The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-09-14


The conference of the representative
colored men of the Fifth, Sixth, Ninth
and Tenth Congressional Districts got
down to hard work yesterday, after the
wrangling of the past two days.
at the morning session the report of
the committee on schools was, after
some discussion, adopted, and the re-
ports OF the committees on several sub
jects of minor Importance received
The report OF the committee on judlc-
larry, which was adopted after some dis
cussion, contained the following peril
nent paragraph:
1.-The Populist party, in case of sue
cess at the polls next November, will
endeavor to revise the 80 called Under
wood Constitution, if their preamble
adopted by the Lynchburg convention
means anything. In the revision of
this instrument, the negro, under pres
ent condition, will be greatly the loser.
He should not be suffered to sleep or to
vote blindly lest in the near future he
should wake and find himself com.
pletely DISTINGUISHED and robbed of his
vote"
The following report of the commit
tee on the history of the negro since
emancipation" was read, thoroughly
discussed by a number of delegates and
adopted:
Whereas the Republican party of
Virginia is composed of 1876 900 or more
colored and 20, 600 white voters, and
"Whereas the great mass OF col
ored voters have, since their enfran-
chisement, unanimously supported by
their ballots, all Republican candid ates
and such other white Office seekers who
from time to time found it to their
political and financial interest to ally
themselves with or to call themselves
Republicans, and
Whereas the Republican State COM
mittee has for several years past recon-
mended that the Republican party as
such make no nominations for the vari-
GUS State, county or Federal offices,
but that they indorse this or that faction
of the Democratic party, and
Whereas the said committee, COM
posed of thirty men, twenty-nine of
whom are white, and the Republicanism
cient, met in the city of Petersburg,
August 1, and decided to emancipate
the $4,000 political slaves and leave
them to act and speak for themselves
on the 7th of November.
Therefore be it resolved, That at
the election on the 7th of November
next it will be the paramount duty of
every colored voter to support and cast
his ballot for o candidate of the race in
those counties and senatorial districts
when such candidates have chance of
election to each branch of the legisla-
tive body, provided such candidate is in
telligent and otherwise qualified for the
duties of legislator.
| districts where the conditions named
in the first resolution do not exist, the
| great body OF colored voters should not
| practically disfranchise themselves by
remaining at home in case of there
being no Republican candidate, but
| should go to the polls like free men and
cast their ballot, for such of the white
candidates, whether Democrats, Repub-
licans, Prohibitionists or Populists,
whose previous history has been such as
to warrant belief that as Legislators
| they would neither lend their influence
directly or indirectly antagonistc to
the material progress of the race.
Third, That after careful considera-
tion and comparison of the platforms OF
| the Populist and Democratic parties We
| find In them little else than theories,
impracticable financial schemes and
| past record, and lusty request to be
put in power, while the latter mako
declarations and promises too old and
familiar to deceive any one and asks to
be continued in business at the old
stand. That there is nothing in either
| platform that really eommends itself to
the favorable consideration of colored
| sutfragists and hence should they cast
their ballots for the gubernatorial can
didases of one or the other party on the
7th OF November they would be forced
| 70 seek reasons for so doing not found
in these ENORMOUSLY phrased plat
| forms"
| These resolutions were discussed in
ten minute speeches by Everett. OF
| Lynchburg; Crockett, of Wythe; Stew
art of Amherst; Crow, Of Pittsylvania,
and q dozen other delegates who were
unanimous in saying that the time of
the negroes political thralldom had
passed and their political emancipation
was at hand. Their speeches abounded
in such phrases as these:
"The Republican party Is dead"
| I'VE are the Republican party OF Vir-
ginia and the South
| The white people in the South who
affiliate with the Republicans are only
| there for the lOaves and fishes"
| "Grever Cleveland was the first Presi.
dent who recognized the colored officials
as such and as is required by custom,
which is the same as law, to invite them
to colored receptions"
1.-The colored voter holds the balance
! OF power and the party we turn our back
| on will die"
THE Populist platform is sugar
coated pill with worm wood in the mid
die"