Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-10-28


ded sort of people, by name calling themselves
Dunkers and Mennonites. or some such names,
so as to screen their co,0ardly treason under an
absurd lo,o of Congress who dealt more
willingly with the enemy than With their oyn
neighbors, and wholly refused Confederate cur
rency at any rate or value. AS the tempest of
invasion passed over them, many of this sort of
folk went away with their natural allies and
friends. the Yankees, having first turned all they
were worth into green money. Some others, as
they saw their own barns flaming to the sky.
with all that they possessed, swore on the spot
true allegiance to their State and to the Con-
federacy. Some ''Dunkers" have been known
TO report for duty in the army, so that those
fight who never fought before, and those who
always fought now fight the more"
Language like this requires no Comment
The only question now is, to what extent is
Col. Hughes responsible for this and the pre-
ceding articles we have qnoted? We have
heard that his friends allege that he did not
himself actually write these special articles. -
That does not save him from his proper respon-
sibility for them and for the general course of
that paper. He cannot deny that he continued
to be member Of its editorial staff long after
these articles appeared. A man is known by
the company he keeps IF these articles did
not reflect Col Hughes opinions, why did he
not seek another newspaper connection, as was
quite easy for him to do; or, even if that were
difficult to obtain, why did he not surrender his
exemption as an employee of the Eraminer and
say to its editor: Il cannot even appear to en-
dorse such Objectionable sentiments and policy
"as your journal promulgates from day to day.
/" will shoulder musket and go to the front
land have at least part Of the glory that
Kemper and Withers have won in the bat
"tle's thickest front" He did not do this
He remained on the paper, as all well know,
and we think the inference of all men will be
that the policy of the Richmond Eraminer was
the policy Of Colonel Hughes. IF he dissented
it was very easy to make it known but he did
nothing of the kind According to the cath
Of the editor of the Examiner, filed in the
Conseript Bureau, Colonel Hughes was actu-
ally indispensable to its publication" and
was therefore by law exempt from military du-
ty. That he could, as an editorial writer, be
indispensable to the paper, and yet hostile
to its policy On such important points is abso-
lutely incredible.
Colonel Hughes must be- judged by this record
by the Union men, the foreigners, and the
Dunkards. 1t will never do to run him as the
friend of any of these classes, or as the apostle
Of peace who is to bridge the bloody chasm"
and restore Virginia at this late day to the
Union. To propose him for such purpose is
like curing cholera by the use Of the lancet.
But One Week homework! Work.!
But one week for patriotic work remains be-
tween this and the election which will determine
the veal or woe of our beloved State. No Con-
servative should be idle, but should be ener-
getically at work in securing Conservative votes
that he may do his duty to his native State
and to protect his own interests The pres
poets for success are encouraging, but in the
language of the Enquirer, we must not be too
we must not be so sanguine of sue
cess as to abate, in the least, our efforts to sue
ceed. Every one must remember that the
great object of all the exertions of us all is to
be accomplished, or not accomplished, on the
day of the election. Everything depends upon
the number of Conservative voters who 60 to
the polls, and not on the number we have on
the roll of our party. All of us know, and our
opponents know, that there is large, very
large, majority Of white voters in Virginia, and
hat there are but few of them who will sup
port the Radical cause. But it is one thing to
have strength and another thing to exercise it.
The only difficulty, the only doubt, the only
danger, that casts the slightest show of shad-
DIV of possible defeat upon the prospects
Of our party, is the uncertainty as to whether
the Conservatives of every county in the State
will, or will not, put forth all their power at
the POLLS on the fourth day of November. This
can be definitely determined only when the day
comes. Until then, whatever may be the as
pect of the canvass now, however we may be
satisfied, and more than satisfied with indica-
tons on every hand that the victory will be
ours we must feel some apprehension lest the
majority may be smaller than it
should be, on account of apathy and inaction
on the part of men, who, while wishing success
to our candidates and our cause, remain quietly
at home and hold back their ballots at the mo-
ment when nothing but ballots are available in
the contest. Let all such white men-all such
Conservatives-wh are in the least disinclined
to 60 to the polls, reflect, and reflect calmly,
upon the fact that if they stay at home on the
dav of election, taking no part In the struggle,
they will be contributing to the Radical cause !;
let them not forget that every vote of theirs
withheld from the party takes away from the
strength of the white men, and thereby adds
to the strength Of the negroes. This is certain
ly true, and every man who will think for an
instant must see that it is So And being so
what excuse to himself-to say nothing of his
neighbors and his State-can any white man
offer who deliberately refuses to vote ? 1t is
in this way that the Conservatives of Virginia
may beat themselves, when. if they will be true
to themselves. all the Radicals in the State are
unable to beat them. 1t is in this way, and
only in this way, that by possibility Virginia,
at the beginning of the next year, may find
herself firmly fastened down under Radical
rule
Social Equality.
The Radicals are denying on the stump that
the negroes want social equality, yet we have
notable instances of the claim looming up all
over Virginia despite the effort to keep down
the cry and claim. We learn that at Ora nge