The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-09-02
That Vindication.

That VindlcatlOn.
The last Speetctor publishes what is terme
a vindication OF Senator Hampton We woul
give the matter no further notice were it no
for the fact that the so-called yindcation at
tempts to place the VIRGINIAN in position
which every fair minded man must admit i
unwarranted. We shall take up the points at
tempted to be established seriatim
LIST. The Spectator says that great surpris
was manifested in this community at the re
port of Gov. Hampton's speech, in which i
was stated that the speaker had said, in sub
stance, that the principles involved in th'
pending contest were the same as those fol
which the war was fought.
On the contrary, no surprise was manifested
at all when that report appeared. 1t was uni
versally conceded to have been impartial, an(
there were prominent Democrats who have
since signed the paper to be mentioned here
after, who spoke of its completeness and accu
racy as synopsis. For three weeks after il
appeared, it remained unquestioned Why die
the Spectator not undertake to deny its correct
| HISS jill lIlstt lll1c!
Cd at never occurred to but five human be-
ings in all that vast assembly that he said any
such thing"
1t did occur to great many more than five
The only reason why the four, in addition to
! the editor of the VlRGINIAN, were selected to
sign the certificate, was that two of them were
reporters, whose special business it was to take
down the speech as it was delivered. They
are both Democrats, and were the only two
persons in the house who made notes of the
whole speech. The other two were well
| known Democrats, whom we had heard COM
ment on the speech But they were not the
only two, for there were a number of gentle
men representing both political parties who
remembered the substance of the language
used, and spoke of it freely. The gentlemen
who signed were the only ones asked.
Sd. The Spectator attempts to discover differ
ence between the substance of the report in the
VIRGINIAN, and that of the V5adactst0r. So far as
| the idea presented is concerned those two re-
| ports are identical, and either may be accepted
without in the least imparing the correctness
labors through half column to prove and still
| the case would not be affected.
4th. The VIRGINIAN closed its statement
last week with these words:
Senator Hampton spoke to between 500
| and 1000 persons nineteen -tWentieths of whom
were his political sympathiZers. Let him
write out q certificate that he did not USE in
substance, the language III question: and see
how many respectable persons in Staunton
would be willing to sign it. We invite him
to make the trial"
The Spectator announces that it accepts the
challenge" and publishes the following certifi-
catesigned bya number ofexcellent gentlemen:
The undersigned citizens of Staunton and
Augusta county, who heard the speech of Gov
Wade Hampton, at the Staunton Opera House,
in July, (without being able to recall the
speakers language, desire to say that the
speech did not, as whole or in any of it's
parts, convey to us the idea that Governor
Hampton meant to affirm that the Southern
Democracy, in the pending Presidential con-
test, were contending for the right of secession,
or for any other issue involved in the late war
On the contrary, we regarded the speech as
patriotic and unobjectionable from a Union
standpoint; and certainly not inconsistent
with perfect acquiescence in the results of
the late war between the States, as embodied
in the recent amendments to the Federal Con-
stitution.
1t will be observed that this certificate no
where states that Gov Hampton did not use
the language attributed to him. The signers
thereof simply undertake to construe, with
out attempting to deny the language
used. 1t really amounts to nothing, so
far as the question at issue is concerned There
are those whose names are signed to this pa
per, who do not for one moment question the
accuracy of the VIRGIN1AN's report, and the
ge1y ge1at2een aoj0 certified to the substantial cor
rect1aess Of that report lace Slgned q certificate
similar TO that published a5oue soitA the single e.
cetion that the ao0rds en- oarentseses are omitted
There is no incompatability whatever between
this last certificate and the report. A man
might have signed the one and certified to the
other with perfect consistency.
But even that certificate was presented to
parties who refused to sign it, the statement of
the Spectator to the contrary notwithstanding.
9TH. The Spectator undertakes to make the
VIRGINIAN responsible for the Trj6une's state.
ments. 1t says
AS to the general charge made by the V5,'-
ga1aadn, that the sentiments attributed to Gov.
Hampton, are the sentiments of the Demo
cratic Party-that is too idle and ridiculous to
merit serious consideration. We simply refer
our readers, for the refutation, of this charge
to the Vuys'a5a1a's own witnesses. They say,
in a card to the N. Y. World of last Saturday:
we take this occasion to denomce the let
ter OF the Tribune correspondent from this
place, published in the Tribune of the Goth as
an infamous SANDER not only upon the signers
of that testimonial, but also upon Union
loving and patriotic community"
That correspondent used the very ideas and
sentiments Of the VayinSd1a on this point, al
leging that the people have THAT is the demo-
crats) entertained the sentiments, imputed to
Hampton. These gentlemen, Mr. Yost's wit
nesses, denounce this as an Infamous Islander
upon Unlon-loving and patriotic commune
ty,' and we leave the Vuyj1sid,1 to make what
1t can out OF the assertion that Hamptons re-
patted sentiments are the sentiments of Augusta
and other Democrats
Does the Spectator regard it as fair, honest
and manly to garbe the card sent to the World?
Ii it does not why did il not publish the con-
Guiding sentences of that card which were as
follows:
''The statements of this letter by no means
correspond with the Nayirasan's account of the
matter as published yesterday Mr.. Yost has
written q letter to the Tribune correcting the
misstatements"
These sentences were embodied in the card
sent to the World, and were part of it, but
for its own high and honorable purposes the
Spectator secs proper to eliminate them. The
VIRGINIAN is not called upon to make any
thing out of the assertion" It simply points
to the card itself
At the conclusion CT the Spectators remarka-
BILE article, the public is requested to regard it
as successful and triumphant vindication"
AS piece OF exquisite transparency it is SUI
perb but through the gossamer veil the naked
truths appear" Only those who aoiU not see
can be deceived.
We stated last week that SO flr as the evil
dence was concerned, the case was closed. To
that evidence as then published we now refer