Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-07-29
An Address to the People of Virginia.

An Address to the People of Virginia
We, the undersigned, members of the
Virginia Senate, and of what was once the
readjuster party, claim that VIC discharged
our whole duty, so far as we were permitted
so to do. in the settlement of the public
debt, in compliance with our pledges to our
respective constituencies. Having done
this, the main object of our trust was &C.
complished. ,s.es==s-
But we soon learned from the acts Of the
caucus and the leaders of the party that an
honest settlement Of the State debt upon the
! terms and according to our repeated pro-
! misses 10 the people was not the real object
OF the self-constituted leaders Of the party:
but that the result Of the November cleo
ton was to be used to establish n dishonor-
able spols system unknown in the political
history ofthis State; that every right Of the
| people WAS to be prostituted to the success
OF L dangerous centralized power in the
hands of one man and his chosen friends:
that to accomplish this purpose the courts
were TO be deprived Of their coordinate
authority and made subselvient to central
executive and partisan Legislature; the COM
mon schools were to be converted into poll
ti'.f aScHSlSS, lHc IiSuIs ol the peOpIS "
elect their own officers was in a measure to
be taken from them, and other heretofore
unknown and dangers measures We're to be
inaugurated, TO accomplish these purpo-
SEES degrading and tyrannical caucus
system was enforced by rules degrading
TO those who were forced by the party lash
p to adopt it-insultius to their manhood and a be-
trayal OF the public trust cOntded to them by the
| people. The ultimate object OF all this was toget
control of the whole political power of the State
aud hand it over to the daring leader of the party
to be utilized by him to advance his ambitious
personal schemes and it was all to be done quick
~ and before the people could be warned Of tie
danger. They. through their fathless represen-
tatlvcs, were to be converted into new political
party with new principles and doctrines all for
the special benefit of the leader and his friends
| We, torcSeeing the tendency of these measures
alarmed at the impending danger-refusing all
offers OF place or profit rs the price Of betrayal
OF the trust confded in discussions of the recti-
tude Of our motives-determined to use every
effort to thwart these measures What We did is q
part OF the political history of the last
Our deliberate purpose was, and is STILL to pro.
tect as far As We can, the liberties of the people
| against the dangerous aggression OF growing and
irresponsible one man power known in this State
as 'Mahoneism.' For this we are denounced by
what once Tds the rcadjuster Legislature as "trai
tors. We appeal to all good people Of all parties
whether our efforts are entitled to a respectful
consideration. II SD, we earnestly ask the whole
people to forget for the present all past political
diherences-to bury all party hostility-to sub.
ordinate all existing principles and prejudices
to the living issue Of the day and unite in
one supreme effort to throttle in its infancy
this incipicnt dcspotsm. There is no time to
lose. This intended outrage against everything
dear to these people must not succeed. Should il
do so this fall, through our folly and Indifference
tins man will so entrench himself in power with
IN hH-th -rs-to. zcxl. Y
erhHlcht mat no future effort can avail to evicl
him. and no honorable man now living will CEASE
TO regret II he fails to Use every effort to proven,
such a catastrophe 80
One OF the first. and certainly the most daring
measures because it was done against the known
VIII oi'the united readjus party, of the Who'll,
State) was the election of John E. Massey from
the Auditors office Mr.. Massey had filled thi,
once with credit both to himself and the State
He had created the party in measure and had
MAINLY formulated its principles and had it noi
been for his great efforts the party would neye,
have made successful campaign This was un
doubtedly true As to the last fall election, But he
must be sacrificed. The State is deprived of /.
valuable officer, and against the express will of
majority of the people of the State simply becaus.
II WAS feared he might become dangerous rival
TO the present scltconSttuted leader of a party he
Is manipulating for his own purposes, because NJ
Massey refused to subscribe to his new revnlu
tl"nary measures and declined to degrade himself
|" the position OF Il subordinate instrument TO be-
Used at the will of this leader This was his onI y
offence. lis previous political and official action
had Won the affection of his party As few men eyer
did. To crush out this affection for him the dos.
perate and 'cckless strategy of charging him with
L crime had to be rcsorted to- This crime odav
[" the shame OF his prosecutors remains unproycn
ut possible that here in Virginia such powcr
can btcxercised? Have We come to this? Can 81
free people tolerate such deeds us these and retain
the perpetrators III power? Do they think they
can long he free and still entrust their liberties
IN the Keeping Of such men: Every honorable
Instinct ~ our nature calls for a rebuke of this
unlnaniy assault upon Mr.. Massey, and to use him
is the instrument to put down the men who were
forced to single him out rs personal sacrifice in
order that they might the more r1ectualy crush
ont the liberties of the people and promote their
schemes of personal ambition
We humbly ask that all good men of all politi
cal parties who are true friends of constitutional
government will forget for the present all politi
cal differences and unite upon Mr. Massey ne the
congressional candidate at large In our humble
opinion, it would be appropriate in the present
crisis, and the result would be q success-nnt only
| q success, but 4 triumph. 1t would not only be :,
| defeat to bossism, but crushing humiliation
Reconciliation of past differences upon the debt
qucStion-that we all may unite to prevent an
impending political cataStrophe-should h; the
object OF every patriot i'm the State
A. NJ. LYBRooK.
B. F. WILLIAMS,
2. G. HALE
! SAMUEL H. NEwgERRY.