Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-06-02

8TAUNTON. VA.
FRIDAY MORNING. JUNE 2. 1882.
THE CITY ELECIION-THE Me-
CESSITY FOR A PRIMARY.
The Richmond Wing announces to its
readers editorially that the Coalition car
ried "one of the two wards in Staunton."
We presume that the statement will sur
prise no one more than the only two gen.
tlemen who were elected in that Ward
over the regular nominees Of the Conser-
vativs-D Democratic Primary. Both are
and always have been pronounced Demo
cratic Funders, and the other opponents
Of the regular ticket in that Ward who
were defeated are Of the Same political
persuasion. There has been nothing
bearing the slightest resemblance to a
Malone success in Staunton. What there
has been and what we propose to lock at
in q spirit Of fairness and kindness is
something OF q very different character,
and something that we are sure all are
unanimous in desiring shall not occur
again. We think that after seeing it
stated fairly we will all be of one mind
about it.
In the first place, primary in city
is not simply to get certain men into as
many offices. While that may be the way
some Of those interested in tho Offices look
at it, that is not the object of the peo-
pie at large who constitute the political
parties. There are over seven hundred
Democrats in Staunton. There are not
ten salaried offices to fill. and but dozen
unsalaried posts of honor. To the seven
hundred there is no vital interest in the
matter of what Democrat fills these places.
but it is yltally important to them that it
should 20 out to the State that they are in
line with their brethren of the party in
Virginia. That was the thought upper
most in the minds of the three hundred
Democrats who assembled at the Opera
House and determined on Primary. As
on all other occasions, when Primary is
determined on here, there was cry that
it was intended to put some men in the
Council and take some out. We presume
that in Primary every voter has perfect
right to advocate any eligible man he
pleases for an Office; but so far from there
being any ring to change the city govern
ment, there were but tscO changes made
in the whole city government OF score of
officers and councilmen-a rare unanimity
at primary in city of this size. The whole
aim, as the result showed. was to ascer-
tain the choice of the Conservative-Dsm-
ocrats for Office and then elect them.
We presume that there is hardly Dem
ecrat who supported the Citizens ticket
that will not Yoau admit that it was put in
the field simply because they had misun-
derstood or forgotten the terms of the
Primary, by which all the names on that
could have been gotten on the primary tick
ct. We say noao admit it for clearer view
can be taken after an election than in the
heat of the contest, with all it's passions
at full tide. But our object is not to dis
cuss that point with brother Democrats
who differed with us last week; from our
personal knowledge of many of them we
think that they conscientiously believed
that there had been unfairness somewhere,
and that they proposed to resist it. Our
aim is TO show them, as we'll as all other
Democrats, the future importance Of a
Primary. We have so often been told that
the enemy would not make fght, that
they we're not prepared that they were
taking no interest in the municipal strug
gle. But the occurrences of last Wednes-
day night ought to convince every Demo
strict party organization is the price Of
Democratic supremacy in Staunton. As
the Valley Virgi,aia,, in its programme
for the Coalition party warns its own
friends to do; so must the Democracy of
Staunton ia order to hold up the hands Of
its party elsewhere have ''no relaxation of
organization?" How that advice was re-
garded by the Coalition was shown last
Wednesday when in ten hours it got
ready, equipped and put in the field one
hundred and fifty-three voters in single
ward. This prompt action is sufficient
evidence of their organization, and con-
elusive reply to the oft-repeated objection
to Primary of the Democratic party
that the enemy are not prepared to con-
test the ground. We have always held that
where party Is in possession of the abil-
ity to handle good bulk of voters entire
Iy ignorant Of the issue and only needing
the equipment of the capitation tax to
render them ready and willing to obey or
ders,i is already prepared to make any po-
litical contest which presents an opp0rtH-
nifty for defeating ticket of the opposite
party This readiness Of tho enemy should
be conclusive argument in favor OF the
Democratic party holding prim airy and
showing that it too is always ready.
A CITY HOSPITAL.
Looking back for the past two or three