The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-11-03
Mr.. Keilev'S Last.

oiHclal ADDRESS OF MI. A. NJ. kelley, Chaif-
man of the Conservative Executive Com
mittee to the Democratic party OF Virginia.
We do this to show our readers everywhere
the spirit which moves and controls the
leaders of this party in this contest, its
false pretenses and foul ISLANDERS, and the
utter disregard OF truth which permeates
almost every line of this last appeal to the
hates of race and the prejudices of section.
The lnsufferable impudence which is mani
tested throughout every sentence; the re-
voting egotism and assumption of virtue
which run through the entire address, and
the vicious assault upon the good name of
the people OF Virginia, should arouse them
to the necessity of rebuking, in quiet and
legal method, the party which is driven to
such resorts to inspire its following. 1t is
the last appeal of a political organization
whose leaders are driven to desperation in
the contemplation of certain and over
whelming defeat. They realize that their
lease of power is about to expire. never
more to be resumed. False to every trust,
untrue to every interest. and reckless of
every right. they have ruled the people of
Virginia with rod of iron, caring for moth
ing but the pelf and plumber of position
and the power and influence for selfish
ends thus acquired. They do not 90 before
the country upon their record, as it affects
the welfare of the State They know, and
the people know, that every important in
terest has suffered under their administra-
ton. The public revenues, drawn from the
sweat and toll of the honest yeomanry Of
the Commonwealth, have been squandered
and diverted; the treasury has been robbed
and the crime condoned, In the interest of
country have been deliberately and fla
gravity violated; the plghted faith of the
people of the State trampled upon every
department of government made to stink
with corruption or maladminstration and
our charitable institutions made subordinate
to the purposes of pa rty and to serve the
ends Of partizans. Not until the Ignorant
and debased horde" as the people are so
felicitously designated by Mr.. Kelley, took
| control OF the basement offices and the di-
rection OF the revenues were any of these
wrongs corrected. The obligations of the
State were disregarded the people were
kept ignorant, by false representations, Of
the true condition of public affairs; the
public schools robbed of their support and
paralyzed; and every interest connected
| with and constituting a part of the State
government, prostitnted to the foul pur-
poses OF corrupt political organization.
Scan this last appeal OF Mr.. Kelley, the
month-piece of this party, from beginning
to end.and there is not an allusion to the re-
forms which have been effected, since it
was partially deprived of power; no fact
or argument adduced to justify its assump-
ton OF virtue and honesty no suggest ion
that can relieve it, even by implication, of
having outraged every interest entrusted
to it, and prostituted every privilege con-
| ferredupon it by reason of its ascendancy.
From the inception to the close of its ad
ministration. one continuous preparation
| OF wrongs upon the people has distin-
guished its history, with scarcely an act or
measure of legislation or administration
in mitigation of the foul record it has made
The people are, however, not ignorant of
these things. The injuries they have suf-
fered from this faction of what is falsely
assumed to be the best people" have been
burned into their very being. They feel
them and have felt them for years. Party
machinery and just such appeals to preju-
dice and passion as we are now considering,
justified this policy until the people began to
realize that longer slavish submission to the
tyranny of reckless and desperate politi-
cal faction would entail upon them inevita-
BILE ruin. They revolted, and the revolt
has grown to such proportions as to threat
ell the existence Of what was once the M
challenged power of the State. 1t is this
pregnant and aggressive fact which has
aroused the desperate hate and inspired the
foul ISLANDERS in which this appeal abounds.
LET US settle our debt with honor
Let us uphold our ancient fame as cove
nant-keepng Commonwealth, comes with
refreshing grace from a faction that had
control OF ali the power and revenues of
the State for ten years, and each year wit
messed the debt growing larger and the
covenants of the Commonwealth violated
that party interests might be snbserved and
party ascendancy preserved And even
now while this pretence of honesty is hr-e
aided to the country. proposition, as fun
| 1n, fol a.: Co. I
which would violate the covenant of the
Commonwealth, in the reputation of half
the interest charge. and Gelude the people
with false assurance.
1t is not likely that the people of Virginia
will again be deceived by the loud profess
sions and eXtravagant assumptions of the
faction Mr. Kelley represents. His flood of
defamation and slauder will not shake their
purpose to quietly challenge them at
the ballot-boX nor will his dennnc;ations
and epithets obscure the real issues which
have to be determined IL is contest be-
tween Liberalism and BourbOnsm; be-
tween economy in government and profit
gacy in government; between honest
methods of handling the peoples revenues.
and dishonest methods between the rights
Of the great mass of the people to rule and the
| right of a few self-styled "best peo-
ple' to prostitute government and subor-
dinate public interests to their selfish pur-
| poses. Itis a contest between an obser-
vance of the pledges of the Commonwealth
and their palpable viol alton between free
and untrammeled ballot and an Illegal and
corrupt ballot. 1t is contest for the right
and power of the people to direct and con-
troll their own government in their own in
terest, against the assumption of few pol
! ticians who have run the State to the verge
of ruin. M .a
We want the people of Virginia to study
this address of Mr.. Kelley. Weigh and d.
gest its insults, its ISLANDERS and defamation
and then go to the polls and record their
opinion about it. Its florid verbiage and
passionate spirit cannot conceal its malig-
nant purpose. 1t is representative of the
faction it speaks for-assuming all the vir-
tue and honesty of the State, while practic-