The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-06-15

va eiio OOLoGltuIlOu DIS IL Is. moreover,
: constitution of our State provides in secti
II of Article 5, that 1.-THE whole number
Representatives to which the State may at al
8 time be entitled in the House of Represen,
, ives OF the United States, shall be apportion
as nearly as may be amongst the several cou
Lies, cities and towns, of the State according
tnelr population. And in section 10 of san
article, The State shall be divided into di
trlcts corresponding in number with the re-
resentatiYesi to which it may be entitled" s.
VI such importance was this apportionment1
States gaming Representatives that Cover
ors convened Legislatures for the single pu
pose ofputtlng it into effect as to their respe
II I'VE States. pirginia's Legislature was q
ready IN session, and remained in session lon
enough Tor the discharge of this public duty
subsequently 1t was convened in extra session
and yet to-day the duty remains unperforme
by the Legislature, because of the conspirac
OF taithless Readjusters with your enemies.
We had seen our State, once the first by th
number OF her seats in Congress, retrograde t
the flfteenth in this respect, and beheld one q
her own daughters casting Elk more electors
votes than the mother, We knew that capi
tai, enterprise and industry measure th
! growth or decay ola Slate by observation Q
It's political status and Importance. From
every consideration and standpoint, whethe
OF solemn, sworn obligation or interest, mate
rial OF political, it was plain duty to re-dis
trlct the State to conform to the new appor
uonment. A committee gave to this subiec
two weeks OF laborious investigation, and 0
a score or more OF plans one was ascertainet
to be acceptable to all the Readjusters bu
three. When this measure was put on its pas
sage no word of objection was made to it nc
competing proposition was offered no sug
gestfon OF change or amendment the roll was
called and four Readjusters voted with the
Bourbons, including him who had examined
the plan and had expressed his appreciation
OF 1t. The mystery of this performance will
be ettectually cleared up on proper occasion
Its discussion does not beft the serious and
dignlfed purpose of this formal address of rep
resentatives to their constituents.
There was no gerrymander, to secure legit-
innate political advantage, which should re-
spond to the popular majority. None was
needed to make good to you and our party
the certain power to elect in eight out Of the
ten districts Fairly formed that lot fell to
you and our party. The districts were COM
posed of contiguous counties, compactly
grouped, and without regard to any personal
considerations. 1t was our power to do this !;
it was our right under law and precedent !;
and 1t was cur duty TO you and to our party
to do it. We did our best to accomplish it..
We adopted the bill in the House las we had
also adopted there the two other bills that
we have discusseD, but we found it impossi-
BILE with any modification to pass the bill in
the Senate to which you had elected a clear
majority of six Readjuster We, you, the party
and this most vital measure were defeated by
an ignominious detection! In every vote con-
corning it and the bills relating to the Com
missioner Of Sales and the Judicial Circuits,
four Senators elected by you as Readjusters, to
oppose and defeat .Bourbons and Funders
goted aasuaqsably aoiM the B0u16ons and Fun0ers
to dsfeat ReadjuSters !; and rs sample of their
record on these measures we here present the
ayeSand noes on the Congressional Reappor-
tionment bill in the Senate. ..
AYEs-Messrs. Bailey, Barnes, Bliss, Elliott,
Eskridge, Jones, Martin, Mayo, Norton, Powell,
Rowles, Rue, Stevens, Walker, ebb and Wood
-16. .... ... .....
NoEs-Messrs. Atkinson. Christian, Diggs,
EdmunGs, Fletcher, Glasgow, Hale. Heaton,
Hurt, Koiner, Lowell, Lovenstein, fLybrook.
fNeaobel7y, Thurman, Twyman, Williams,
Wingteld, Of Hanover, and Wingfeld, of AL
bemarle-19.
Readjusters not voting were paired
While these measures were not embodied
in our platform, they were of consequence,
as much part of our public and party policy
as the reduced tax bill we have given the peo-
pie, and every candidate tor your suffrages
committed himself to the support Of such
terrifying enactments as your legislative par
ty caucus should determine to be wise. Yet
these four Senators defying you, contemning
you, and giving aid and comfort to the enc
my, assumed, or affected to be wlsel, better
and more patriotic than the majority of your
representatives, and co-operated with the
Bourbons and Funders. All that remains is
for, TO
not doubling thst you will rise indignant at
the foul attompt to impair your party integ
rity, and resolutely reassert and maintain your
sovereignty in the Commonwealth.
Your course in this emergency is plain. If
there is to be no redistricting of the State, as
now appears probable, there will only be
nine districts as they now are for ten Con-
gressmen and one of them will have to be
elected for the State at large, and you should
do SO, trusting to the favorable action of the
House of Representatives. 1t will be the duty
of your State Committee to arrange for the
designation of the candidate and for conven-
tons for the nomination of candidates in the
several districts at an early day. With prompt,
wise and united action on our part we can
again battle Bourbonism in its efforts to regain
baleful sway in Virginia. We have beaten
the enemy when every appliance of Govern
ment assistance, State and Federal, was at
their disposal. Now almost every Office in
Virginia is filled by a Readjuster, W hich should
forbid that schools, courts, judges of election,
and registrars should be used as heretofore for
a faction against the people in elections. 1t
is a subject for sincere congratulation that we
also have the active sympathy of the Federal
Administration. In 1879 we beat the Bour-
bons disastrously, even when they were aided
by the support OF the then existing Admins
Iirrh off ni0 h
uted their part to the vain plea for continued
Bourbon rule in Virginia. Then, too, misrep-
resented and maligned, we had not that en-
lightened sympathy which now, throughout
the land, applauds us as our purposes are re-
yealed, and endorses the Administration for
sustaining the only sincere and successful
movement yet made to liberalize and national
ize people who have so long been the I'M
conscious victims and instruments of sectional
politics Let there be no uncertain sound in
the conduct of the campaign upon which we
are about to enter. 1t should be proclaimed
in every formal declaration of the policy OF
our party that the Readjusters OF Virginia
cordially reciprocate the friendship of Presi
dent Arthur's Administration for themselves,
and heartily endorse an administration which
gives no comfort or recognition to sectional
ism, and whose every performance is pledge
of peace to the country. The Conservative
party of Virginia once formally applauded the
Administration of Gen. Grant for single,
generous act, and the chairman OF its State
Committee telegraphed the thanks and con-
CALCULATIONS of his party. Repeatedly that
organization disavowed association with Ma
tional parties and ayowed readiness to coop
crate with men of any political organization
who were willing and able to promote the
welfare of the State In 1879 it duplicated
for and received the help of him whom for two
wears it had assailed as a fraudulent Presi-
dent" 75'
President Arthur has not only given his
hearty help to our party. the pioneers in the
work of real reunion, but he has given ample
evidence OF his desire that the Southern States
shall enjoy something of that material aid
which has been so beautifully extended to
other portions of the country. We want no
better platform as to our purpose in National
notifies than declarations in conventions and
pledges of our candidates to support an Ad'
ministration which is the first in fifty years to
shane its policy without regard to sectional di
visions, and whose President, in his first mes
sage to Congress, makes no reference to the
South save one of tender sympathy for its
losses and sorrows in the late war
We respectfully urge upon you the lmpor-.
lance of avoiding ambiguous declarations OF
non-committal candidates. Make your plat
form specific and place candidates upon them
who will pledge themselves to the platform and
then be true to their pledges. Let us have
no more mischances or complications based
unon the pretext of misunderstanding your
will Let us continue to benefit by the courage
and candor with which we deal with grave
nnblic questions which become all the more
Striking nv contrast with the indirectiOn and