Valley of the Shadow: Civil War-Era Newspapers

Staunton Vindicator: August 18, 1865

Go To Page : 8 | 2 |

-Page 08-

The Suffrage Question--A Dialogue
(Column 05)
Summary: The paper reprints an article from the Boston Post ridiculing the idea of voting rights for African Americans, Asians and Native Americans.

Origin of Article: The Boston Post

Full Text of Article:
Negro--"Go way dar; you Injun and Chinaman no account--no account a' tall."

Indian--"Ugh!"

Chinese--"Chinaman have big country--do much business. American man come long way to get tea, silk, many tings."

Negro--"Go way, I say; you got no right suffrage; you ain't a man and a brudder."

Indian--"Me right of suffrage from the Great Spirit. This country my hunting ground; pale face bring thunder and lightning and fire-water, and drive poor Indian away, but the Great Spirit looks on. Ugh!"

Negro--"Pale face no account; de chief Judge say dat nigger superior race down Souf, and I guess he know."

Chinese--"How much monish you got? You work now?"

Negro--"Catch dis nigger working now. Yah, yah, no sah, dis child under de protection of de Government--Yah, yah, work; yah yah. Look yeah you China man, we gwine to vote now we niggers, you China men and you Injuns belong to the 'ferior race, and dese white men no 'count tall. You just wait till Fred Douglass is de President, den you see who's de 'ferior race."

Indian--"My tribe fight for the pale face in the army of the great chief Pope, we have much farm, little Injun go to school, me go to see the great Father Lincoln, me no vote. Ugh!"

Chinese--"Me see great Mandarin American man in the great empire of ze sun; he say much fine thing; me come to America land, me like America land; China man no vote; me see African man vote; he no Mandarin; American man come to his country; Injun man fight for Merica land he no vote."

Negro--"Yah! yah! you don't know noffin tall; don't you see de declaration independence don't mean you folks; it means consent of the governed, don't you see; and we niggers don't give our seat, dats de ting; massa Sumner told me dat hisseff."

Indian--"Ugh! me fight pale face--Ugh! ugh! ugh! (with a war whoop.")

Chinese--"Me no consent, me steal much."

Negro--"Yah! yah! yah! You go long; you no 'count tall."

Exeunt Omnes

-Page 02-

[No Title]
(Column 01)
Summary: The paper urges that the voters select "good loyal men . . . unexceptionable to the authorities" in the upcoming congressional elections. Doing so will deny ammunition to radical Republicans which could be used to deny southern representatives their seats in congress and readmission to the Union.

Full Text of Article:
The time is approaching when the people of Virginia will be called upon to select persons to represent them in Congress and the General Assembly. As was the case in the various elections for County and municipal officers, in regard to the reorganization of the State, if we elect men who will not be allowed to take their seats, we retard for a time the restoration of the State in the Union, and besides, the radicals will again imagine they have something to rail against. There are good loyal men in our midst, unexceptionable to any one, who are qualified to represent us and who will most assuredly be allowed admission to their respective bodies. These are the men from among whom we must make our selections if we desire the restoration of law and order here and the speedy resumption of our place as one of the United States. This course will relieve us of many drawbacks incident to the present disordered state of affairs and will also silence the tongues of the radicals, by disarming them of the only argument they have attempted to use against us to prove that we are disloyal still, not having yielded in good faith, and that we have sworn and subscribed to the oaths of Allegiance and Amnesty with a mental reservation. Therefore we suggest that the August Court, Monday 28th inst., when there will be a good a representation from all portions of the County present, affording a fine opportunity for a general interchange of sentiments, that a ticket be arranged which will be acceptable to the people generally and unexceptionable to the authorities.

[No Title]
(Column 01)
Summary: This article reports an attempted night-time burglary of the store of Mr. Gabriel Hirsh by "Robert Williams, a negro boy, from Covington." Williams' actions aroused Mr. Leo Loeb, who slept in a room above the store. Loeb snuck downstairs and fired several shots with a pistol, one of which struck Williams in the breast. Williams ran upstairs and leapt out a window to escape. He was arrested the following day and committed to jail for trial after giving "several conflicting accounts of the manner in which he received the wound," and subsequently confessing.
(Names in announcement: Robert Williams, Gabriel Hirsh, Leo Loeb)
[No Title]
(Column 01)
Summary: The paper announces that the officers elected for the Corporation of Staunton have qualified, and civil cases within the jurisdiction of the court have been turned over to it by the military authorities.

[No Title]
(Column 01)
Summary: The paper announces that Jas. Gibson "was arrested and brought before the Mayor" for "stealing a watch from a negro man." He was sent to jail to await trial.
(Names in announcement: Jas. Gibson)
Married
(Column 02)
Summary: Mr. James Fagan and Miss Mary E. Pearson, both of Staunton, were married at the Baptist Church by Rev. A. L. Dickinson on August 11th.
(Names in announcement: James Fagan, Mary E. Pearson, Rev. A. L. Dickinson)
Married
(Column 02)
Summary: Mr. M. Thompson McClure and Miss Kate Bumgardner, both of Augusta County, were married in Greenville by the Rev. Dr. McFarland on July 27th.
(Names in announcement: M. Thompson McClure, Kate Bumgardner, Rev. Dr. McFarland)
Married
(Column 02)
Summary: Mr. Henry Crist and Mrs. Bardary A. Whitesell, of Mint Spring, Augusta County, were married at the Wesleyan Female Institute, Staunton, by the Rev. J. C. Dice on August 10th.
(Names in announcement: Henry Crist, Bardary A. Whitesell, Rev. J. C. Dice)