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Show i l l Ji THE ADDRESS TO THE COLORED J rlji PEOPLE OF VIRGINIA. '. ' The colored men of Virginia held a ' j I I r 1 ; j State" Convention at " Lynchburg yester- i j- ' ; ; :i i day, and .adopted an address' to be pre- , , sented to the negroes of that State. In many respects . it. is a remarkable docu- (" j ', ment. It is remarkable as being inde- ;; . j ! iji pendent and. treating the .situation in. ; j ; Virginia as .t is ; it is remarkable as be-j be-j j j j I ing an able address and one that does j : . ' j . ilj credit to the intelligence and political ! f ' ' ; capacity of the negroes. Such an address I is a most healthy and hopeful sign, and ;. ;;; one that augurs well for the satis- ; i : i factory solution of the race problem ' : at the South. The address gives the rea- , ' ! sons for the. adherence of the negroes to ! the Republican pari' during the period . i ; j since the war. Those- - reasons were . " ! j:! j ! natural, and were such as' to warrant po- ; ! i litical fidelity to the Republican party, j ij i They do not cast any reflections upon the t j , ! j white men whom they raised to power 1 ! during the days of reconstruction and ; ji: subsequently, and the only referencoto : them is when the address says that the "colored voters nobly ' responded and raised to place and power men who grew V wealthy -while, administering the !;' laws'of .the United -- States Government ijij in the Southern States." All the services ll which have been rendered the negroes j ! by the Republicans are duly acknowledged, acknowl-edged, but they declare the time has ; come when . tbey should think, and act, . ; j and vote for themselves. The reason I ' ' which prompts them to so think and act ,1 is the Tact that the Republican partv has ,:J abandoned them in former campaigns, ; j j j and has not given to the negroes the j j political recognition due them on account j ! of their strength and intelligence." That ! statement' is "the" recognition of the fact ! i' that the negroes in the South have merely . ; been tools in . the s hands of unscru- pulous adventurers.--The-abolitionists ' I of post-bellum days ' were as different j I'1, from'the abolitionists of ante-bellum days ! '! as the darkness is from the light. The ; -- valiant band of abolitionists of whom jj Gainson was the leader,' were a band of i j heroes, through whose veins coursed the !j; blood of freedom, the blood that grew '!;' hot and furious 'when Jthe. wrongs which one portion' of humanity imposed upon another were thought of. What were the ' men who went South after, the war to control and dictate in Southern affairs, to control and dictate in the political affairs ( y of States where those' who " had been ; slaves were made masters, and those who had been masters were made political ji outcasts?. The' majority 'of them were ;j adventurers of the worst class, whose j ij naturally bad instincts, were made worse j .;;;!: by war. They lookelTupon the States ! which had been in rebellion as legitimate prey .ahd they used the negroes as a ,j means for compassing their prey. That j I j the negroes were ignorant and supersti- ),;' . tious, and proved pliant tools, was the i , - fault of thene who, for generations, had : , held them in bondage. Those who were I : ' ; in bondage are coming to a knowledge of j i their responsibilities, and this must be a , : t matter of congratulat ion to all who desire j the advancement of the negro racex-and lit the peace and prosperity of the country. y. J The negroes in Virginia recognize the im- ; 1 ;;; portant fact that much of the bitter race i ; ! antagonism at the South is largely trace- j i !j able to the mismanagement of Federal H officeholders in the South. This shows j pi great advancement in political knowl- ; edge, and shows a true appreciation of , . j; where the danger lias been heretofore. : ; Ate address makes this appeal to the 1 t colored people of Virginia, and if by them i j it is heeded and the good advice which it J . gives is followed, there is a brighter and j ' ; hapj)ier day in store for a much-wronged ! iijf and downtrodden race. ITere is the ap- ! vs ial: i f ; 'These reasons" (the ones to which we j ; l; have referred above) "lead us to adopt such ! ( methods and so to demean ourselves, as to ' j ! ; make friends with those whose interests are , identical in every way with onr own. We f i : therefore appeal to the colored people of ' ; ! i our native State to look to the well altered ; condition of affairs, and in future to make ; . such political alliances as will most advance ; : our interests educationally, financially, and j! politically. We feel sure that there is , j , throughout the broad limits of the Common , ' ', wealth a general disposition on the part of , ; . ;, the white people to accord us our rights be-' be-' ! s fore the law, and to meet us heartily in , every advance we make for the upholding of OUT people." ' ' .,... . n The Administration is heartily en- ; 1 dorsed, a thing in very strange and happy , ; contrast with the fears of some of the j negroes last. year, that the advent to -! ; !;; power of. the Democratic party meant : j jj1 bondage to the negroes. They ask aid I ' 1 1 : ,; from tll5 General .Government for Vir- j i ' I :;ji glnia in the matter oLher debts.. This, i ,''" of course, can never be granted, but it is !j as wise a request as the proposition of ' 1 ; Mr. Blaine to distribute the whisky tax i . , among the States. Both parties in Vir-ginia Vir-ginia are filled with heretical financial i views, and there it is almost looked upon 1 ' ; by all as treason to the State not to be in 'i" ' favor of repudiation, so that the negroes , not beiiig sound oh the question of paying pay-ing Virginia' -debfcs is not surprising. , ; May there be colored conventions in all 1 the Southern States with as broad and , i liberal views as the one in the Old ;i! Dominion. |
