Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1878-09-04
Governor Holiday.

1T seems lneIc Gan NC ~ pleSoNOA'
in government without its votaries and
followers. Who would have supposed
that Governor Holiday, in casting
about for a prototype executive, would
have fallen upon and adopted Grant:
Those who knew Fred, Holiday but as
an humble citizen and methodical Office
lawyer naturally supposed he would be
a laboneus governor, always in his
Office, despising red tape and figuring
the Commonwealth out of her involve
ments. But 10 the disappointment OF
his friends is not less in this,
than at the agility with which he leaped
into the arms o. the enemies Of his
State at the first offer Of opportunity
Vanity! Vanity! all is Vanity, saith
the Preacher. From the movement
when Governor Holiday shut himself
off from his people in private palace
car, exhibited himself in a grand circus
street parade for the first public In
auguratlon Of Virginia Governor, he
betrayed the weak point in his armor
and became q helpless nurseling in the
arms of the wary lullaby singers,
chanting in his ready, open ear
"Prettiest little child in the county o
Daddy and nanny both said So"
See how elegantly it has all been done
this summer. This, the first, summer
ofthe term. One week at Mt. Vernon,
one at Lexington, one at Lynchburg,
one at Blacksburg, one at White
Sulphur. one at Charleston, one at
Stauntsn, one in Albermarle, but
longest Of all, according to the brief
announcements ofthe Richmond papers,
he was at fashionable watering place
IN Rockbridge."
Now we freely concede that Virginia
would better have no governor than
Governor Holiday; but be is still the
governor, and in Richmond long enough,
and at the right time, TO do mischief
and damage, and these absences only
the better prepare him for the work
which the ring associations cut out. For
instance, when the Governor was IN
this county he was observed to speak to
but very few men on public matters, land
for these he had nothing but epithets
and vituperaticn collected among the
nabObs Of White Sulphur and other
fashionable watering places" Like
John Sherman when he goes to Wall
Street to consult with gamblers on
American finance, so Gov. Holiday
goes to a college. faculty or fashionable
watering place to learn how to de-
nounce his constituents as repudiatOrs,
communists and agrarians, and to have
what small information he had con-
corning Virginia's fiscal affairs give
place to the views OF this or the other
GREAT fnancier wko amassed wealth as
a government contractor during the
war, and now has leisure TO dispense
opinions to small governors of dis
reputable people in matters concerning
their personal honor. state integrity,
moral and legal obligations and ability
to discharge them.
These are some of the effects oil
absenteeism on our governor, as OBJ
servable in very few minutes Of con-
yersatlon with him, and hence we are
more than sorry that the peripatetic
Grant should have so deeply impressed
his policy and administration hither-
ward. We had hope that slight
comminglng with the people would
bring the swimming head Of our execu'
tive to a dead level, but when he spews
the constituent out Of his mouth as an
arrarian or communist for the offense
Of being greenbacker, or repels HIM as
repudiator for opposing an enacted
fraud, we accept that Ephraim is JOINED
10 his idols, Gideon ensnared by the
golden ornaments Of the Midianites,
and that the fashionable watering
places" will exercise the veto power in
the Old Dominion for the whole term
Other and still moro humiliating con-
sequences of the Governors roaming
around are remarked in his continuing
ignorance Of the real situation and con
dition of Virginia's finances. Gov. Hol
liday never was statistician. His taste
and pride have been in abstruse meta
phisics. But he was always student
and the very natural inference was that
he would carry his industry into the new
field of labor in which he coveted en-
ployment. In this again are we disap
pointed. For instance, the Governor
saws 10 cents increase Of taxation vii
be amplc to meet tie demands upon oul
State treasury. How utterly absurd
Ifitbe susceptible demonstration thai
10 cents on an assessment Of s323.9SO.
77I.5e will paya deficit of over mil
lion Of dollars We should be gratiiied Il
see it.
1. is an idle waste ofvaluable guber'
material time TO Ieddle insipid platitude'
throughout this portion of the State
Our people knew how to protect The
honor Of Virginia before self-appointed
lecturers began their system Of instruc-
ton. 1t Is equally idle to attempt t.
bolster up an administration by mis-
representing the real condition ofafialrs
Almost every man now knows for him
self, and, besides holding Governor Hol
liday responsible for what he says ant
1ooa os tb.;r executive ike neODle oil