Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-10-21
THE POSSIBLE PRESIDENT

Senator David Davis, of Illinois, by the
Grace of the Republican party and Ma
hone, the possible President of the United
States, there being only one life between
him and that high Office, is now the second
man in public Importance in the country.
But little more than week ago Senator
Bayard, the purest and honestest states
man in the body, occupied the position,
and though Mr.. Davis was spoken of as
the probable Republican nominee for the
position, he being the only member of
the body that the Republicans could hope
to misplace Mr.. Bayard with, there seem
ed but little probability of such result.
Mr.. Davis speech in the Senate last March
was too fresh in the memory of the people
and Senators themselves had too recently
with their own ears heard him say: IAN
honorable recognition of the trust geper-
tally confided to my keeping by Demo-
'scratic votes in 1877, requires me to sus-
''tain the existing organization of the
''Senate, whatever may be the result can
ssaccept no honor at the hands of either
have seemed out of the question, but the
thing was worth trying and doubtless none
were more surprised than the Republican
tempters themselves, when the immacu
late independent yielded and took the
glitteripg prize that was offered him.
The Republican leaders by that act
branded themselves with political infamy.
The chivalrous Bayard scorned even for the
sake of his party in extremity to cast
vote to retain himself in position, and
Senator Pendleton by his prompt with
drawal of merely technical difficulties in
the whole bearing of the Democratic side
of the chamber recalled the memory of the
best days of the Senate.
The Republican leaders in the excite
ment of their trade, recalling SO forcibly
to mind the Malone huckstering of last
man of their own choosing in the success
sion, lost sight of the record Of their nom
inee and showed that delicate respect for
the memory of the dead Garfield which
might have been expected of them, by
electing as his possible successor a man
who had voted for Hancock against him.
Among the excellent reasons he assigned
during the last Presidential campaign for
his support of General Hancock. he said
in letter of August 4th, 1880, to Mr..
James E. Harry: "l have no hesitation in
supporting General Hancock, because
'hs election will put an end to sectional
s'strife and to sectional parties and will
ssrevive patriotic sentiment all over the
Gland, which political leaders and factions
''for sinister ends have sought to pre-
event." Nice reading that for the ''po-
litical leaders, who by their solid vote
made him their possible President.
And again. these new found friends and
allies of the Senator who are won't in each
recurring presidential campaign to point
with so much pride to the 'ssuccessful
record of the great Republican party
will read with pleasure the further ex-
pressed opinion of their administrations
by their possible President: CATER twenty
'years of domination by the Republicans.
''chronic abuses have become festered
upon the public service like barnaces
upon the bottom of stranded ship.
''There is no hope of reform by leaders who
''have created system of NAL admins
''tration and who are interested in perpet
''uati1g its evils. Nothing short of the
''sternest remedy gives any promise OF
reflective reform, and the first step to-
dC ;o oh E
'must be infused into the management Of
public affairs before relief can be expec-
''ted. The people demand change and
s'being in earnest they are likely to ba
''gratifed. So our Republican friends
have arranged it that If any thing should
removed as the assassin Guiteau put
it, his successor shall be man who dis
trusted Mr.. Garfeld's patriotism and in
tegrity to that extent that he preferred
rather to vote for General Hancock and
so secure "a change Of rulers"
And then again in his letter of May IA,
1880 to Mr.. o. H. Browning, Senator
Davis thus delivers himself on the cardi-
nal points of Republican faith, centraliZa-
tion and State rights: 1.-THE demand made
Shy adherents of one of the great parties
s'for strong government; destruction of
s'home rule in the States and the very re-
'verse of what Mr.. Lincoln well described
s'as government of the people, by the peo-
'sple and for the people. carried to its log-
zeal conclusion would finally overthrow
''the Republic. The existing tariff is re-
'sgarded as confused mass of incongrui
''ties and monopoles, created by special
Legislation and open to constant fraud
sson the revenue. It taxes the consumer
''heavily on those articles especially that
''are most needed by the toiling masses.
ut taxes every newspaper, every school
''book, every Bible. and the salt of the
''workingman with gross injustice, be-
''cause the poor pretense of revenue does
''not exist to cover the wrong. A revision
therefore which shall be at once search
sing and fair, is demanded and should be
promptly and efficiently made"
We could go on further and quote from
Z his speech in the Senate March Is, 1880,
against the use of troops at the polls as
s'striking down honest suffrage and his
attacks upon the system of ''frauds and
Intimidation" practiced by the Republican
party in elections, but we have cited
enough to show that Judge Davis is a
ssgood enoughs' Democrat for us and it
puzzles us to know in what part of the re-
cord of the possible President the "Times'
gets it's authority for the assertion that
Senator Davis is sin sympathy with the
more important purposes of the Republi
can party If Capitalization, State rights
free trade and control of elections are not
among the ssmore important purposes" OF