Hamilton James Eckenrode

“ The Republicans of Virginia had come, as we have seen, to favor negro suffrage by the summer of 1865. After the Philadelphia radical convention of 1866, they abandoned all idea of restricting the franchise by property or educational qualifications or military service; and unitedly advocated "manhood suffrage" for the colored race. Congress, by the reconstruction acts of March, 1867, granted the blacks the privilege of voting for members of the constitutional convention of the Southern States. ”

“ Hunnicutt had been a slave-holder and voted for the ordinance of secession, although by his own statement, unwillingly. Later he became a Union man and in the beginning of the reconstruction went actively into politics as an advanced radical. His utterances were sometimes violent and even dangerous. Both as a speaker and as editor of the leading Republican journal in Virginia, the Richmond New Nation, he exerted a very great influence over the freedmen. In the Philadelphia convention Hunnicutt had withstood the more conservative views of John Minor Botts upon negro suffrage. ”

“ But the negroes were in no mood to play a subordinate part. The age was full of dream's; they were beginning to believe that boundless opportunities of advancement opened before them; and men who held the present hope of race equality would not rest satisfied with the advantages already gained. One of the most prominent negro politicians, Lewis Lindsay, in a characteristic and bitter speech at Charlottesville on July 2, announced the desires of the black men. ”

“ The campaign increased in warmth as the nominations for delegates to the convention were made. The negroes for the time gave themselves up to politics, for which they had already acquired an extreme liking. The difficulty of obtaining labor was consequently great in some sections, as the blacks lived in constant attendance upon political meetings. The freedmen showed a considerable aptitude for politics and demanded and received a share of the nominations. ”

“ New York Tribune, April 12, 1867 : "To organize a campaign on the Hunnicutt plan is to abandon any hope of a permanent Union party in the South. We cannot afford to array the white against the black or the black against the white."
New York Times : " He (Hunnicutt) and such as he are unceasing in their endeavors to organize the blacks as a party that shall hereafter control Southern affairs and with this view they teach the superiority of the negroes as a race over the white."
[20] Enquirer, May I and May 7, 1867. Whig, May I, 1867.
p.70 The Political Reconstruction of Virginia. ”

“ Immediately, migrating politicians from the North and the Virginia Republicans began to organize the negroes by means of the secret society known as the Union League. The Freedmen's Bureau had made the colored race independent of the whites; the Union League now thoroughly drilled it in practical politics and so prepared for a Republican victory at the polls. The firm establishment of negro suffrage
[1] Alexandria Gazette, August 3, 1865, and Fredericksburg New Era, August 18, 1865.
The State Campaign of 1867. p.65
in Virginia was the leading feature of the radical policy. ”

“ The committee on resolutions provided the following series : First, Congress was thanked for the reconstruction act, the beneficial effects of which were felt in the increased security of "loyal" men. Secondly, the principles of the Republican party were adopted as a platform, and the cooperation of all the classes, without distinction of race or color, was invited. The third resolution proclaimed equal protection to all men before the courts and equal political rights, including the right to hold office; free schools for all classes, and a free and equal participation therein ”

“ No attempt was made by the radical leaders to reduce the mob to order. Many of the country negro delegates were also excluded. It was proposed to hold a meeting in the Capitol Square and the crowd outside went off there. Mr. Hunnicutt addressed the "mass convention" within the church, which consisted entirely of negroes except the fifty white delegates to the April convention. He said that all that was necessary for the present convention to do was to endorse the April platform. If any man did not feel disposed to vote for that declaration, he might go home and take care of his family. ”

“ He had been beaten by Hunnicutt in the contest for leadership, but he still hoped to be able to found a party that might obtain the support of both white and black, a party that would secure the rights of colored men, but which would not be dominated by the political and social ideals of radicalism. ”

“ No better method than the Union League could have been chosen for uniting the negro race with the Republican party, for through the secret so- ciety the radical propaganda might be carried on, largely without fear of interruption on the part of the native whites. ”

“ We have met to appeal to the North not to permit the infliction of this disgrace upon us. Our rights may be wrested from us, but we will never submit to the rule of an alien and inferior race. We prefer the rule of the bayonet. ”

“ He claimed the right to social equality, and stated that the negroes intended to elect the governor, the members of Congress and a portion of the legislature. Wherever twelve men were appointed for any purpose, six of them must be black.46
Not only was the cooperation movement too conservative for the negroes; it could not have been otherwise than fatal to the influence of Hunnicutt and his fellow radicals. For their power lay in the impossible hopes with which they inspired the freedmen ”

“ That "to subject the white people of the State to the absolute supremacy, in their local government, in their representation in the senate and house of delegates, to the black race just emerged from personal servitude is abhorrent to the civilization of mankind." (5) The convention further declared that it disclaimed all hostility to the freedmen, but held that the white race should rule the State.
A complex system of party organization was adopted.88 First, there was to be a State committee of 35 members, nine of them residents of Richmond. ”

“ The tumultuous and confused August convention gave the conservative press a fair opportunity for renewed assaults upon the radicals and the negroes.54The conduct of the latter had been narrowly watched. They had ill acquitted themselves in their new dignity;55and the criticism was bitter.56 But whatever effect it had upon the white people, the convention greatly increased the independence of the freedmen. Some of the Union Leagues even refused to admit whites as members.57 In some places armed negro organizations were formed, 58to the fear of the people, and exaggeration increased the fear. ”

“ It was upheld by moderate men, who were prepared to abandon the Confederate tradition for the sake of Virginia's interests. The "cooperators" accepted negro suffrage because it was a fact. They wished to draw the freedmen to their support45 and to lead them in a party, which should advocate in a general and conservative way the measures of reconstruction. Naturally the leaders would have been white men. The negroes were not offered confiscation, social equality, high office and other inducements. ”

“ An officer of General Schofield's staff was assigned to the judgeship of the Richmond hustings court.64 On account of the lack of available men, offices were often given to carpet-baggers, who were usually entirely unfitted for their duties.
The military authority exercised very wide and varying powers under the reconstruction acts. General Schofield announced by order of May 28, 1867, that for the purpose of giving protection in cases where the civil authorities might fail, military commissioners should be selected from the army and the Freedmen's Bureau. ”

“ Some extremists advocated confiscation of Confederate property in favor of the negroes. The majority of Republicans, indeed, did not favor such a severe measure, but the blacks, ignorant and naturally desirous of bettering their condition, seized upon the idea with great avidity. It soon became the dream of the freedmen to own their farms instead of working for wages. ”

“ For it is evident from the statistics that the vote was so distributed, that while there was a white majority and a majority of white counties, many more voters lived in the counties having black majorities than in the white. The negro population was far more concentrated, giving it a decided advantage.
The election was held on October 18-21, 1867. In Richmond the polls were kept open three days,76 and far into the night of the third, in order to give the negroes an opportunity to poll a full vote. ”

“ But protest and abuse were quite fruitless, and the radical agitators penetrated to every county of the State, addressing the freedmen and inspiring them with alluring hopes." The most prominent politician of this time was James W. Hunnicutt. ”

“ Finally Hunnicutt was arrested November 27, on a warrant issued by a Charles City justice, charging him with inciting the negroes of that county to insurrection and race war. The military authority intervened and ordered him to be released on bail.85
The result of the election had shown the conservatives the imperative need for a thorough party organization. Accordingly the executive committee of the conservative party of Richmond, including members of the old Whig and Democratic central executive committees, issued a call for a State convention to be held in Richmond on December 11, 1867. ”

“ This convention assembled at Richmond on April 17, 1867.16Two hundred and ten delegates were present, of whom 160 were negroes. Forty-nine counties were represented. The convention was entirely under the influence of Hunnicutt and his supporters and was accordingly radical. The freedmen took a very prominent part in the proceedings and made many of the speeches, which were sometimes inflammatory. Confiscation was demanded by the negroes, almost to a man;17they went much farther than their white leaders in urging and approving this measure. ”

“ It elected 72 delegates, 25 of whom were negroes, to 33 conservatives. The whites cast 76,084 votes; the blacks 93,145. The apathy of the conservative people is evident in the fact that 44,000 registered white men failed to vote. The poll for the convention was 107,342; against it, 61,887; 14,835 whites voted for it and 638 blacks against.79 The last figure shows how united the negro race had become in the radical party. Fraud80and intimidation81were charged by the conservative press, especially in the election at Richmond. It is difficult to ascertain the truth. ”