzhugh Lee was lO,32S;
which was Cleveland quota in 1884. Mr..
Lee received II 1881 and he is the most
popular man in Virginia. NY vote in
1883 OF 1887 was more than Cleveland
received yet Mr.. Venable claims be has
1928 votes or more than 900 in excess
of Mr.. Cleveland. Does it not apperr
very strange that he should run far
ahead of the head of the ticket? Again
they Claim I was not the regular nomi-
nee OF the Republican party and that
Arnold was, yet Mr.Arnold received only
fraction over :. 900 votes. How could
he with the endorsement of bis party,
80 said, only receive that number? HIS
friends must have worked III an indiffer-
ent way for him. Now to come to the de-
tails; In making up my case the defend
ant per Sc has conceded to correction
of record in 2 precincts and thereby in
creased my vote by al and from sworn
statement of my coloborers and taken
from testimony of defendants witnesses
my right plurality over Mr.. Venable is
2,435. They say drew the color line in
the Congressional fight and there never
was anything SO falsely said. Ny white
friends and supporters are not counted
by hundreds but by thousands and their
testimony in the brief of my case will
bear me out. I do..not condescend to
the low plane of arguing intimidation
yet numbers of men were crowded from
thej voting places in Petersburg. l
simply rest my case and base it on the
absolute Justification of returns as pro.
ven by witnesses. This is identically
the same line of procedure as in the Fea-
therstone VS. Cate. Fit was admissible
then I cannot see why the rule should
change. No I do not know that shall
be seated but my case will be carried to
the highest court unless settled y-the
House. Yes, I am for the young race
and my fight is for them. The low
ground of personal aggrandizement is
too trivial to enter the list in this great
fight Of principle. Yes l am an advo.
cate of an independence that will place
Us above the mental and drudging
sphere of life and will elevate us to
point where you young men car work
out, the destiny of this grand and glor-
ious race. Mr.. Langston has that liber-
atty Of sentiment and absence of sell
fish motives that marks such men as
Douglass and others to the races dis
paragement. tits to be hoped that Mr..
Iangston will be seated. G. "A. J..