Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-09-10
COUNTY POLITICS.

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COUNTY POLITICS.
The nominations by the Conservatives
# this county for representatives in the
senate and House, which are equivalent to
elections, are near at hand, but we don't
Zee that there is any unusual interest
in their approach by the people. AS
here is no very important question in
yolyed in the matter the interest is chiefly
personal and confined to those noble pa
triots who want to stay in, and those other
noble patriots who want to get in. Out
side Of this, the only interest evinced in
the matter is by the Radicals. They can't I
understand why there should be a conven-
ton. Why should Augusta county which
has SO overwhelming a Conservative
majority be afraid Of Radical getting in,
especially as they promise that they won't
try? Well, it is short question with
plain answer. First, it is an affair ex-
clusively our own? The Conservative
party Of Augusta is big, strong organi-
zation, which manages it's own affairs. 1t
is a very respectable organization; so much
so, that man is upright and down
right and outspoken when he says he be
longs to it and rather proud that he can
say it; it is a party that as long as it chooses
to MAINTAIN its organization can have its
choice out of the very best men in the
county to do itsipublic service, and it has
SO many best men at it's command that
when a nominating convention comes
along there are plenty of them to pick
from, and altogether its members have that
comfortable and satisfactory feeling of
people who own the house they live in and
can have things pretty much their own
way. They are not in the trembling, dn-
bious fix that Staunton has gotten into by
lack of a convention in her city elections,
nor does the county see the humiliating
sight Of colored voters holding the. bal
ance of power and deciding between. white
conservatives as to which of them should
havean Office. This is sight Staunton wit
messed at the last election, and nothing but
the best of luck secured us good executive
officers. Doubtless, nominating conven-
tions are manipulated more or less: we
never saw one that wasn't, but they are
not more so than elections at the polls. 1t
is a very humiliating sight in a scrub race
to see members of a powerful party forced
to electioneer with the members of a weak
and inferior one, but it is often seen, and
seen in Staunton too. Men running for
Office are like men excited by wine; they
do good many things that they wouldn't
do before and are heartily ashamed Of
afterwards. ...sf-... s.
In the next place d nominating conven-
ton is piece of party machinery which
must not become rusty if the main object
for which it was invented-a closely con-
tested election, is to be attained. 1t is like
the drill TO the soldier; it fits him for the
day Of battle It has many inconvenien-
ces, it often commits acts of poor judg-
ment not to say palpable wrongs, but they
are very few. We doubt whether a
convention constructed with even tol,r-
able fairness was ever SO manipulated as
to fly directly in the face Of the people on n
question in which the people had taken
The slightest interest. II will be gen
orally found that the parties who oppose
conventions are of three classes; first the
open enemy Of the political party who
naturally seeks to weaken it; next some
politician who has used conventions as
long as he was able and finding his popu-
larity waning, despairs of getting nonll-
nation from his party, and last some fresh
adventurer in politics pulled with a sense
of his own popularity, who is taken up by
sharks, run into an independent canvass
and feeced for his pains. The Radical
ss.nopositian to lave q free race in Augusta
is about equal to a proposition from the
Democrats of South Carolina, that the
Radicals in that State should not have Il
nominating convention. How many black
counties in Virginia allow Democrat to
step into the legislature through lack of d
Radical convention?
In conclusion, we all have what may be
called Il big reason for wanting Il clear
marked conservative majority in Wiz
ginia at the fall election. The whole
country is humping its back to throw the
Radical party next year SO high into the
air that it will never be heard from again.
California has just given it a tremendous
shake. and this fall we all want to he
aligned with the rest of the country. so IT
will know what we are going to give Ill
the Presi Dental election. We want every
man to vote OIL a clean ticket and with
something Of the feeling that his vote is to
count in the great earthquake of '76 that is
to swallow up the corrupt rulers that have
governed this country for so many years.
Just let every man feel that our Novem-
Der election is the last opportunity he will
have Of showing the party elsewhere What
we are going to do, before the great strug-
gle OF, the following year. If any man ever
loved the :, Conservative party, if he was
ever proud of belonging to it, it should be
now that we are about to enter with the
victors into the political arena OF rs.
We all want to march in body to victory.
1t is sorry sight when man isn't en-
titled to wear an army corps badge OF
some sort. He ought to be on one side or
the other, and that is one OF the things
that ticket nominated by convention is
good for. It brings men out. "a.
-EH.~<S-<z---
THE PRIMARY MEETINGS.,
The primary meetings to choose dele
gates to the county nominating conven-
ton are TO be held on Saturday, the 18th
of September. We hope to see the people
generally take an interest in them and not
only the personal friends of aspirants for
office. 1t is always better and healthier
sign in party to see these meetings well
attended. Remember, Saturday, the 18th.