The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1876-10-12
The Defenders If Virginia S Honor.

The Defenders Of Virginia Honor.
The Democratic politicians Of virgini:
talk about the fame and honor of Virginia al
though they constituted Virginia. They are
a very small and discreditable part of the Ole
Commonwealth. The fame they would de
fend is ali inheritance that they are unwor-
thy Of, and in no way reflect its lustre. The
housing demagogues who are now guiding
and driving the old State into utte- bank
ruptcy, have no higher aspiration than t
control the purse strings of the treasury
The Legislature will remain in session foul
months and each member draw Sc per day
when the work to be performed could easily
be transacted in thirty days. They will dc
bate proposition to appropriate $4,000 fol
the State to participate ere dtably in the
great Centennial Exhibition, until the speech
es cost the people $4,000, and then refuse
the appropriation Oh account OF the poverty
of the people. They will hold mp their hand;
in holy honor at the. bare mention Of repudi
alton, and then pass funding bill that aims
to repudate one-third Of the debt. They
will tell it in Gath and publish it in Askalon
that the great Conservative party is the friend
of the Free Schools, and then fitch $409, OO(
OF the peoples money appropriated to the
support of the Free Schools. They will
clamor about .'Tilden, Hendricks and Re.
FORM and nominate for Congress man who
took and kept the salary grab. They will
denounce the Republican party as the negro
party, and then turn round and seek the af
filiation of the negro by bribery and cerrup.
ton. They will clamor about mal-adminis.
tration in Louisiana and South Carolina, and
then smother .oycr the official robberics in
thier own State. They will rant about mill.
tary intimidation coercion in other States,
and break and stuff the ballot-boxes, destroy
the ballots, club and shoot Republicans vo-
tiers, and make false election returns In their
own State.
Yet these men claim that they represent
Virginia, and are the guardians Of her honor
Was there ever such unmltigatcd hypocrisy
and effrontery?
Look at the history of Virginia since the
war. There has not been a session of the
Legislature that did not cause the blush of
shame to spread over the bronze statues on
Capital square. Call to mind the contest over
the Fredericksburg railroad and the Funding
bill, with northern lobbyists examining the
Legislative halls, with rolls OF greenbacks to
scatter around loose among themembers and
their friends. Remember the fight over Ma
homes consolidation scheme and the terra
pins, and champagne and oysters that did
the voting. Call to mind the shameful abuse
Of power in the Senate,i in seating Bradley r.
johnson because he was the party caucus
nominee over Knight, and tile compromising
with fraud in depriving Col. Brady of his
seat because he was Republican, after the
Democratic committee on elections had re-
ported in his favor.
There sre numerous other instances which
attest the character OF these assumed defend
ers of Virginia. honor and fame. These are
the gentlemen who are preaching reform in
Virginia. who are airhingto get possession OF
the Federal government through Tlden g
election, to purify and restore it to its pris-
tine integrity.
We ask the people Of Virginia to give these
matters a little thought. To remember how
these professed reformers have oppressed
them, squandsred their revenues, confused
and mistitlcd theil laws, piled up their debt,
lowered their credit, drove away capital and
enterprise, stagnated industry, and spread
paralysis over all the intcrests of the Common
wealth
When arraigned for their wrong doing they
entrench themselves behind the paaty-de-
nounce radicals in South Carolina, SANDER
those at home, and thus divert the popular
mind from the pe1ils that hedge around our
own people. No painters brash ever gave
darker hue to canvass than that which COW
ers the political hucksters and harlequins of
Virginia, who audaciously claim to be the
defenders of virginia's fame and honor.
The great heart of the people is right-it is
honest, it is sincere, but they are the dupes
OF designing and selfish demagogues, and the
sooner they emancipatc themselves from the
fatal rule that has harmed them so much. the
better.