Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-06-19
THURSDAY. ........J JUNE -. 1884,

President Ingalls's Old Point speech
President INGALLS,, Of tho Chesapeake
and Ohio Railway Company, Is anew Eng
land nau who has spent much OF his ilie IN
the West and who some years ago began
TO take an interest in Virginia.
That he wishes ~ well; that he has
brought n great deal Of money to this
State; that ne has wonderfully improved
the line Of which he is the master spirit
and official head that be has shown n
kindly disposition towards Richmond. we
concede lie Is also said to be a staunch
Democrat. and vet he was not just to US IN
the speech he made at Old Point at the
Master Railway Mechanics banquet Tues
day evening.
II is not so much that he saws that
in tho Hampton Roads fight the Monitor
"droye the Merrimac back to her moor
ing; not that he speaks of the Con-
federates as "rebcls," for he truly men,
tons that WASHINGTON and his associates
bore that namo before victory perched
upon their banners; not so much that ne
repeats the picturesque but erroneous story
OF LEE surrendoring 10 GRANT under the
celebrated apple-trcc Of Appo1nattox
lot that he fails tounderstand our attitude
towards northern men who settle amongst
us; not that he omits 10 do justice TO the
romantic history and wonderful natural
resources Of the old Commonwealth; not
that he urges US 20 settle up orr debt ques-
ton and calls it "disgraceful episode. y
With respect to these topics his views are
not our views: but no matter now.
1, is of noticeable consequence, how
ever, that be should say:
have seen no place IN the world where
the colored race was treated so kindly ana
so well as in Virginia III regard 20 every
thing except voting. There IS no doupt
but that in places where the colored vote
j. in the majority, 10y all ways and means
in their power the white people have over
come that majority. They have carried
the elections Just as they are carried every
where else. am sorry 10 say, and efH,r ~
tar or f0ui means pJcceHted he neqro's
securing control. While IL is wrong and IN
the end will produce it's punishment who
is there TO throw the first stone!
Such is not the fact. Mr.. INGALLS, Is mis-
informed, or, if he speaks from his own
observation, his eyes lave been decelving
him. There IS not State in the Union
where voters are freer to cast their ballots
than in Virginia.
In what State, North or West, does the
laboring man dare boldly to go to the polls
and openly vote against the views and
wishes of his employer as the negro does
here? Is it not fact that large corpora
tions, influential manufacturers and miners
in other States often manage by hook or
crook to have their worlmen support
whatever ticket they please:
In Virginia. however, the colored man
stands side by side with his employer at
the polls, and while the latter drops in
Democratic the former drops in Repub-
hcan ticket. Is the darby badgered or
bullied or discharged for so doing? No.
Such instances are rare.
Take the election statistics of Virginia
for ten years past and we warrant 1t Will
be found that the percentage of negroes
whoexercised the right of suffrage was as
large if not larger than of whites.
That we have had squabblcs and some
times eYcesses at the polls can no more be
denied than that there have been like ex-
perierces IN Ohio and Massachusetts,, but
the Republican press magnifies every such
occurrence in the South as an outrage, an
attempt TO disfranchise the negro, where
~ in the North and West such troubles
are treated as tho natural ebullitions of
people who are heated by political strife.
No, Virginia has been very patient with
her colored citizens and Mr.. INGALLS, seems
TO recognize this fact dimly when he says
"While it is wrong ito suppress the negro
votel and in the end will produce its own
punishment who is there to throw the first
stone?"
He is of the opinion that an educational
qualification would be good solution of
our political difficulties in Virginia, but
having been told that it would not be
adopted if submitted Gas it must be) to a
popular vote. he looks forward to the day
when by acquisition of new settlers the
whites Of Virginia will have such a pre-
ponderance of population as to remove the
menace of negro suffrage. He thinks the
moment this takes place the temptation
for the demagogue TO use he colored vote
will be done away with, land the negro
will be left like others 10 consider his own
interests and take the advice Of his own
friends. and his vote will divide. In this
way hope TO see the color line disappear"
So do we, but mean while we cannot adj
NIT, nor agree to hear without very posi-
lively dissenting, that "either by fair OF
foul means" we have prevented the ne
groes securing control" The means We
use are lawful and proper. and the results
are advantageous both to the whites and
blacks; therefore are not foul"