The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-01-01
81 hat SIM II j de d lse saved


rises Snly to the dignity OF riditsa}oas
batch bf contemplate nonsense, add
to the rrejudices OF the weak, rather tlsan Il
the reason Of sensible men. Its anthepssl'f
though not much of prophet,I wou( eSefk
it-for its iili6erality, its inaccuracies ans
other palpable evidences OF ineXpericpce
In some very youthful political aspH&ns
with ambition far exceeding his prnieafss
and conceit largely outweishing his q eae
ity, who, desparlng OF honors in hi more
Legitimate professional field, has but iatelp
turned his attention. to politics. and YET tss
article has some of the ear-marks Of s9:e
headed, worn out II iecte1 politician wtot
having lost political caste, beyord all A6pe
of recovery in his own party, is seeking
elsewhere to crafty the "ruling passion, ?
which is said to be Strong in Geath.''
TO ''eareful student OF political hstd-
ry." and ''an interested observer CT public
events" the present condition of affairs in
Virginia, this outraged CORE pendent de-
clares to be "most alarming" and it is the
truest thing, If not the only thing indicative
of sanity, that occurs in this whole tissue
of distorted ideas. But to whom, and how,
ealarmlng?" 70 the few self constituted,
miserable, surfeted Bourbons and their
imitators. who ten years ago by some ILL
erasped with hungry violence the public
crib, and by wholesale plumber, perpetuated
by an unbroken chain of systematic false
hoods. have eliminated their devish de-
signs in bankrupt State, and beggared
people, To such the signs are truly alarm
ing. The day Of ratributon is close at
hand. and the reckoning pregnant with
results, absorbing in its ii fluences, fatal
In its consequences, will be none tae
less sternly demanded. The situation
to such, | repeat, is indeed appalling
Look ont on the surface of the polit-
cal chessboard-but look more in pity than
in censure-and see the PROSTATE bodies OF
the dead; the covering and crouching
forms Of the dying, as they sink in shame,
slowly but surely before the piercing gaze
of an outraged people. The people expect
those of that ilk to howl, and the Re adius-
tiers say, ''let 'em howl" But anotheridga,
startling as it is original, and brilliant be-
yond either. is presented in the article under
consideration. 1t is that the ccntending
parties are divided or split on question of
simple honesty. 10 which Of these parties,
pray, does he belong-wbere d es the lire
of demarcation set in-where and by what
process does the one merge into the other !?
These are questions entitled TO weight in
any fair discussion of the subject. Gen. Ma
hone, admitted to be the great head of the
party favoring re adjustment. stands com
united to q settlement at three per cent. on
the principal debt, formulated under the
provisions Of the McCuiloch Bill, shorn,
however, of features in that measure re-
pulsive to the very instincts OF Virginia
manhood. 1t is proposed, on the other side
to settle with 3 coupon, nOn-taXable. gold
bearing bond at three, four aid five per
cent. Now ask any fair minded man to
analyZe for one moment, the logic OF an ar
4ument, which starting with the positive
statement that we owe six per cent. on the
achole debt. finally concludes thatit is honest
aud honorable to pay three. four and five
DER cent, with tax receivable coupons on a
pat Of it, but dishonest TO pay three per
| {, ut. without the self executing lien. He
ia a shrewd, astute and cunning morallst,
who undertakes thus to calculat, honesty. The
parties therefore arenot split upon question
If honesty, but split on the mode and meas
| ure Cf settlement. All! but it may be said,
| the one is compulsory, the other not. A
| | answer, in the McCuloch Bill is to be
| found the essential elements of force; receS-
sarily so. No settlement will ever be effected
| by legislation or otherwise withou; it, unless
| the creditor of the State or his representa-
| tive in full is consulted at the time the Gen
eraI Assembly acts. The proprety of the
proposed settlement is questioned, say, by
| the Readjusters I; why? Very we'll do we
| remember that in 1871, upon false basis OF
taxable values. the cid Funding Bill was
enacted into law, and the people doubted.
The same orators, lately discharged from
| partizan service were called to the field, and
from every hastings throughout the entire
State did they SaceGr that the existing rate
of taxation would be ample to meet the re-
ouirements of that act. What was the re-
suit? "Every interested observer of public
events must know it. Every careful stu;
dent of political history" must have learned
| it, The State became defaulter to the OBJ.
| legation, and the taxpayer, unable to in
crease the levy, saw. year by year, gnawing
at his vitals, accumuIating interest to the
| tune of million dollars and more. In 1879
another bill shrewder and with more cum
ming is proposed. but taking it all in all. is
no better perhaps than the first. Yet what,
{, in the name of common decency, do we
see? These same identical ringsters, proven
| to be, and who are confessedy false IN all
their previous statements. again, with bra
zen effrontery. assuming to lead the people.
| The same means, the same arguments used
| in 1871, to induce the people of Virginia to
| accept that settlement, were again used in
| 1879 to cOnsummate this. But the peop le
say, mo, gentlemen, we have heard that
syren song before step down and out!' Is
| it, in the light of living facts, TO be wondered
at? Falling in argument, this disgruntled
.'student of political economy" proceeds,
like his predecessors, to dispense with a iav
| ish hand, the stock in trade OF the miserable
faction to which he belongs. Malone, Mas
sey and Fauutleroy are the special subjects OF
his villfication and abpse--all three as 10
| ffr;fuS ly i.,po q = thpv t.thOr-
oughly dishonest" in precept and il prac-
tice. Yet, a little further Oh we are told
that these parties aided and abetted, it may
| be, by as many more Of the vicious crew,
will soon introduce their dangerous dogma
| in the National councils, and in this en-
larged sphere. they will attack the safeguards
of the body polite and kindle a commu
nistic flame destined TO sweep from centre
to circumference this ocean bonnd domain.
| WONDERFUL indeed, is tie handiwork OF in.
competency The vii.dication of this dis
| tinguist.ed trio, against all such assaults
| am satisfied to rest III the languag Of Ma
meme himself. "Wh hen be record of his de
| famer approves him to be a man who / a
risked more, endured more. sacrificed
more" or - no has done half so much ion
the advaEce ment of every material interest
of this much abused old Commonwealth,
| then he shall be deemed worthy OF full re-
spouse; AID the Re-adjusteFs of Virginia
will make common cause with the leader OF
their choice. Other charges, nervous, reek
less, and in wanton disregard of facts are
placed on the balance sheet to the credit oil
Re adiusters, that tax the patience OF men
almost beyond endurance. Such as "TheS
| emphaticaliy announce the purpose OF sub
jtciing the judiciary to party control.
they ayow the intention of legalizng mar
| rage between whites and blacks. They
openly pander to the lowest elements in our
constituent mass for the spoils of Office
They threaten a war between the races.
! rhey have torn themselves from their re-
spec,iye parties and forced division OF the
people into two classes-Debt payers and
RepIdiaors," &c. Now the Readjusters
propose To do lnoye OF these things and eve
ry sensible man who has taken the pains to
investigate the party differences mus know
| it. But from whom does this piteous howl
Gomez From a worthy representative of the
dying faction whose destructive schemes
were championeds under disguise of judicia
ermine, in many parts Of rhis, State. 1t comes
from the ranks of a party that hell some
| l.I;.. 4 IL IS So. ,npix,