The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1877-09-20
[For the VALLEY VIRGINIAN.]
Politics in Rockbridge.


You may have perceived that things are
considerably mixed in this county; there is
some unpleasantnesS between the ring mas
tiers and the people. 1t has been culmina
ting for some time past. The trouble is that
everything, in the way of politics. bad to go
through the caucus grist-mill, owned and
run by a,essrs. Ring 6 Co. The proprietors
of that machine have, for long time, as
matters. The people have borne it quite pa
tientiy until, ''forbearance ceased to be a
| virtue" The patience and endurance Of
the county people have been most remark
| able, or the rebellion would have broken out
before this.
But the secret service clique was well Or
ganized. They have had their headquarters
| under the shadow of the Courthouse build
ing, with such strikers as they could rope
in here and there throughout the county.
These Strikers have acted the part of
supple-jacks for them, and whenever the
headquarter masters pulled the wires, their
provincial puppets have danced to the tune
ground out by the ring organ. They may
get an occasional sop for their reward-some
scraps thrown out to keep them up to the
work assigned them, when needed.
Anything like independence of thought or
| action, inside or outside, Of party politics,
was not to be tolerated. The man who
dared think of such a thing was to be read
right out of the great Conservative party
more latterly, rugged cut in the cast-off gar
ments of the unterrlf1ed Democracy. No
difference what the nature of the contest
might be, whether there was to be any party
opponent in the field or not, he must march
up before the Star Chamber of the Ring
Kings and get their endorsements before he
could s'pass." Then let him 'ope his mouth
in opposition to the uk0se of the grand head
quarter Sanhedrim, and he must be put
down with the cry of bolter, radical. He
must either subsequently, cringingly SUBJ
NIT to the wearing OF the masters collar, or
expect to be crushed out by the juggernaut.
OF the court house clique. 4 !
Ihank God that day is about played out,
and the self-constituted moguls Of the Con-
sentative party of old Rockbridge are trcmb-
ling in their boots. They see that the scep
tire is about to depart from their hands.
They have carried things little too far.
They have given the people rather too heavy
dose of their precious medicine, labeled
ring dictaticn," until it has acted as an
emetic. 1t wont stick any longer. And
when you hear of all things not being so
harmonious among the sovereigns of Rock
bridge as they might be or have been, you
Let me congratulate the people of AuSas-
ia upon their noble action in putting down
King Caucus in their county elections. They
have done right, under present circumstan-
ces 10 bury the monster out OF sight. Let
them drive sharp stick through his body
| and clinch it well to keep him down. That
| is just what Rockbridge ought to have done,
and mark it, she will do it yet, before this
| uprising of her people subsidies. They mean
war, and war to the hilt of the knife upon
caucus interference hereafter. Talk about
free elections |. They have had them with
vengeance. A dozen or SO of party mana
| gers have taken the matter in hands, with
| foregone purpose Of manipulating things to
suit themselves. They have undertaken to
speak for the county.
when the thousands OF voters 60 to the
polls, do they exercise any choice in casting;
their suffrages? A ssput-up'' ticket is to be
| placed in their hands. They must vote for
the nominees Of the caucus, whether they
relish those nominees or not, and that, when
there are no party opponents in the field,
and there was no probability of there being
any from the first. Who selects the public
officers in such cases? The Sovereign peo-
pie, or the petty tools of an intolerant eau
Gus system? We have had enough of it!
Yes !! too much ! too much =!
1t is high time other counties were falling
into the ranks with old Augusta, and let the
people show their manhood, by speaking out
at the polls for themselves. They have been
unwilling slaves long enough to selfish,
self-created, and self-appropriatlng office CO.
terie of political wire-workers, who wonld
keep the ring in their nose, under the bla-
tant cry of ''stick to the party''-no! not
exactly to the party, but to the caucus nomi-
nee, let him be Blifell or Black George.
intended to write you something about
the State debt question. But, editors do not
like long communications, SO more, per-
haps, on that subject at another time. Suf-
flee it to say. for the present, that Rock
bridge was most egregiously inisrepresented
on that issue. She is no more fond of pay
ing unjust taxation than other counties, and
those who sought to place, her before the
public as Funding Bill county, Have been
walked up to find their slate broken. The
Ring thought to ring her into the clutches
of the Flinders, but they didn't.
If Rockbridge does not stand fair and
square, in the next Legislature, on the re-
adjustment platform, then it will be because
the voice of her people is smothered, mis-
represented; and woe be to those by whom
the offence cometh. They will have be-
trayed the trust confided to them, and had
better follow the example OF their notorious
predecessor of Scripture mention-"Go out
and hang Themselves ~