Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1878-12-20
M|nS|he Hinhftatnr.
ST NTON. VA.
FRIDAY MORNING. DEC. 90. 1878.
RAKING AMONG THE ASHES.

O6IedU6O CdIlUludUo al tuc ldSb IopuUllCdu
National Convention and candidate at
the next, has made his speech ON his res
olutions to investigate the alleged intiml-
dation of Republican voters at the South.
It did not meet the expectations of his
'sstalwart'' friends. not being the sort of
address they expected from Jim Blaine,
of Maine," the aprellation they have CIV
tn him with proud familiarity. He had lost
the abusive fire which characterized his
former efforts and consequently failed to
arouse enthusiasm. But it must be le-
membered in palliation Of his failure that
the times and circumstances have greatly
changed since such men as he and such
means as these could fire the public mind.
The speaker was chilled by the change.
The party to which he belongs, and eff
which he has aspired to be the leader hay
ing earned, has now received the condem-
nation of the American people both North
and South. Its glory and it's majorities are
things of the past and it presents the in
structive spectacle of an organization. that
within ten years has lost both houses of
congress and its majority in every State in
the Union save ten. He was chilled too by
the transparency Of the fact that his effort
was wholly an electloneering appeal to the
the worst passions of section of the
country and could in no event result in
any practical benefit to any portion Of it.
He knew that, whatever his investigation
might be twisted into developing, there
is no power which can interfere to abridge
the representation of the South based upon
negro suffrage unless the South itself gives
it's consent, and that the South will never
assent to it. And so, speaking from
hopeless minority to party in control OF
the legislative power of the government,
with possibility of his point being gained
and no hope, except Of agitation, in max
ing it, and, added to all, the warnings from
the influential press of his own party at
the North that the issue he was about to
make was a thing Of the past, it is not re-
markable that he should have failed.
But with all respect for MI. Blaine's
ability, there is another cause for his
failure-he did not know the subject on
which he was attempting to enlighten
others. His knowledge Of it is at least
ten years out of date. He pictures to
himself party at the South struggling to
maintain Republican principles, whatever
they may be, and suffering great persecu-
ton in their behalf, while, as a matter OF
fact, it is body Of thoroughly ignorant
voters, casting their ballots at haphazard
at personal dictation, and without the
faintest recognition of principle in the
action. If the Senator had been in the
Seventh Congressional District of Vir-
ginia he would have witnessed a laughable
evidence of this fact. There were three
Democrats in the feld-one for hard
money, one for imitation and one for ma
king clean sweep by paying IF the whole
national debt in greenbacks. 1t was sup
posed that the honest money man would
get the Republican vote of course, as since
John Sherman's conversion, aud since
Blaine stopped straddling, that party has
adopted that card. On the con
trary, the negroes held meeting in one OF
the towns Of the district and adopted re-
solution in favor of tard money, and then
adopted another, urging the election OF
the third candidate, who favored paying
off the debt with paper! And the black
vote of the district was actually cast large
ly for that candidate. That such class
of suffragans exist is. it is true, disgrace
to civilized nation, but the disgrace must
iie with those that forced it on an inteli-
gent people, against their protest and
against the warnings Of the civilized
world. Mr.. Blaine's Republican party at
concerned, and the sooner he learns it the
better. AS to the intimidation of it, We
can assert, without fear OF successful Con-
tradiction, that there is more intimida-
tion by the negroes of each other, when
they don't vote the ticket that has Eeen
agreed upon, then was ever shown to be
used by the whites to the blacks. But the
negro, now, can be easily secured without
any intimidation, and as he Is a valuable
vo6er the South don't propose to part with
him. No proposal to disfranchi him will
receive any countenance here.
u0 GuOlC CdoD 10 Uulos 4AO leOPUOA-
can party imposed upon the Southern
States, against their protest. wild and
dangerous animal, whose mission Was in
tended to be Keeping the Southern whites
Down and the Republican party up. The
South has trained the animal and taught
him to fetch and carry, and now the Re
piblicans, finding that it does not fetch
and carry for them, want TO draw its teeth
Hardly, Mr.. Blaine
On Monday last Blaine, stung at bis
failure, threw off his assumption OF dignl-
ty and resumed his old style, charging the
south with disloyaity, cowardice, cruelty
and anything that came uppermost. He
bounded across the aisles. shook his finger
at Senators and Was perfectly himself
harlequin. The Southern Senators, Ran
som and Lamar. replied calmly and sensi-
bly, and completely foiled the attempt to
provoke an indiscreet answer. The jsepub-
gican Senators regarded Blaine's efforts
with apathy, his Presidential ad
vertisement being plainly seen tiirou gin the