The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-04-06
The Independents.

The Independents.
Il has often been remarked that msny
Che most bitter Of the controversies wo'c
have distracted whole communities OF i'eo
nile mI.ht have been avoided II the part'e
% them had urst agreed upon the mesn'ng
: which were to be attached to the pecul'a
words appe,taining TO such controversies
We rave the other day cur definition OF 10
word MongreI" as applied TO 1ene's
MAmoxx's party. We now md the w" ','
erals organ claiming dfaeren' NV
for his party. "They are" says '"'
yVh;o. INDEPENDENTS, and they inten'
=, Gvh, IL out on that line II II carrie
them through any number OF presidenua
.on,e.,..v Let Us remark Just here, ane
nv the way, that this sentence has very
decided favor Of Grantism about H. ano
surgers that the coalition we are oppos'"e
has Tho credit OF being one entered INTO ~
the interest Of General GRANT. But """'
we are seeking for now is the meaning "
the word independent" as eup'o,eu
above. "Iudependent Is word 'p"' ""s
been used TO describe parties or iac'lons' AZ
least ever since the days OF CROMWELL
who was himself so.called lndepe"'
deutu rather than true-Dtue rrcs'
byteriau. In this country tue ~o'"
a. independent" has frequently eeen
cmployed by aspirants 10 Office to deiude
tbouebtless people into their support. we
have not few times bad self-sfyied p" lhoe'
pendeutv candidates for Offices OF honor
and nroGt posing before the voters OF h'co-
mond as the opponents OF the King can
d,dates. The Ring" Candidates, now
ever, have never failed 10 secure large ma
tortty OF the votes OF the whites; whist,
strange to say, the immaculate inde'
peudeu,sv have had to content them
selves with the votes OF negroes ana
whites as "iuGependent" as the can
didates themselves. So there IS 10
thing formidable to the Democrats OF
Virginia in the word which General
MALONE now proposes to use to describe
his party. That word has not heretofore
been successful in decelying anybody VINO
did not wish to be deceived as to the plans
and purposes of the men who tried to avail
themselves OF its supposed popularity.
1t Is evident, therefore, that the WORD
Independent " will not suffice to mislead
the people OF Virginia. Nevertheless. II
NAV be well 10 have an authoritative dcfni-
ton Of it's meaning as it figures In the yo-
cabuIary OF the ReSdjusters. We do not
desire to be misled ourselves, nor TO
mslead others. What, then, does the
Whiq mean when it says OF its party
that "they are INDEPENDENTLY" Does it
mem that the uupledged electoral ticket OF
General MALONE will he as free to vote for
General GRANT as for the Democrl'ic candi-
datef Does 1t mean that the voters OF Nir'
ginia are to fight the presidential battle with
Quaker guus-tbat these Independent
eleceors are to be so independent" as that
they will scorn TO cast their votes for either
candidates Does it mean that they are to
vote for GRANT if their votes will turn the
scale In bis favor? Does il mean that they
are not to vote for him if he falls far behind
the Democratic candidate? Does 1t mean that
they are to vote either for the Democratic
candidate or for the Republican candidate
IL 1t shall appear that either is elected with
out their votes? Is anybody to be cheated
The negroes will certainly expect the I'M
pledged electors TO vote for GRANT. The
whites will certainly expect them to vote
for the Cincinnati nominee. One side or
the other Is to be deceived. An indie
pendent" elec,or is understood by SAMBO
to be GRANT elector; but an "Iudepen-
dent.v elector is understood by the bemo-
cratic Reaijusters to be a Democratic cleo
tor. Who is 10 be deceived, the Democrat
or the negros
These questions will appear appropriate
when 1t il recollected that the presidential
election will necessarily result in one of the
three ways following: That is TO say, first,
in the election of GRANT by vote 80 large
as TO render it a matter OF indifference to
him whether Virginia casts her vote for
him or not secondly, in the election Of the
Democl attic candidate by that sort OF ma
jority or, thirdly, In such division of the
electors as will put it into the power OF the
Virginia electors to choose the President.
Now, 1t is important ,bst the people Of Vir-
ginia should know what these unpedged
electors will do in the last Of these contin-
geucies Will tue Wing say? Ii moi, the In.
ference will be irresistible that somebody is
to be fooled. II the election results In
either OF the first two ways, the unpledged
electors will be the only parties who will
be much deceived. They would in that
event feel about as cheap" as ever disap-
pointed intrigners felt.
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