The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1873-07-31
The Radical Nominee.

The Radical Nominee.
Our columns this morning tell The whole
story of the Lynchburg Convention. ROBERT
w. HrGHEs was ! nominated for Gov
eraor. This viii not surprise the readers
OF the Dispatch, who have been told DAY
bs day that such was to be the result OF tue
deliberations o OF that Convention. Great
is GRANT, and potent are. his orders amongst
the carpet.baagers, scalawass. and negroes
We hardly know what to say OF the new
nominee Of him we may affirm, as we dld
once of Ex-Governor PErKroiST, that he is
one of the most Objectionable, not to say de-
testahle, Of politicians, ut the same time
that he is as pleasant gentleman as one
would wish to meetin his daily walks. Inc
Conservative who is accidentally thrown into
his company can understand what MAGIss
meant when he said to his Tory friends,
az you travel all day in stage-coach with
an intelligent, agreeable, and polite gentle
man, who tells you just before parting with
you that he is q Wing, don't believe him."
Many u Conservative has no doubt had just
this feeling upon learning, for the first time,
that the man lie had just parted with was
uCGHES.
The first political speech that Mr. HuGnEs
ever made was, we suppose, the one he de-
liyered in 1913 in odd Fellows Hall, in this
CITY, in favor of the election to the Presi-
depcy of that sterling old Democrat LEWIS
CAss. From that day until 1861 be was, to
initiate ST. L'slanguage, ga Democrat Of
the Democrats" He became in 1861, and
continued to be throughout the war, as Bit
Ter an enemy as the Federal Government
had in the South. But no sooner had the
war ended than be was found on the side of
the victors. When the conqueror's chariot
p,sSed through our streets with the cap
t ired chained and following in It's rear,
HrGHEs was amongst those who pranced in
front. At the election of city officers held in
this city in May, 1863, when the war had
hardly ended. he took ground in his paper
in favor of supporting those candidates who
would be most acceptable to General GRANT.
lie accepted the situation in hurry. Like
Queen ANNE, whom RICHARD Ill. wooed and
won as she followed her husbands corpse to
the grave, Mr. HUGHES was wooed and
won by the Federals before the grave had
closed upon the Confederacy to whose per-
retuation he had devoted four of the best
Years of his life. He has had his reward.
Having the reputation of carrying under his
hat the bians Of the Radical party Of Viz
gInia he has been Il sort of dictator. What
ever HUGHES said was to be done was done
in every State convention OF the party. lie
would have been WARWICK if his party
had bad the power to make and unnake
kings. He was twice nominated for Con-
s,rcss, and twice beaten as badly as man
could well be. Nevertheless, he became
District Attorney of the United States for
the western district of Virginia, and, IN his
official capacity, became familiar with the
workings of the bankrupt law. Dissatisfied
with these, he went to Washington, and,
with his prestige upon him as the man who
led the Virginia Radicals to victory last No
yembcr, actually forced through Congress
the amcndatorv bankrupt law, which robs
mechanics of their liens, holders of bonds
and negotiable notes Of the benefit Of the
" waiver" and all men Of muny debts due
them which the debtors could pay. l
Will Mr.. uUGuEs be elected: Certainly
rot. We can scarcely Imagine train of cir
cumstauccs so unfavorable to the welfare OF
Virginia As TO lead to that result. He has
more friends but also more enemies than
McMAHoS He has none of the elements Of
a popular leader. He cannot fire the hearts
Of his followers with flaming eloquence, nor
demand their support as pet of the masses.
lie eau write wei, aud he can make speech,
but he is no DEMosTuENEs. In the hapls of
our candidate he would be mere playthi1s-l
a baby TO be spanked, not man to be
argued with. He will arouse no enthu.
sia>m in the breasts of the leaders
or the party who wished to see him killed
of at Lynchburg. The canvass will be hot.
The voters will be ut the ballot-bOX in No
vcmher. a new Legislature is to be elected. |
This last fact iflsures HUGHEs's defeat. GRANT |
carried Virginia last fall solely because of the |
apathy Of the voters west of the Blue Ridge, |
who cared for neither candidate, md had NO |!
loca! candidates for small offices to call them |
out. HUGnBS will fall from fifteen to twenty |
thousand votes short of election. He repre- |
senLs whatever in the political world is hated |
by the real people of Virginia, including the
SMITHS, SESERs. WICKuAMS, LEwIsES, aud |
others OF his own party. 1t is written in
the book of fate that ROBERT W. HUGHES
will never he Governor of Virginia.