The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-09-30

I y
of legislation since, violating the agreement
solemnly entered into and if we are not mis-
taken Mr.. Stuart was a member of the com
mittee of the legislature which reported these
constitutional amendments, and which SO di-
rectly conflict with and nullify the conditions
that he with others extracted from the Pres
dent and Congress and gladly accepted, and
promised faithfully to observe.
1t is rather amusing to those who were ac-
tors in the Presidential contest in 1872, to
read the following sentence in Mr.. Stu
arts letter: "In 1872, Gen Grant was again
candidate for the Presidency, and Virginia,
remembering his kindness to her in her hour
of peril cast her electoral vote for him. Did
her action in that case show an obstinate and
implacable spirit?"
What are the facts of that contest by which
the Democratic party of Virginia gave evidence
OF its gratitude to Gen. Grant for rescuing the
people from peril 2" Mr.. Greeley was the
Democratic nominee. The people of the South
had been educated to hate him. He had been
an original aboitionist his paper was de-
document, and inhibited from the mails. While
Gen. Grant was denounced in the contest of '72
and before bitterly as Mr.. Greeley had been,
and all natives of the State who supported him
were prescribed in their business and in the
social circles, he received $4,000 votes, while
Mr.. Greeley received 81 900 in round numbers
In 1869, Walker, democrat, (then called "true
Republican,') received 1885 votes and
| Wells Republican, 101 ,204 votes, showing
that Gen. Grant received less votes in 1879
than Wells did in 1866, and Greeley nearly 49,
900 less than Walker. In 1873 the Democrat
ic vote was increased to about $4,000 for
Kemper for Governor and the Republican vote
to about $4,000 for Hughes. These figures
show how much gratitude there was on the
part of the Democratic party towards Gen.
Grant for his great kindness in 1869, as
well as in 1865 at the surrender of Gen. Lee.
Even Mr. Stuart himself, although so largely
instrumental in inducing the action of Gen.
Grant, could not find it in his heart to support
him against Mr.. Greeley, and manifest that
gratitude which he thoughtlessly attributed
10 the general mass OF VOLeTS.
In like manner was the friendly spirit to-
wards President Hayes manifested. Notwith-
standing his advances to the Democrats Oft the
South, and the practical test of his friendship
given in the appointment of many of them to
Office, scarcely had Congress convened before
the Potter committee was created to nvest-
gate his title to the office he held by reason of
a majority of the electoral votes cast for him,
as well as the judgment ola commission Great
ed at Democratic suggestion and by Democrat
ic votes. Every Democratic member of Con
gress from Virginia voted for the bill authoriz-
ing the committee, and did all in his power to
further its netarious and reasonable purposes.
Not even this malicious partizan spirit changed
the catholic policy of the President, for up to
this day, with the exception of appointing the
avowed enemies Of his administration to i'm
portant positions, he has continued to manifest
the utmost kindness toward the Southern
people
We cannot follow Mr.. Stuart through his
statement as to Virginia Republicans and the
State debt. Suffice it to say that there has been
no legislature assembled in this State since the
war which has not been largely in the control
of the Democratic party. AT all times and I'M
der all circumstances the elected representa-
tives Of that party have had it in their power
to fashion legislation as they pleased, and to
deal with the public credit and public obliga-
tons as suited them best The reference to
the Legislature of 1866 explains but an idle as
sumption of what there was never any posi-
| bity OF paying. The debt then, we believe,
was $34000,000 of principal and about SIS, 000,-
900 accumulated interest What was the con
dition of the State at that time that the legis-
lature was justified in promising to pay princi-
pal and interest To mention it is to expose
the shallow pretense and the empty boast OF
men who did not dare to face the situation and
deal with it as statesmen should have done.
mo people ever sustained greater losses by the
termination of the war than the people of Vir-
glnia. AT one blow their whole slave popula-
ton was emancipated. their value utterly lost,
and their accustomed labor instantly stopped,
their circulating medium State and Confeder
ate, rendered worthless their bank stocks,
deposits, saving institutions, State and munic-
lpal stocks, reduced to minimum value no
federal money in circulation, houses, barns,
fences mills, given to OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
to great extent, cut down and burned-lands
impoverished, and having no money value
and they themselves were entirely powerless
to purchase and for want of buyers, equally
powerless to SELL" In such condition of the
people the legislature of 1866 was guilty of
the cruel taunt to the dispirited and mpover-
ished people of the State and farcical assurance
to the creditors, of pledging the payment of
$42, 100000, and levying tax of 10 cents on
the $1G0 of assessed taxable values to paw it
Was this craftsmanship Was it honesty
Instead OF addressing themselves to the neces-
sites OF the case and the needs of the people
parade OF mockish sentiment was made which
in the end proved as delusive as it was insin-
cere at the time the assurance Of payment
was made
10 prove this, the very next legislature that
assembled scaled the interest in proposition to
pay per cent, and a subsequent one compro
missed the debt in the Infamous funding bill
Oh 1911, by Which brokers and stock jObbers
reaped harvest, and the people had fastened
upon them an "irrepealable contract" which
to meet would place the red flag oyer half of
the property of the State
The Democratic party has never attempted
to deal honestly with the creditors 1t has
been full OF blatant promises and barren of
practical performances. Ithas squandered the !
revenues, robbed the public schools, violated |
the constitution and broken the most solemn
pledges ever made by people.
And now because the colored people sympa-
thize with the Re-adjusters, not because of any
relation they hold to the debt question, but
because of the constitutional rights they have
been robbed of by the infdelity of the Demo
cratic party to its solemnly assumed obliga-
tions, they are to be held responsible for the
political chaos which exists in Virginia and