Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1882-04-14
The Philippe of the Session.

Senator DlggS represents IN tno virginia
Senate the Lynchburg district, a position
that Jno. W. Daniel resigned to run for
Governor. Mr.. Riddlebe1ger is the Sens
tor from Shenandoah, county in which
he also serves the State as Commonwealth's
Attorney. One day last week Mr.. Diggs
introduced a resolution inquiring into the
legal eligibility Of the Senator from Shen-
andoah while holding both positions. Mr..
Riddleber. er characterized it as a reso1u-
tion ''born of malignity and ignorance" p
Mr.. Diggs when his resolution came up
later made speech in which he said to the
Senator from Shenandoah
For one L serve notice on chat Senator
the champion buildozer Of the Senate
aye, ard tell thee to thy beard, that de-
spite thy valor, thy fine new fortune and
thy victor sword, the pigrny of the noun
tain will not lower his crest to the plumed
knight of the valley.
When the street walking cOurteZan is
admitted missionary of virtue TO a con-
vent, then is it time for the Senator, who
lives in daily and open violation of the
Constitution of his Commonwealth, to
pirate of constitnt ional law.
When the p1underiDg Arab OF the desert
trickad ont with the spoil OF MS bow and
spear. is installed in Westminster Hall TO
adjudicate the rights Of property, then let
tbs Senator who has swindled the credi-
tors Of his native State to pension his par
tisans boast himself of his respect for the
rights OF others.
When tn. unbelieving blasphemer Rob-
ert Ingersoll, entreats the grand Sanhedrim
of the Church militant to acknowledge the
power and reality of the eternal and uno-
riginated God, then let the leading spirit
of a publication caucus preach subr isslon
to the decisions of courts and the authori-
ty of the promulgated law.
When the swarthy denzen from the
jungles of India HES him away to the Uni
versities of Oxford and Cambridge to de-
liver lectures on polite literature, then let
the Senator who r fuses to yield to correc-
lions of misstatements from his colleagues
| here, who refuses to yield to points of order,
who makes sport of the hoary head of his
| brother Senator Mr.. Lybrook], and who
denounces as a criminal, from his seat,
surrounded by the privileges of his posi-
| ton here, before the verdict of the jury, a
gentleman (Mr. Massey whose hands were
| tied and whose mouth was closed, set him
self up as the shining exemplar of senate
rial courtesy.
When the mother of States and states
men DouOluS Ouo VI uOI dCCACu1U uC10-
gates to the national capital bartering her
voice in those halls for the crumbs that
| fall from the festal board, DESERVING his
| post of duty to control the stormy c0unsels
of a midnight caucus to save his party
| from the laundering leadership of an in
competent subaltern, and to fasten upon
his native State hungry tribe of skip
lacks. then let the SenatOr-elect from that
stricken State, himself the hero of two
double-t1aily bloodless duels proclaim him
self the first apostle to usher IN the era OF
small things and smaller things"
The Richmond correspondent of the
Alexandria Gazette abiding to the affair,
says:
"Mr. Riddleberger did not remain in the
Senate all the time this morning when he
was being so severely handled by MIR. Diggs
of Lynchburg, who, though a younger
man, indicated very plainly that he could
ssclean out the representative of the Boss
in the Senate" and he did it. The beauty
of this controversy is that Mr.. Riddleber-
ger by denouncing the resolution of en-
quiry as to whether Commonwealth at
torney could be a member OF the leglsla-
ture, speaking of it in his denunciation as
as being ''born of malignity and igno-
rance'' thereby stamped the leader OF his
own party in the House as malignant and
ignorant, for the whole thing originated
with Mr.. Farr and Mr.. Frazier, the latter
gentleman in introducing it, and the as
tute Farr, Superintendent of Public In
struction Of Virginia, Interpreter OF the
Code, legal tutor of the House Mahonltes,
voting for it. I