The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-05-04
The .Eoh CAD, Plan.


rosra!nnrssof tie psiu,ary uevotees in Ricll- |:
hond> as originally adopted. Without going
alto discussion Of the proposed arrangement,
IS wl.ule, we wish simply to call attention to
he LIST section Of tic 3rl article, to show the
Aespotic and arbitrary, as We'll as mpudent
conditions it iihposGs on iii who may be Sc
'lHced INTO the net. That section provides that
zone commissioner will receive the tickets
lIe2wiil see that the party offering to vote has
endorsed has aamc Oh The, back of the ticket.
liz will then announce the name of the voter
in All audible voice. The clerk who has charge
ut the registration books will inform the COM
missioner II he bea registered voter. If he is or
t his case comes within the Sth clause of this
plan, and if he has acted heretofore with
t The Conservative party and honestly proposes
to act with it in the approaching municipal
election, the clerk, whose duty it is, will poll
the voters name. The commissioner will then
proceed to call in an andihie reice the names
contained on the ticket, provided there are not
more names on tile 4scket than each voter is al
lowed to vote for at said election. In That
event the votes viii be privileged to correct his
ticket to the number to be setcd for. The re-
cor1rig clerk shall, as the names are called
from tile ticket by the commissioners coll
tire: >sxtEe. The comwsioner shall file each
tic&tS, after the vote Is recorded, and keep the
sssnle for further rcsscresscc.s'
Tic ridiculous presumption OF this clause
must be transparent to every rejecting MEM
Der OF thu Conservative party 1t assumes that
the half-dozen ossslystcste politicians who have
inaugurated this wsesesnent to crafty their per-
soual. malice kgd relieve themselves from
the odlunl which attaches 80 them by reason of
their action last fall, constitute the Con
sentative party" They have no warrant from
the party that authorizes them to speak in its
name. Conceding, for the argument. and for
tits only, that the l0t gentlemen who were
crowded out of the primary door ut the recent
preliminary meeting, were all in favor of pri-
mary election, it by no means justifies the con-
clusion that the Conservative party of Staunton
has given coEntenance to the necessity. proDri-
ETY. or expectancy of such procedure. There
are probably six hundred Conservative voters
in the twoMarls Of the city, and there is ao
rule of party policy or usage that comedies
the right OF one-sixth of the party to contsp!
and direct and bind the other five siXths. This
species of petty dcspotism may answer the
selfish purposes of the few clrbssone denaa-
goynes and lEaIcontents, but constitutes no par
amount obligation for the guidance OK the great
mass Of the free and intelligent voters. nor wnl
they allow themselves to be dragooneG snto the
schemes of these agitators, who seem to regard
the gratifcat on of personal feeling as of hish-
er consideration than the credit and well-beilg
of the city. There are gentlemen who have
ac1uiesced in the movement, who are free from
THE imputation of selfishnesS, but the few who
institated it, have had for their primary object
the avenginert of old dislikes, and the settle.
nent of old sfecounts.
Another remarkable, and probably the most
significant feature of this plan, is the bond that
is required OF each voter who may see proper
to cast his vote at the primary. He signs
his name on his ticket, and thereby gives a
written obligation that he Will abide its result
whether the candidate receiving the highest
number Of votes is 4 proper person to fill the DO
siten indicated sass. Hence the voter places
the:high privilege OF the elective franchise, de.
signed for the protection of the right and the
secprement of COOL government, upon the haz-
ard of a chance. and leaves no opportunity to
contribute his influence to the promotion OF
thepublic welfare. if the accidents of such an
experiment should present the names OF
candidates who are manifestly unsuitcd for the
offices for which the primary may select them.
1t proposes to place the whole city government
in the hands of the active ring managers. and
it is reasonable to presume that they aoiU be
active, for their reputation is at stake, and the
personal ends they aim at involved
If the assumption of the rings is to be toll
Grated, and they allowed to speak in the name
of the Conservative party of the city, one
or two hundred voters must decide who are to
administer the affairs of the city for the next
two years for, from present indications. their
will he but Il meagre exhibit of the substantial
intelligence andibusiness enterprise of Staun-
ton presented in the primary election.
We ask the Intelligent, fair-minded, rcdec
ting voters of Stanton whether they can af-
ford at this jlulcture of the city's affairs, 10
thus jcopardize their own interest? Can they
afford to subordinate all the substantial inter
est of the city to the qualification OF the ''bad
ambition" of the few designing men who have
.precptated this contest-who have assaulted
the integrity and honesty OF Some Of our best
citizens and spread it broadcast that fostering
corruption pervatles the administrator of the
city government
Let the gentlemen who have ineRael to ac-
cede to the propriety Of the primary election,
remember that they will have to enter SULTAN
TALLY into II bond to abide its decision and
vote forits nominees, however few OF the vo-
tiers may participate in the election, and how
ever incapable the selections may be TO meet
the emergencies that will press. upon them,
should they be chosen to legislate for the city
and administer its laws.
II there ever was 4 time in the history of
any community when the most experienced
and capable of its citizens should be called up
on to give their services for the public good.
that time is now in the city OF Staunton. Con-
siderations higher than the qualification of the
personal spites of il few disappointed political
schemers or even the legitimate appeals of par
ty sIioutdn1ucnce the voters of Sta,,nton in
tbs election that is soon to come off. II requires
i.0 argument to bring this fact inpressiyely TO