The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1873-08-21
A BATCH OF THEM.

IL is HOT QUE purpose III ILLS cauVaSs TO De
placed on the defensive. The progressive
ideas Of the Republican party need no de-
fence-only pres entatlon and elaboration. =
But we recognlzs it as a duty to correct sew
eral unbushi 2 fslsehoods, viii ch have been
industrously circulated through the conserv-
alive press as to the candidates on the Re-
publican ticket, this early in the contest
The people may expect this system of msrep-
resentation and Justification to be continued.
Il is part of the game that is to be played
We warn Them against every and all attacks
upon the gentlemen who are presented for
their sutfrages on the Republican ticket.
The first statement to be corrected is that
Col. Hughes favored the test oath, az adop-
ted by the Constitutional Convention, and in
sisted that it should be applied to the mem
bers of the Legislature. The State Journal
of the 18th has the following direct reply to
this charge. 1t must be remembered that
Col. Hughes was writing for the journal at
that time:
'Some OF our village newspapers of the
| Conservative faith, are charging MIR. Hughes
with having been opposed to expunging the
test-oath and DISTINGUISHING clauses Of the
state constitution in 1869. This charge in-
wolves the absurdity Of charging that Mr..
Hughes was in favor of DISTINGUISHING him
self; for his disabilities were not removed un-
til some time afterwards, and during the con-
gressional session of l869-'70.
Looking back over our files we fod that
Mr.. Hughes published card over his own
name in the issue Of this Journal for 22nd of
May, 1859 announcing his determination to
support the regular Republican ticket and
advocating the adoption Of the state consti-
thtion ''a0ith those ctauses eupunged aohich
are submitted to separate cote By the procla-
nation Of General Grant" In paper sub
mltted by him to congress in December, 1869,
he dec AIRED that he had refused to enter the
canvass of 1868, until after Governor Wells
had declared against the clauses Frequent
articles occur at different dates in the can
vass, advising the Republicans to vote fer ex-
puoging the Objectionable clauses and The
STATE JOURNAL asserted repeatedly in ifs
columns that every Republican paper in the
State was strongly advocating the striking
out of the clauses. If Mr.. Hughes cotempo-
rary writings do not disprove the charge, then
would:n his accusers believe it were an angel
to rise from the dead.
Yet Mr.. Hughes did very strongly appeal
through The JOURNAL to the people of the
State, to send only men to the legislature who
coald take the test oath. General Candy
published an opinion to the effect that the
preliminary session of the legislature elected
in 1869 would be held under the reconstruct
ton acts requiring the test oath, and not un-
der che yet unratifed state constitution dis.
pensing with the test oath.
Because this was still an open question
Mr. FL. urged that out Of abundant caution
the people should elect test-oath men He
concurred as a lawyer in the legality Of Gen
eral Canby's opinion. This question, howev-
er. proved to be of no practical consequence;
because the United States attorney general
| (Hoar) took a middle course in the lnstruc-
tions which he gave General Candy. He de-
MED to the legislature at its preliminary SEES
sion the power to do anything else whats yer
than to ratify the Fifteenth amendment; and
declared that under the law it could vote
upon that amendment if its members Nere
duly qualified under the inchoate state con-
stltut,on.
This disposes effectually ard completely of
this charge. The next we fnd in the Lex
ington Citizen, in the following Words
"Of the carpet-bag Lieutenant Governor,
it enough to say that he Was "a member OF
the Convention which framed our present
Constitution, and votedsfor all the iniquitous
measures which his party endeavorsd to en-
graft upon that instrument.
It is sufficient to state, hat Dir. Ramsdall
was not member Of the Convention, and we
do not think at the time, was in the State.
A statement was made by . Washington
correspondent Of northern paper, that Col.
Hughes had conversation with the President
in which it was arranged that the 'sMcMahon
faction was to be ignored the 'Hughes'
ring" was to take all the federal Offices, and
Hon. J. Ell Plat, Jr., was to succeed Senator
Lewis. The Washington Chronicle Of the
18th gives the quietus to this canard as
| follows:
The VIRGINIA CAMPAIeN.-There has
been vast amount Of unnecessary criticism
and speculation INDUCED in by the Conserva
tive and Democratic press over the fact that
while Colonel Hughes, the Republican candi-
date fer Governor Of Virginia, was in this
city he called upon the President, and GER
tain distorted reports Of that interview pub
lished by ipjddcious and indiscreet friends of
Colonel Hughes.
The report has been continually growing
until it is now announced hst the whole ma
chinery Of the ADMINISTRATION is to be used
to elect Colonel Hughes, aud that the Presi-
ident viii. if necessary, send portion of the
army into Virginia to assist In the accom-
pIshmeut Of this object. The whole affair
from the beginning is so suprenely ridiculous
that it would not deserve even a passing no.
tlce were 1t Dor that some statements concern
ing this interview, aud some conclusions
drawn from it, are published as .authorita-
tive.
The we'll known and established policy Of
President Grant on this subject has been fro
quently illustrated during his Presidential
term, and it is only necessary to say that no
different policy will be pursued n the Vir-