The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-07-20
The Approaching Contest.

press VI tuc oLdtc, tcdFcS ITO TOOTH 10 uOuUL |
the character of the contest they intend to |
conduct this summer and fall. 1t is going
to be one of denunciation, false accusation
and INSCRIPTIONS resorts. Not satisfied |
with the results of similar methods in the
past, they will again seek to inhame the
preiudices and passions Of the people and
direct attention from the practical, live in
terests which directly affect the constituent
body. They will endeavor to ignore the
fact that the present dominant party has set
tied the debt question upon basis favora-
BILE TO the taxpayers; has rescued the pub
lie schools from distinctions; has inst ituted
liberal legislation affecting the rights OF the
citizen. and inspired a feeling Of confidence
in the future development and prosperity
Of the Common wealth. These important
interests will be dismissed entirely, and no
reference made to them In the rantings and
vituperations which will. cOnst itute the har-
argues of their public speakers and the dia-
tribes of their writer's They will assail the
Readjusters and Republicans as enemies of
the State, simply because they have thrust
out of office one class Of men whose con-
trolling ambition has been the spols Of Of
flee, and placed in office men OF another
political persuasion. who have faithfully
and efficiently discharged all the duties i'm
posed upon them with reference to the best
interests Of the people and with fidelity to
the Commonwealth u{ -sh aJsj5raI'l ..t
1t is singular to what extremes OF feeling
partizan interests will lead men. Because
the people, through the baliOt-box. have
pronounced judgment against Bourbonism
| in all its shapes, the rejected class assume
| that all the virtue of the State has been
prescribed, and that the destiny OF the
Commonwealth has ben placed in the
hands Of set Of adventures who have no
higher ambition than to rob and plumber.
1t matters not that the men thus denounced
are native. born citizens, with their citizen
and property rights identified with the
State; that in all the relations OF lie they
stand the peers OF their accusers, to say
the least, and that in everything that tends
to advance the interests OF the State, their
devotion and energy shine out conspicuous;
but because they happen to believe that all
the honor, all the decency and q II the ca
pacity in Virginia are not concentrated in
I the persons Of a. few supercilious, narrow
minded pretenders, they are held up to
| public reprobation and scorn as the enemies
of society, the promoters Of strife and the
bane OF the Commonwealth. They mus t
be compelled TO confess, II they are honest,
chat as the dominant party, they were fail
ures. Pretending to be debt-payers and
recognizing the obligations held by the
creditors as Just, they invar iably voted in
the Legislature against making provision
to pay them, and in every party convention
formally declared against the policy of a
debt bill competent to meet the demands
that the recognized bill imposed. They
stifed the popular will at the ballot-box
by unconstitutional enactments, assaulted
the public schools through insidious legisla-
ton designed to starve them to death, and
in every act and declaration as Il party as
sumed that those who constituted it were
the State, and that all others were practi-
cally aliens, unit TO part ipate III govern
ment or entitled to equal consideration in
the favors of government. o i1ot, a' Isl
II the Bourbon leaders desire to invite
public Judgment Oh their views and claims
to popular favor, let them enter the canvass
in defence of their record, as contrasted
with that of the Readjusters discuss the
issues presented fairly and dispassionately
before the people, and relegate the matter
to the ballot-box for determination. W it'll
out the unseemly and disgraceful billings
gate and falsehood which have heretofore
entered into the political contests Of the
State. These Bourbon leaders know that
the men who are opposing them have the
interests of the State at heart as much as
they dare claim to have-that they are just
as respectable, as courageous, as refined
and manly as they assume to be, and that
in all things they are their peers. II the
calm Judgment OF the people will then en-
dorse them, well and good; but for the
4 sake OF the good name OF the State, let de-
cency and self-respect be maintained in the
manner and form Of presenting the ques-
tions at issue. They declare their willing
ness to accept M. Massey as their Standard
bearer in the approaching contest for Con-
gressman-at- Large. In what does Mr.. Mas
seyu differ from other Readjusters, except
that he is willing to form a coalition with
the Bourbons to defeat Gen. Malone? He
is as much responsible for the success OF the
Rea busters and their cause and the defeat
Of the. ,Bourbons and their cause, as any
other man in the State. II that were a
crime which should bar him from recogni-
ton as an equal, how can his former politi-
cal enemies support him. when he has re-
tracted nothing or abated nothing OF his
convictions on the debt question? Nor do
they propose to disturb the debt settlement
as presented in the Riddleberger bill nor
openly assail the public schools nor return
to the stinted and niggardly policy towards
the public charities nor re-enact the whip
ping-post law; nor, indeed, oppose the re-
peal of the restriction on the ballot. None
Of these questions do they propose to make
! prominent, nor hinge the result of the cleo
4 LlOu upon iLueui. " Iucfc 10 uO lcS iSl6ttVe
act, no State policy which has been marked
1 out by the Readiusters, that they propose
to attack, except that which displaced Bour-
bons and installed Readjusters in office.
And because of this, the successful party Is
to be denounced and villified as though
they were convicted felons, and the whole
enginery of partizan hate and personal de-
| famaton set on foot to br ing discredit on all
the people of the Commonwealth and create
the impression that more than One-half Of
the voting strength Of the State is no better
than common highwaymen. with whom
might is right. and place and plumber the
inspiring motive of political action. I'if
| The people have been surfeited with this
character of party contests, and those who
may again attempt to inaugurate it will be
met by storm of indignation and protest
so emphatic and crushing as will teach
them a lesson they will remember during
their natural lives. The people have learned
something within the past ten years. If the
Bourbon leaders have not, and it is this in
struction that will guide them in the verdict
they will render in November next.
B rFYyff : - r ~ ; r