Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1876-02-25

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THE time for the spring election is rap.
idly approaching, and as in certain mea-
sure they will have very important Dear
ing upon the Presidential and Congresslon-
al elections in the fall, we should begin to
organize for victory. All the cities OF Viz
ginia, with the single and somewhat re-
markable exception of Staunton, are now
in the hands Of the Conservative party,
and it must be our duty to keep them there.
Staunton has a Republican Mayor, we be-
lieve, but he owes his place to a Conserva-
tive City Council. Liberal council! AL
together too liberal. We cannot afford to
carry our liberality to such generous and
magnanimOuS extremes; and, therefore,
we hope Staunton, the very citadel OF our
strength in the Valley, the stronghold OF
the mountains, will make an effort to put
herself in line with her sister cities, and
do her whole duty in the coming contest.
There is no excuse for her being Radical.
She has but few negro voters, and is not
troubled by carpet-baggers, and therefore
should stand firm We look to herto guard
the left, as she has always done, and keep
the mountain passes with as sturdy
courage as Leonidas and his Spartan braves
held the Grecian ThermopylB.-Rictno
Whag.
Our contemporary may rest assured, as
may the Conservative party in the State,
that there will be no more elections of
Republican Executive, either by Con-
sentative Council or by a Conservative
people. IT there is another Republican
Mayor in office here, or Republican Coun-
Gilman he will be chosen by the Republican
party. We hope the Conservatives Of
S5aunton will adopt the suggestion of a
primary election, at which every man To
be voted for at the legal election may be
voted for-Mayor, Sergeant, Commission
er of Revenue, Councilmen, Treasurer
all the City officers; those receiving ma
jority to constitute the regular conservative
nominees. There are many changes ne
cessary in the City Council. some of the
members of which have been there SO long
as to lose that nice sense Of responsibility
to their constituents, which is the main
check on extravaganza and recklessness
in legislation. By frequent resign tions,
and the vacancies filled by the old members,
the third-termers have managed to prepare
sCtlllOoU d OOllu PildlduA3 Wil1Sll OAVOA Ooh-
stitutes a majority of the body and which,
when occasion requires, votes together,
against the most reasonable remonstrance.
With such an organization it is not sur
prising that the Main street grab was per-
petuated land only revoked after the mat
ter was called attention to in this Journal;
the acceptance of the enormous proposition
of 100000 by the Messrs. Hambleton (for
the very same water-worlks which are now
being erected by our own citizens for S72,-
OOD, out of which they were forced by the
pressure of public opinion, the lower bids
of our own people, and the airing it got
1hrough the press; the making good out
Of the City Treasury a supposed loss Of
SO 900, to one of its members, Mr.. Witt, OF
the firm of Nitz & Holt; the continued de-
fault of the city to it's creditors. occasion
ed by the non collection of the taxes, and
the trlhing, to and fire., with the city,
credit, by declining to deliver the
Valley R. r. bonds until the city's credit
Aad been attacked all over the country,
and become a bye-word to found hu-
Morous newspaper paragraph on, and then,
finally, after the damage was done, de-
livering the bonds.
1t is remarkable fact that will attract
the attention Of the people. that the per-
sons now filling the important offices of
Mayor and City Treasurer and City Ser
:geant-all officers elective by the people
were never voted for by the people, but
elected by the Council, two of them.
Mayor and City Treasurer out of its CIV
body; and that one-fourth of the members
Of the Council were never voted for by Ill,
people. OF the city officers elected, one,
the Mayor, was a Republican in politics,
and another, the City Treasurer, had been
defeated for that officc before the people, by
decided majority. The people, now shat
the power of choice is about being return
ed TO their hands, shall be properly in
formed of the action of their repreSe ia
5ives for the past three years, from IA very
Gull report of their votes and speeches, kept
on record by this journal, and we know we
Can trust to the judgment Of the Conserva-
tive voters to make good selection at the
Spring election. One of the results Of be-
longing to a great party is that you are
looked to by it all over the State. We
can't do things in a corner in Staunton,
and we are looked to to put men of the
Extraordinarily at the head of our City
government, unless, indeed, we should con-
TESS to the shameful fact, that there are
mot respectable Conservatives enough IN
Stanton to fill the positions. We suppose
there is no Conservative in Staunton will
ling to admit that.
We trust the Conservatives Of the city
will make a thorough and warm eanVass.
No merchant, no mechanic, no man inte-
rested in the welfare of Staunton, can af-
ford to let it fall into the hands of the Re-
publican party. Such an advertisement
Of it means the stoppage of streams that
flow into it, that are vitality important to it