The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-09-16

A Word to the Rockingham Register
The Rockingham Register is becoming anus
ing, and but for our partiaity for its editors we
would say absurd in its delvings among its
old issues published during reconstruction
times, for editorials which would affect our
consistency of thought after Virginia had ceas
| ed to be District No. l. and been rehabilitated
as a State. Does not the Register and those
papers which pattern after the Register, per-
ceive that there can be no analogy between
the Virginia No. 1, which the volcanic forces
of war had shocked to dIsintegration of gov
eminent and society, with the adventures in
politics prowling over, and the infamed pas
sions of man the victor preying upon man the
victim, and Virginia with law and order re-
stored her representativesin the national coun-
ellis and peace prevailing everywhere?
We ask the Register to publish the amend
ment referred to and we will then have some
thing to say with that as text concerning the
faith which has been kept with the colored
man who so mantully stood to the white man
on the suffrage question in 1869.
1t will be remembered that there were two
clauses presented for voting upon-alternativ
Ito be adopted as part of our constitution One
proposed to disfranchise large class of our
white fellowcitizens. The other only very
clause, we denounced and still denounce. 1t
was placed before the people and rejected,
numbers of black men voting against it. The
present voting clause without the prepayment
of capitation tax was selected.
Consistency does not consist in sameness of
action, for circumstances may make it proper
to do one thing to-day which yesterday would
have been unjustifable. That one man did SO
and SO, or said so and so, proves nothing as to
the merits of question. 1t is only the logic
and reason of the thing which is to be re-
lied on. 1t proves nothing against the patri-
otism or consistency Of Gen'l Washington that
in the Braddock war he fought as British
officer, and after the colonies had separated
from the mother country he fought against the
British government. A man in affluence
would be laughed at who would hire himselfasa
bar tender or work as day laborer in the ditch,
yet if he was in absolute want and his bread
depended on it, he would be silly to refuse
either employment. A lady of refinement
would not turn aside from bellies lettres and
intellectual occupations, when surrounded
with wealth, to become wet nurse, but if pc
cuniary distress came upon her it might be ne
cessary and proper for her to sing nursery
songs and manufacture bibs for a bawlng baby
Fairly putting it, does not the Register admit
that the radicalism of 1866 is not the republican,
ism of 1880? Does mt the Register know that
the madness ofthe camp followers, of the birds
ofprey which followed in the wake of the
armies and lived through its desolations-s not
the reason of the hour which prevails after
law and order has been restored? On consist
ency let the Democracy themselves speak.
Paul will tell you of the faction of May that it
is unworthy. Daniel will repeat the same of
that of July. The statesmen of one side in
Rockingham, Moffett &C., frown down on
Price, Dechart and Gatewood, who despise
them. Our friends of the Register are not suf-
ticiently consistent to be able to fight under
the banners of both these factions, which glib
bet each other in the market place. We put
it too to the Register, if he deems himself in
consistent because at one time he advocated
secession, and now he does not; at one time
advocated negro slavery, now he does not; at
one time would have been Mortified at the sug-
gestion of voting for a yankee soldier and now
supports Gen1 Hancock for president?
And yet he has done, and is doing all these
contradictory acts. The idea of the Register
as to the manner newspaper should be con-
Quoted, if adopted, would soon turn the print
ing press into machine Of deviltry and OPP
preston, and instead of being medium of
good it would become an educator of evil, pro-
ductive of strife, disaster and anarchy Civil |
lzation will not turn back to old fossils to the
torture OF the rack, the test of innocence by |
fire or water-to the magician's tricks or the |
soothsayers babblings, merely because good
men at one period of time believed in and adj
vocated all these absurdties, and merely to
appear consistent with our forefathers
To do what is right under the sun which is |
above us and to denounce the wrong is the sum
of moral and political duty to man and gov
ernments, from which newspaper editors even
cannot be excused.
We do not, though, in so expressing our
views, pretend to have never changed opinions
that we have entertained. We have often |
done so, and when present beliefs differ from
past opinions, we do not adhere to the last in
order to appear to be consistent So often as
we discover we are in error, so often will we
correct that error as nearly as possible. Con
sistency is jewel' of everlasting brilliancy
and without a flaw, and not gawd-a paste
sham, to be bought at dollar stores and second
hand clothing establishments
Richmond District.
Col G. P. Ramsdall has been nominated for
CONGRESS in the Richmond District hv the Re-