Year: 1870

ii g1zi 5s.., BALTIMORE, August 8, 1870.
Raleigh 4. Daniel, Esq, Chairman of the
State Conservative E5ecutaue Committee ::
I take the liberty to address you this let
ter for the purpose of replying to false
statements which I understand have been
circulated in Virginia to the effect that
have changed my politics from Conserva-
/ tive to Radical. w hen / left the city of
Richmond desired to have nothing more
to do with political matters, but the false
reports to which / have referred compel me
to reply to those Rischievous men of my
own race who are doing all they can to
l drive men of their own color from them. I
! do not wish my old friends in Virginia to
be misled by these reports. trust that I
considered maturely my political position
before adopting it, and where stood when
calling upon the coiored people in the
Richmond Theatre to hear your views and
those of Colonel Marmaduke johnson and
other Conservative gentlemen there stand
now. as none know better th:l IN those who
are irving to ffflure the Cons,eryatiye raIlse
and to injure me by such reports as the
above. >-f


Iwould like those who have slandered
me in this respect to explain what new
events have occurred since the period re-
ferred to to make any intelligent colored
Conservative abandon his principles and go
| over to the P.adical party, Mr.. Daniel, we
are not an educated people. Few books
| have been opened to us except the great
book ofhllman nature. That book confirms
what the Bible has said, that we must judge
men by their fruits. What fruits has the
HadicaA party brought forth since the Thea
tire meeting that we should put any more
| foith in them now than before? We have
|, sense enough to see that they are using us
only to place themselves in power, and tits
Ian insult to the intelligence of our whole
race that they expect thus to use it, and to
be permitted to use it, and not even be sus-
lpected as having any other motive than our
good and happiness.


| have always believed, and still believe,
that the white men Of the South, among
whom the colored men were raised, are bet
ter friends Of the colored men than stran-
gers, who know nothing Of their ways and


habits, and who believe that, in reality,
tthey have become debased and degraded
below the level of human beings. All their
dealings, personal and political, with the
colored men, proceed upon the theory that
we are in reality an inferior type of human
ity that we are unable (as, in fact, we too


often arel to compete with them in intefli-
gence and cunning; that we can be made
political slaves of, and even then not re-


ceive as much for it as we did in the old
days Of personal slavery. ask any respect
liable colored man if one of our race in a


thousand receives as much from his Radical


masters as he used to do from his old mas


tiers, or if he gets any pay for voting for
them to office except soft, hypocriLi-


cal words, that cost nothing, and mean
nothing! They tell us we owe to
the Republican party our freedom, as


if none of us had learned enough since


the war to discover that our freedom was


"war Measure" brought about by the
providence CT God, through the necessities


Of tne Federal Government, and that we
should never have had it if the men whose
fathers first sold our fathers to the south


ern people had found it to their advantage


to keep us in bondage. I appreciate that


freedom as much as any man. | thank God,


and Him alone, for it. will never part


with it any more than men of any other
race will part with their political privileges.


But when whining cheat informs me that


he has got a-fertune t0r- me, which came TO


me by the will Of God, and cchdffg gesss. me q
hundred per cent. for the information, L


have the right to look upon him as an i'm
tpudent rascal and knave, and never to have
any more dealings with him than l can


help. That is Just what the Radicals have


been doing. =. .a.


I believe it is the true interest of the
whites and colored Of the South to be


friends-poltical and personal friends-for


we are all afloat in a common vessel, and if
we get to quarrelling she is sure to capslze


and 90 down with both. They were born


on the same soil, raised there, live there


now, and expect to die there. Whatever


increases the prosperity Of one increases


that of the other. We know the whites OF
| the South, and that whatever they intend
they speak out, and have no sly, secret, TN
! xIerhand PURPOSES l. for my part, have
confidence in them, and if they betray it it


will be the first time. intend to go with


the whites of my own native land, and


advise my colored friends that their only


hope and safety in the future is to do the
same. This is the best and only. way to Sc.


cure the rights of all and to preserve the
| Union, for the purpose Of saving which,


and not on their own account, my own race
was liberated. ............ .. -ys


am, sir, with true respect,


| SoLoN JOHNSON.