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Staunton Spectator: June 23, 1868 Go To Page : 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |

The Chief Danger
(Column 04)

Summary: An article from the Petersburg Express claims that the greatest threat to Virginia's people and honor comes from "apostates", whites who betray their race by joining the Radical party.

Origin of Article: Petersburg Express

Full Text of Article:

Our danger now is solely from apostates -- a class more to be dreaded than the negro -- because they have evinced a determination to sacrifice all pride of race and devotion to principle, to an indiscriminate scramble, with the negroes and aliens, for the crumbs which may fall from the table of our conquerors. Our danger is that enough white men may be found, who, lured by the tempting power of the spoils, are now willing to herd with the poor unfortunates they once despised, and thus secure victory and supremacy to an inferior race.

These are sad confessions for a Virginian to make, and yet they confront us with a reality which cannot be denied. We will not say that all who enter the Radical camp are actuated by unworthy motives -- but this does not alter the effect of their conduct. Their motives may be good -- it may be a sincere desire for reconstruction -- hatred of democracy -- but this does not neutralize the baneful tendency of their course. They are wounding the mother that nourished them -- betraying a race with whom they hold all things in common -- herding with a class for whom they must have a most loathing contempt -- and are pursuing a policy which, if triumphant, consigns their State to Africanization, and their neighbors to civil, social, and political equality with an ignorant and besotted race. Rather than witness such a result, or be participants in securing such a humiliation, let the star of Virginia remain forever obscured in the constellation of States. Our people have grown familiar with defeat, privation, and suffering. They have been taught in the fiery crucible of persecution the stern lesson that life itself is not a price too dear to pay for unsullied honor. If the conquerors demand it, we can remain as we are forever. When we return to the Union it must be with no blush of shame, and with no tarnished record. An effulgence as pure and bright as the character of Lee lends its luster to Virginia's virgin name! Accursed -- forever accursed -- the tongue whose whispered treason shall betray the councils of her braves! COURAGE, BROTHERS! The darkness of the night is far spent -- a bright day dawn awaits those who, "patient through suffering," have conquered the tempter. Virginians, return. Withdraw from the council fires of those who plot your mother's destruction. Rally to the standard of the race whose skin you wear. Resist the sophistries of men and devils who would deceive you into a still further antagonism to your people. Let no one be deceived. There is but one issue in the pending canvass. SHALL WHITE MEN OR NEGROES RULE VIRGINIA? -- Petersburg Express.

Col. Withers, Gen. Walker and Maj. Yellott
(Column 01)

Summary: Outlines the points made by Col. Withers, the Conservative candidate for Governor, in a speech made in Staunton. Col. Withers is campaigning against the constitution put forth by the state Convention, and against its provisions for universal suffrage and taxation.

Full Text of Article:

On Wednesday last, as per appointment of the Executive Committee of the Conservative party of Virginia, Col. Robert R. Withers, nominee of the Conservative party for Governor, Gen. Jas. A. Walker, nominee for Lieut. Governor, and Maj. Coleman Yellott of Lexington, one of the appointed canvassers, addressed the citizens of this county in the Court House. They made able speeches, and were listened to for hours with great interest. We have not the space to publish abstracts of their speeches which would do anything like justice to them. We can only mention briefly the principal subjects which were discussed in the most dignified, able, systematic and logical manner by Col. Withers in his thorough analysis and clear and satisfactory exposition of the hideous features of that monstrous thing miscalled the Constitution. He prefaced his remarks by stating that in trying to ascertain why the Convention of the Conservative party had selected him as the honored standard bearer of the White man's party, he had come to the conclusion that it came down to the fact that, having been a physician of twenty years, practice accustomed to the dissection of defunct and putrid bodies, the odor arising therefrom was less offensive to him than to others, and that he was, therefore, selected to dissect that foul thing miscalled the Constitution and to expose its vileness and rottenness. He yielded to some in his devotion to Virginia, and maintained that she should be ruled in the future, as she had been in the past, by white men.

In giving the character of the persons who composed the Convention which framed the Constitution, he classified them as follows, which he said was in the order of their respectability.

1st. There are conservatives -- Virginia gentlemen.

2nd. Twenty-four core field negroes.

3rd. "Carpet-baggers", a set of lean, lank, hungry looking cormorants who, leaving their country for their country's good, flocked in numbers to destroy, like the locusts of Egypt, every green thing in Virginia.

4th. "Scallawags", who are nominally Virginians, but who know nothing of the character of true Virginians, and occupy the same position in society that the scallawag cattle do in the stock market.

The handiwork of such men could not be expressed to be otherwise than wicked and monstrous.

Suffrage. In the reforms and extensions of the privelege of suffrage heretofore, no man ever dreamed in his wildest imaginings that the privilege would be conferred upon negroes. By this Constitution every negro 21 years old, or who will say that he is, or can get some one else to say so, can vote, while twenty thousand of the best white citizens of the State are denied the privilege. The rule it establishes is: Restricted suffrage for white men, unrestricted suffrage for negroes.

Registration. Whilst the system of registration was professedly established to prevent fraud in elections, it was really established for the purpose of perpetrating fraud. In illustration he mentioned a case where only 13 were allowed to vote when there were 116 entitled to vote, even under the restrictions imposed by the military bills.

If the 116 had been Radicals, all would have been allowed to vote.

Ballot. The voting by secret ballot was adopted, because it enabled the Radicals to add to the ballots if a sufficient number should not be cast to ensure the success of their party. It was a sneaking, mean way of voting.

Taxation. The taxes would be increased fourfold. The tax for the support of free schools alone would exceed the heaviest tax ever levied in Virginia to include everything.-- The greatest tax ever levied in Virginia amounted to about 87 cents in the $100 value, whereas this Constitution allows 100 cents in the $100 value for free schools alone -- making the tax for only one object about 15 per cent greater than the heaviest ever laid embracing all objects. The taxation under the Constitution, if adopted, will not be less than three per cent of the value of the property of the State, as in West Virginia.

For the first time in the history of Government the taxes will be imposed by those who will have no taxes to pay. The taxes will affect all property, and will oppress the poor more grievously than the rich.

The Militia System In the militia there will be no distinction of race or color or previous exhibition. The whites will have negroes to the right of them, negroes to the left of them, negroes in front of them, negroes in the rear of them, and a negro officer waving his sword of command over their heads. Negroes in the front, white trash in the rear!

[Remaining paragraph unclear]

[No Title]
(Column 02)

Summary: Article asserting that "Negro Sheriffs or Carpet Baggers" will soon be managing Virginia's esates.

Negro Threatens to Force White Men to Send their Children to Mixed Schools
(Column 02)

Summary: Reproduces a comment, made by a "mulatto carpet-bag legislative nominee", to the effect that "we'll make you" send your white children to mixed schools.

Full Text of Article:

Crocket, the mulatto carpet-bag legislative nominee of the Union League of Caroline, at June Court last, in the presence of a very large assemblages of the citizens of the country, in reply to a remark of Chastain White, Esq. in a public address then being made, "that the white people of Virginia would never send their children to schools with colored children," said, in a most insolent in defiant manner, "But we'll make you do it."

It is with this mulatto, Crocket that Capt. Fred. S. Tukey is running, on the same ticket, for the Legislature in Caroline county -- coupled together like two hounds, one white and the other tan colored. Tukey professes, or did when he lived here, to be a conservative, but his acts prove him to be Radical of the worst stripe.

Good Advice by a Colored Preacher
(Column 03)

Summary: The paper applauds the advice of S. H. Lemon, a black man who says that African-Americans should stay out of politics and take no stand on the constitution.

Full Text of Article:

S. H. Lemon, a colored Presiding Elder in the African Methodist Church, publishes the following communication in the Charlottesville Chronicle, in which he gives good counsel to his colored brethren:

Mr. EDITOR.--SIR: I beg leave to have space enough in your columns to make a few brief remarks to my colored brethren, as it seems to me that a great many of them are in a great excitement about political things.

One thing is, the Constitution of Virginia. I will say to my colored friends, that it will be better for them to be silent upon the subject. I speak to them on this subject because I love them all. They live here with their white friends in the South, their wives and children are in the house of our Southern white friends, and now I will say in conclusion that as there are two white parties now in the country, who are against each other, while one is for the Constitution, and the other is against it, it will be wise in us as a colored race to give up the politics of the country to the two parties of white men, and when they get right, then we can see what we can do. I will say to you as Moses said unto the Children of Israel when at the Red Sea, "Stand still and see the salvation of God."

We are taught by words of Divine Truth that "when the righteous rule, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule the people moan." I ask you if there ever was a time when there was more moaning than there is at this time. I would say to my colored race:--Do all you can to keep peace at home and pray to God that peace and quiet may attend all the different nations of the world. I will farther say to you that I believe every Southern gentleman who owned slaves is glad that you are free, and I know all they want of us is good manners and industry, true to our bargains and strictly truthful; and I will give you my reason for saying the above words. One reason is they are now free from your tax and doctor's fee; and another is that they are free from furnishing you houses at their own expense and all of this trouble is now on yourselves. And I will now say to you that we are taught that "The wicked flee when no man pursueth, but the righteous are as bold as lions."

Dear friends I hope you will take this counsel from Your friend,

S. H. Lemon

Presiding Elder in the African Methodist Church.

[No Title]
(Column 03)

Summary: The paper urges voters to reject the constitution to avoid "an odious and unjust form of Government, which cannot, by any possibility, be changed in less than twenty years?"

[No Title]
(Column 03)

Summary: The paper reminds readers that passage of the constitution will make the iron-clad oath required for all office holders.

[No Title]
(Column 03)

Summary: The article asserts that the new constitution will make the "best men" of the state ineligible as voters and jurors.

Sibert's Steel at Elizabeth Furnace
(Column 04)

Summary: The paper reports that Augusta's Lorenzo Sibert produced 60 tons of steel at Elizabeth Furnace in the past two weeks. He is now casting Railroad rails. Some of the steel will be sent to Tredegar Iron Works to be made into rails.
(Names in announcement: Lorenzo Sibert)

[No Title]
(Column 05)

Summary: The paper asserts that the new constitution will force men to serve in the militia under "black colonels" and touch "the elbow to your former slave."

[No Title]
(Column 05)

Summary: The article asserts that poor white Virginians, those who should benefit most from the new constitution, oppose it because of the prospect of "Negro equality, negro domination, with the polluting curse of mixed schools."

Origin of Article: Norfolk Virginian

[No Title]
(Column 05)

Summary: The paper asserts that the new constitution will establish "Negro Courts" that would "bind out White Orphans to Negro Masters."

Speactator for Only $1
(Column 01)

Summary: The paper will reduce its rate to $1 so that as many readers as possible will be able to follow the political campaigns.

Augusta Female Seminary
(Column 02)

Summary: The Augusta Female Seminary held closing exercises, including musical performances and prayers. Certificates of proficiency were presented in a variety of subjects.
(Names in announcement: Rev. Richardson, Nannie Thornton, Nannie McElwee, Sallie Barclay, Marion Wilson, Flora Welch, Mattie Brown, Ella Anderson, Bettie Johnston, Scottie White, Sallie Flinn, Lizzie Harris, Emma Frazier, Nannie Fletcher, Lou Bailey, Nannie Gooch, Sue Mathews, Nannie Williams, Aurelia Brown, Lucy Montague, Nannie Bell, Agnes Montgomery, Kitty Estell, Cornelia Weade, Lucy Campbell, Bettie Johnston, Esther Baird, Aurelia Brown, Lucy Campbell, Sue Payne, Sallie Flinn, Lucy Hamrick, Josephine Moore, Rev. Flinn, Lucy Montague, Isa Carrington, Bessie Hardin, Mary Berlin, Mary E. Evans, Sarah Teabo)

[No Title]
(Column 03)

Summary: Recounts how a group of ladies from Augusta decorated the graveyard of the soldiers.

Full Text of Article:

On Saturday last the ladies in the neighborhood of the Tinkling Spirit Church in the county decorated the graveyard of the soldiers, about thirty in number, in the burial ground of that church. The distant friends of the soldiers buried in this county may rest assured that the graves of their soldier friends will not be neglected by the fair ladies of Augusta. They will annually pay tribute to the patriotism and virtues of their soldiers who sacrificed their lives in defence of the South.

Marriages
(Column 04)

Summary: William A. Bell of Augusta and Miss Elizabeth E. Nottingham of Nashville were married in Nashville Tenn., on June 16th.
(Names in announcement: William A. Bell, Elizabeth E. Nottingham)

Deaths
(Column 04)

Summary: Elizabeth Carson died near Moscow, Augusta County on June 6th. She was 46 years old.