Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-01-24
LYNCHBuRG VIRGINIiN.
WEDNESDAY, MORNING .JaS'Yaf. Is55.



relieving tie state from the nightmare Of
Blind deaf and beartless dynasty. II sc have
any kill in reading prognostics, the day OF de-
liveranoe Is at hand--the orgies Of party are A.
bout TO be broken up--aiid a mighty spirit is en-
tering the temple Of the state. TO drive out the
political hucksters. who have 80 long profanod
and de6Ied lis sacred precincts.
In the earlier aud better days of tn govern
men;. moral and intellectual fitness were made
the prerequisites to public promotion official
trust; but under the darker di,pensation which
followed. the only demand of the applicant for
Office has been strict and slavish submission to
the behcsfs of party-and the greater the derna-
gogue, the more favored. because more available,
,zaS the candidate apt 10 be-. The best citizens
Of he commonwealth have been prescribed. and
tho stato denied The benefit Of their services. be-
cau>e. Ike the brave Swiss, they would not bow
- tie cap Of the tyrant. No amour, Of wisdom,
~ virtue. OF learning have awaited. whore J.ariy
serrility was wanting ''Is he competent. faith
ful and true to the constitution" is a question
IL ct asked. but in its stead the fariiye whisper
goes round docs he belong to our partly"
We repea, our felioitntion. at the approach If
User and better system. In a republican gov
ernment, it is the very essence IT good policy,
the sole means Of guarding the welfare Of the
state and preserving the liberties Of the people
that the most competent men should be selected
for every post Of trust and responsibility AID
when agency has sprung mp within The state,
with objects and designs Of its own; which looks
only to its own aggrandzement, and attempts 10
parcel out the public interests as brides To on
nance its power and perpetuaie its existence; /,
becomes all men who prefer the glory and wel-
fare Of the state to the selfish and pernieious iri
unphs Of such organization, 10 lend their AID
in overihrowing and discriminating it.
We do not deny that honest differences Of pc
litioal opinion naturally aud properly lead men
into organized associations, and that 10 the
tent that each such association constitutes a
watch and check upon others. good results. Bat
when party, by all tie art g and trickery which
cunning invent, arAriee aud ambition pro-
fit b.. Possesses itself Of power, aud uses it only
a a means Of It's own aggrandizement. to the
disregard # the general welfare. and the igno-
miuiau. exclusion from the public service of men
hundred fold more eompeien, than themselves,
il i peryersion Of the ends Of party, and a
prostitution Of the honors and rewards Of the
State.
Sneh,we anhesitatngy pronounce to have been
the course Of the dominant party in this State
Protesting a creed which lodges oil power in the
hands Of the people. and look the whole body Of
them FOR the ittes, public agents, the great aim
Of that party has been to exclude from all part
cpaion in State affairs a body Of citizen, nearly
equal TO them in numbers, and quite their equals
in intelligence and patriotism. Practically, thcy
have sought TO disfrlnohise all who have had the
independence 10 refuse submission, ol question
their infallibility A test-oath Of parry feal,y
must be taken before permission is given to enter
the service Of the State and civil disability i
the penalty of refusal
Against such tyranical and dangerous organ-
izaton as this, the public sense has at last revolt
ed and good men, by thousands, are throwing
off its livery, and uniting themselves with an as
ISOLATION which promises the prescribe proserip-
ton break down the aristocracy of office. oyer
throw the dynasty Of party especially lis central
juntd, and make competency the qualification for
public service. They stand out against the IN
trgnes Of cabal, and the despotisn of the mn.
jorty it has controlled, and will fight out to tho
bitter end, the battle of equal rights 10 all the
people, against the absolute domination Of par
~.
10 this end. combination, such as we hnvc
never seen before in this State, is forming against
the last movement Of that party-ts recen, nom.
ination Of State ticket. That combination has
sprung not much from hostility 10 the men
who have been presented though that is having its
influence n from popular conviction that il is
necessary 10 defeat ana scatter the oliearchy TINT
has usurped the power and triAcd with the rights
of the people Wise.a Met oma,, and Bocock
might be substituted by others, and still the rev
olution would 60 on for a revolution in every
way except the of physical force. il ---and
the defeat of the Staunton domination will be its
first victory, foretokoning its ultimate triumph.
Call the new movement what you wi-stigma-
tie it rs abolitonism in disguse-as religious
intolerancc-as political proseription-as n sworn
conspiracy denounce it by whatever opprobrious
epithets you mny-the fact is too papable That.
in Virginia ut least it is only an organized oppo-
sition to the policy which has misruled till it has
el-nigh ruined the State Let il arrest and
change that policy, and it cannot give US u
worse.
Nor need any one imagine that a solitary sue
cess will appease the outraged sense of the peo-
pie. The defeat of Mr. Wise will be but the be-
ginning of the end. The Legislature is to be pur-
ged Of demagoguism, and raised from incompe
tency. Not the main spring only of party ma
ohinery in Richmond is to be broken. but each
individual Wheel in every county Of the state, is
to be taken off Suffrage is to be everywhere
liberated from the dictation Of managers and
cliques, and the people left free to act according