The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-06-01
The citv Eection-A Drawn Contest.

The City Eection-A Drawn Contest.
The result of the municipal election ia
Staunton OH the 25th, was such that neither
party had anything to rejoice over. 1t may be
properly called drawn game. 1t is true, r.
G. Bickle, Esq, was defeated. but the n,ajori-
ty received by Capt. Balts was as much dis
appointment to the Vindicator clique as the
defeat of Mr.. Bickle was to his friends. On
the morning Of the election the Vinaicator an
nounced the comparative strength of the sup
porters of the two candidates, and assumed
the conservative majority in the city TO he 359.
The majority actually received was l34-less
by l25 votes than the 'iorgan'' calculated on
While the Republicans did not pretend to pro-
claim it party issue, the conservatives did,
and the result shows that party lines were
strictly drawn so far as they were concerned
The aggregate vote was two more than was
cast in 1873 for Governor, when Hughes re-
ecived 457 votes and kemper 654-a majority
for kemper of 1873 more than Balthis re-
eeived over Bckle. 1t is known that the most
extraordinary ard inscriptions efforts were
put forth to defeat Mr.. Bickle. The ''nigger''
bugaboo was actively used to brighten the
timid If conservative was suspected of
sympathizing with Mr.. Bickle, he was ap
preached with the inquiry-''Do you want the
'nigger' to rule in Staunton?' ''Do you want
the schools to be broken up?'' ''Are you in
favor of 'nigger' equality?" and such stuff as
| this, when they knew that the election of Ro.
G. Biclle and the old council would endanger
no interest, compromise no enterprise, nor
disturb any arrangement that could con-
tribute to the prosperity and progress of the
city. But it had its effect. The weak knecd
fatered, and the aggressive became more con-
fden1. Not only this. but every device that
could be suggested to prevent the colo,ed peo-
pie from voting, apart from open Violence was
sesostea to. The most trivial informality was
decided to be sufficient gEound for excluding
/ vote, and in oaae way or another at least fifty
4 votes were tAreWn out. some of them no doubt
properly, others improperly. Lines were run,
without legal authority, designating the city
boundaries, and men who had been paying
corporation taxes and voting DOR ten years
past, were deprived of their votes by the adop-
tion of suchinformaiand irregular proceedings.
BY such means, the vote which Mr.. Bickle
would have received was essened. Notwith-
! standing this he carried his own ward, and the
entire old council ticket was elected in that
ward.
4 The fesWlt was by no means satisfactory to
the curb-stone managers. They calculated on
4 clean sweep of the city. They had especially
made war upon Jno. B. Evans, B. T. Bagby,
John w. Abby, and Isaac Witt, four of the old
i couneilmen. who had been denounced by the
| Vsad5cator as guilty Of corrupt acts in their
official capacity. These gentlemen were all
elected, as were the other two counclmen in
the second ward, Messrs. Fultz and Bledsoe.-
A malicious warfare was also made upon Jas.
F. Patterson, Clerk Of the Hastings Court. and
the machinery of party brought to bear for his
defeat. but he was elected over the primary
nominee by 80 majority. Mr.. Ker, the indie
pendent candidate for City Treasurer, was de-
feated by Mr.. Carroll. the pMmary nominee, by
SO majority. Maj. Elder, Commonwealth's
Attorney, originally opposed to primary,
was run on both tickets, although the prima-
~ nominee. Mr.. Hudson, for Commissioner
of the Revenue, opposed to the primary out
and out. and refused to geiinto it., was run on
both tickets. Mr.. POWELL one of the council
men elected in the LIST Ward, was run OH both
tickets, as was Mr. Fultz i'm the 2l Ward.
Both were opposed to the primary, although
Mr.. Powell would have been elected without
the independent vote, but Mr.. Fultz would
| not.
So, looking calmly and fairly at the result,
l there is nothing to excite eXuberance on the
paut.of the friends Of the primary, nor is there
! anything to cause depression with the friends
of'the Independent ticket. We regret deeply
the defeat of Mr.. Kcr. While his opponent,
Mr.. Carroll, is clever gentlemen and will
make and has made good officer, yet all the
circumstances considered it was shameful
and cruel abuse of power for the people of
i Stanton to deprive Mr.. Ker-one of the best
1 officers and most conscientious gentleman we
have ever known-of his means of making
comfortable living.
/ When we consider the agencies employed to!
accomplish the defeat of Mr. Bickle, the result
lis not at all surprising. The entire democrat
/ press ofsthe State seemed to take part in the
centest-falsehood after afalsehood was circula.
ted by his enemies in the ety-nearly all the.
speaking talent at the bar was actively .enga-
ged in stirring up party feeling, and every en-
ergy was stretched and every deception en-
ployed to encompass the result. Notwith-
standing allthis. theiparty majority was re-
duced l25 votes, and that too, sby zone Of the
most popular and deserving gentlemen who
| could have been nominated to contest the field
| with him.
If the Vindicator clique can find anythingin
the result to justify it in claiming victory. it
is welcome to it. We learn that Col. Skinner,
! the fugleman of the curb-stoners, is by no
means satisfied. He was particularly anxious
for the defeat of John B. Evans and Benz. IT,;
Bagby, but these gentlemen have a popularity.
that all the venom Mr.. Skinner could spit out
did not effect, aided as he was by the malicious
and interruptions assaults of the indicator.
We are glad that the contest is over, and
thatit passed off without any disturbance or
the exhibition of any bad blood. We owe an
apology to our readers for the large amount of
space we Fave devoted to the discussion of the