National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-30
The Lynchburs Convention.

juster) ticket They feel perfectly confident of de-
sfeatingit. What they do most fear is strong
straight-ou Republican ticket, On distinct debt
paying platform, and demanding for all the peo-
pie every right and protection that thelaWs and
EConstitution assure-FGley Firginidn.
If the writer of the above had heard
| the Bourbons rave at General Malone
last spring in theSSenate and declare that
Riddleberger must be defeated in order
to prevent coalition between Read
justers and Republicans and the conse-
quent defeat of the Bourbon Democratic
party in Virginia next fall, he would not
| say now that the Bourbons have no fears.
They have not yet ceased trembling at
the prospect of defeat, which such acoali-
ton would insure.
And why should the Bourbons
fear a straight-out Republican ticket?
Can they beat two parties easier than
one? Would the colored voters be more
formidable to their Bourbon prosecutors
if divided between two factions than if
presenting solid front? Or would the
Virgi1aidn have us believe that platform
demanding for all the people every
right" &c, would be such an infringe
ment on the Bourbon patent that it
would draw away numerous voters from
hat party? The demand for the "protec-
ton that the laws and Constitution
assure has hitherto been treated by the
Bourbons as " Haunting the bloody shirt"
and advocating "nigger supremacy"
VIII the Virginian deny that the chief
Bourbon argument against the Read
justers is that they have the negroes in
their ranks? How, then, can anothei.
party with negroes in its ranks do any
harm to the Bourbons?
General Mahone's sole offense to his
former party friends is that he affiliates
with the black people on measures of
vast moment to the State and to them.
He and his white Democratic associates
prefer serving the State of Virginia to
serving the Bourbon party. They prefer
to march to the music of the Union to
brooding over the dead hopes of sep
arate government. They are alive to the
cause of political freedom and true to the
interests of general and free education.
United with the Republicans, would they
not be irresistible? But the Virginian
says the Bourbons do not fear these
men, either alone or when aided by
Republicans They only fear Republicans
when unaided by them. A straight-out
Republican ticket is the thing to strike
terror to the souls of the Bourbons. What
pity it had not been tried in 1877. Not
a word that year about straight Republi-
canism. Why was that? Was it because
the Administration then in power was
not friendly to the nomination of a
ticket? Were the men who now clamor
so loudly for Republican principles and
Republican candidates out of the State at
that time? In 1878 it was difficult to find
committees to call congress
sional conventions. Where were the
patriots? Civil service order No. l
threatened the decapitation of Office
holders who should be caught pulling on
the ropes to hoist the sails of the Repub-
lican ship, and the great body of them
were as still as mice.
The best results followed. A new party
sprang up in opposition to the Bourbon
party, and to its standard rallied the ne
groes. They won and made Malone
Senator. 1t was State party only, and
at the presidential election separated
into its original elements. This year it
comes again to the front. Its leader,
fresh from heroic service in the Senate,
is decorated with the praises of all the |
p,,nr,,l>~-- -r +l-~t LIZ
great majority of the members of the |
House of Representatives, and the conf |
dence and support Of the President The |
New York Commercial advertiser and Times, |
the Boston Adcertiser, Journal, and TraU-
slJeT, the Chicago Inter- Ocean and Tribune,
the Cincinnati Gazette and Commercial, the
Press, and other leading Re- !
publican papers advocate the Readiuster
ticket, and urge upon Virginia Republi-
cans to indorse it. And yet the Vir-
7inia1a cannot agree that this is best. 1t
points to no achievements in the past by
he Republican party of Virginia, but
yet insists that it is now greatly feared
oy the Bourbons.
The August convention will decide
what the party shall do. If it had ever
shown strength enough to be formidable
IN the past there might be ground for
nope this year. But, with the negroes
md four-ffths of the white Republicans
enthusiastically advocating the Read
ulster ticket already, we have no fears that
he Lynchburg convention will contain
my considerable element of opposition to
| hearty Endorsement of Cameron, Lewis,
md PIair