Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-06-10

0Cus " lShlNiAs oA Ing chO AoSPoOAASCpAio w
stand squarely by their colors and their
principles, was adopted by the Executive
Committee.
We give the proceedings OF the Coalition
Convention, this morning, more space than
we generally allot to such matters. 1t is
the last tribute that we shall have an OPP
portunity of paying to suicided political
organization and we elect that it shall be
respectful in length. 1t will be instruc-
tive, too, to students in the future who
in the scenes there described may hereafter
read how impossible it is to combine po-
litical factions having precisely different
objects in view; how difficult it is to bring
the Democratic Readjuster who wants the
debt settled by the Readjuster party, and
who yet desires his State to be ruled by the
intelligent voters thereof, into line with
faction of another party, composed almost
exclusively of the ignorance of that party.
to which the settlement of the debt is of
no Importance and who look alone to the
emancipation of their race from the duty
of paying one dollar in taxation for the
privilege of voting on the vested interests
of the Commonwealth. 1t will also be in
structive as illustrating how easy it is for
men, however artful, who alone seek power,
to fail to carry with them men, however
artless, who alone seek principle.
OF the ticket which has been presented
at the close of their proceedings we may
say that it will hardly be matter of dis
cussion in the Valley of Virginia. AS
matter of fact those who framed it seem
to have thrust the Valley sum marily aside
and paid their grateful devolrs to the black
belt of East Virginia. Harry Riddleber-
ger, who should be very good authority on
the effect upon the Readjusters of the VAL
lev, was right when he said that the ticket
would not carry county West of the
Blue Ridge. And if he had not said it, it
would still be the opinion of all who are
familiar with the views of the masses of
the Democrats, west Of the mountains, on
the matter of voting for a ticket which
bears on it's face the evidence that it is a
concession to the most ignorant and there
fore most dangerous portion of the Repab-
lican party.
1t is full of inconsistencies, as any ticket
solely the result of ''practlcal" politics
must be. Practical politics mean those pol
itics which are arranged exclusively with
reference to capturing power. A gentleman
who was prominent debt payer until four
years ago was nominated over Auditor
Massey, who has been a consistent Read
juster for nearly ten years-in fact,
the father of the cause. An eX-U. s. Sen
ator, who while in the national Senate was
a consistent supporter of the heavy load of
taxation laid on the people by the Federal
Government to preserve the National
credit, is the nominee for Lit. Governor of
a party which adopts as its platform bill
deliberately eliminating one-third of the
principal Of debt solemnly recognized by
the people of Virginia through their repre-
sentatives in a legislature in which the
Readjusters were in a majority. For At
torney General the nominee is gentleman
who has become famous for his NAL mot
that 'shonor never bought a breakfast. -
A position that he will find few Democrat
ic Readjusters III this section of the state
at least to agree with him. 1t has been
our good fortune to discuss REIMBURSEMENT
with many readjusters in private and it
has never been our bad fortune to find one
who ever took any such ground as this
with reference to the public debt or any
other matter. But of all the Inconsistent
cies in the ticket that of Mr.. Lewis name
being on it is the most remarkable. Ii
the votes of Democrats of any sort were
desired or expected, the nomination of a
man who has been the most pronounced
and bitter Halter of their party is an as
founding piece of political blindness. In
reckoning up the Democratic votes for a
ticket with his name On it, the trouble
will be to estimate, not how many but,
how few it will get.
OF the nominees as private gentlemen, a
position by the bye which they will be rel
egated to after November, there is not a
derogatory word to be said. OF Col Wm,
E. Cameron the candidate for Governor
we should be untrue to the claims of pri-
vate friendship did we not bear our sincere
and hearty testimony to his high and
chivalrous qualities of character, his gent
Gus and his generous heart. As SOL
der and citizen no man has more
spotless record. OF ex- Senator Lewis we
NAV say Just what his nearest neighDors
will say that his personal character as "a
man is as much beyond reproach as his
public character AS malignant hater OF
the Democracy is beyond doubt. vi the
candidate for AttorneyGeneral we know
little except that he stands well with those
who ought to know him best. We have
written these things with the friendly
freedom Though not with the friendly exag-
geration) OF an epitaph, for we feel very
much as if writing the obituary OF worthy
gentlemen who, in following the fortunes
of one whom fortune has deserted, already
wear the mournful garlands with which
the pick of the herd are decked before
slaughter.
Two recent exhibitions of the feeling of
the people Of the Southern States should
be carefully noted by our countrymen of
other sections. In the Southern Presby-
terrain General Assembly resolution not
to take the initiative in Christian greeting
to the Northern Assembly was voted down
by the decisive vote of 1913 to 13. And in