National Republican., 1881-08-13
Comfort for the Mourncrs.

The lugubrious plant of our usually
happy neighbor, the Erenjng Star, over the
ridiculous fiasco of its Straightout friends
in Virginia gives us much concern. 1t
says that Wickham, Jorgensen, and
Dezendorf fully appreciate the weight
of the Readjuster proposition. They
know that the success of ticket upon
such platform means the paralyzing of
all the material interests of the State for
the reason that capital will not enter a
State which repudiates her obligations"
From which it would appear that the
gentlemen aforesaid must defeat the
naughty Readiusters. But the Lynch
burg correspondent of the New York
Tribune says that some of these leaders
from whom the Star hopes so much
are surrendering. General Wickham
could have been the candidate
of the Bourbon Democracy for United
States Senator in 1879, when General Ma.
hone was elected, if the negro members
of the Legislature would have voted for
him. But the honest blacks scorned the
alliance. From this it would appear that
General Wickham's happiness in life does
not depend so much on the defeat OF the
Bourbons as it does on t.fe defeat of the
Readns.ercc. fAs for Messrs. Jorgensen
and Dezendorf, it is of much more conse-
quence to themselves what they shall now
do than it is TO the coalition which has
been formed in spite of their most ener-
getic efforts. The election is not likely to
be affected by anything that can be said
or done by the rump Of the Straightout
rump, which disbanded so ingloriously at
Lynchburg on Thursday. There was not
enough of it left to makeits surrender an
object. 1t will behave better if left to
itself than it will if it is resuscitated by
any recognition for treaty-making pur-
poses Some of it was but the hatulence
with which the party had been inconve-
nienced, and, having passed of, it need
not be recalled.
So far from there being any ground for
the Stars apprehensions that capital will
be kept out of Virginia by the Rcadius-
tors platform, that usually shrewd journal
ought to see that it is because of the bold
stand of the Readjusters for progressive
policies that capital has already been en-
couraged to come into the State. The
Bourbons have repudiated all along, and
still do repudate. They do not pay the
interest on the debt, and they therefore
have put the State in the attitude Of
bankrupt. They have not, then, been
modest, and asked the forbearance of
their creditors; they have not proposed
any scheme by which bondholders could
have certainty of something; but they
have turned their empty pockets inside out
and clustered about being willing to oWe
and scornng reputation, while failing to
pay the interest. 1t is precisely because
the Readjusters meet the situation and
make the way straight and clear for
paying three per cent. on the twenty
millions which they claim is the just in
debtedness of the State and because old
moss-backed, reactionary Bourbonism is
being fought by eX-confederates and
blacks combined, that capital fearlessly
enters the Old Dominion. We rejoice at
the awakening in Southern breasts of the
emotions of national patriotism. We
pity the Republican who does not COM
prehend the magnitude Of the grand Lib
eral movement in Virginia. We regret
that so many Democrats in that State are
joined to their old idols. There is no
Straightout bigotry in The NATIONAL
REPUBLICAN,, no sorrowing because our
countrymen in Virginia who were once
enemies are now friends.
Republicanism is simply organized
opposition to political tyranny, as it was
organized opposition to rebellion and to
slavery in the years that are past, When
il can find men who are not Republicans
willing to join in the crusade for national
progress it gladly drops its distinctive
name, forgets past quarrels, and moves
along with its new friends. If the
Star will open the windows of its Straight
out house and let in the fresh air and
bright light twill soon cease to hold the
stirrups of the Virginia Bourbons, and
will laugh at the idea that il now enter
tains of what debt-payer is. The Re-
adiusters will make the debt Of Virginia
worth much more on the street in New
York than it now is, because they will do
all they agree TO do.
THE Hon. Sitting Bull is reported as
Al