Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1879-01-24

ASAOA4 MOhN1N JAN. n, 1873.
THE ANTECEDENT OF A NEW
PARTY.
AS will be seen some of the leading Re
adJusters in the legislature to the number
forty, OF whom eight are Republicans and
four are Independents, have issued call
for State Convention on the 25th of Feb
ruary at Richmond, to form new and sep
arate political organization. They say in
their address that the organization is to be
formed because they are confronted by an
s'organized party one Of whose purposes
is to effect the election of delegates to the
Assembly who will vote an increase of
taxation, &C., &c. In justice to the thirty
two Conservatives who are represented in
the call, we should say that while the con-
fronting organization may be the present
reason. their real grievance is of much
older date than that. During the last con-
gressional campaign, and some months be-
fore the confronting organization, the peo-
pie of this valley were told in public
speech by an Adjuster, candidate for
congress, that ''the Conservative party had
fulfilled its MISSION" and asked by that
gentleman, 'swhy continue to rule the peo-
pie with it % The statement and the ques-
ton were so unpalatable to the people of
the district that the candidate. notwish-
standing he possessed many qualities to
commend him, was left at home at the
November election by large ma
jority. So strong was this desire to
beat the regular Conservative organiza-
ton in the districts, that Adjuster candi-
dates were run against regularly nomina-
ted candidates who were adjusters them
selves of the first water. There seemed to
be an insane desire to get rid of the party
control, which, had it come from fresh,
representative men from the people would
have given grave reason to doubJ the pop
ularity of the party itself. But a remark
able feature of the epidemic was the ap-
pearance, as leaders, Of venerable political
rats, chronic Office holders when they could
get them, thorough politicians. crying at the
top of their voices against the politicians
and in behalf Of the ''people." Toa stran-
ger to Virginia, it would have conveyed
the idea that there was revolution of the
people against the oppression Of political
rings. All was fish that came to the net
of che new movement. The colored vote
was made an object of special attention
and special appointments of meetings were
made for them. Every resource was
aYailed of; every regiment mustered, every
camp follower called and on the eve Of
election the air was filled with prophecies
of victory. at sun set of that day not q
senqle Adjuster candidatei1 in the aolole State
had been elected over regular nominee.
That was the result Of the first effort OF
these dissatisfied and restless politicians.
The present action Of these leaders to
mend their fortunes is based on the same
erroneous idea that led to their disastrous
failure last fall. They are proceeding
without recognizing the fact that the mass
Of the AdJusters Of the State are also Con-
servatives; that they have no disposition
to carry the family dispute to the extent
of breaking down the fold and letting in
the Republican party to triumph in Vir-
&lulh LII 1COV3 0uu U1ho do UAOy 1AC AOo III
dlvidually aspirants to the U. S. Senate or
House, they are not inclined to break up
the Conservative party, and build up a
new one to be used for individual advance
ment.
There seems to be some disposition to
protest against this action of the leaders
alluded to, but we think that as far as
they are concerned, it will be a waste of
time. Defeated inside of the Conservs-
tive party they seem to have made up
their minds to leave it, and we don't see
any particular call to detain them. The
party is too strongly entrenched in the af-
fections and vital interests of the people
of Virginia to suggest the possibility of a
\ numerous following for these delinquents
Neither Debt-payer, Adjuster. Funder nor
Antifunder can afford to give up party
which has stood between them and an
ever watchful enemy for ten long years.
AS for the future, we have no fears.
The Democratic party in the fall Of 1880
can, we think, handsomely take care OF
the new organizations if it makes no bet
ter show that it's prominent advocates did
with their colored allies in the fall Of
1878.