Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-06-13

avs the Alexandria Gazette, the lad
ress of the Readjuster members of the
legislature to the people" has been is
ued. AS the fact of its incubation had
'een forgotten, its appearance was as
much surprise to the few readers
'mong the Mahoneites as to the other
people of the State. It is verbose,
windy, and frothy, and similar in style
md matter to all the other productions
If it's author. It begins with denun-
citation of bourbonism, though it is an
fact that those to whom
1t applies the term Bourbon are the in
dustrious and enterprising men OF the
State, the men to whom Virginia owes
all the great and visible progress she has
made since the war, while among the
ranks of the progressive liberals" are
found nearly all the drones, beats,
croakers, disappointed politicians and
those who, too lazy to work, hope to
make a living by iceholding. 1t at
tributes all the blame of the delaye res
toration of friendly relations between
Virginia and the North to the demo
Gratis, and this, too, with the patent and
living contradiction of the assertion af-
forded by Messrs. Edmunds, Dawes,
Hoar, and other leading republicans,
whose enmity to the State is notorious
and seems to be implacable. 1t berates
the democrats for their proscriptiveness,
when nothing is better known than the
fact that of the democrats the most pro-
scriptive were those who are now the
leaders of the Malone party. It is loud
in its praises of a free vote and a fair
count, though General Malone wanted
to disfranchise the negroes of Peters
burg, so inundated them as to induce
them to call for u. S. troops, removed
every one of them on his road who
failed to vote the democratic ticket, and
was the first man in the State to recon.
mend the use of tissue ballots. 1t at
tempts to belittle Mr.. Massey by saying
that he was only brought out of his legiti-
mate obscurity by means Of the read
ulster movement, when but for that
identical movement not single one of
the now prominent Mahoneites would
have ever emerged from the political
retirement to which their imperfections
had properly consigned them. It ac-
cuses the democrats of unfriendliness to
the public schools, though they assumed
the expense of those schools years before
they were required to do SO, and though
they organized and conducted the pub.
lie school system in a way that reflected
credit upon the State and honor upon
the Superintendent of Public Instruc-
ton, DIR. Ruffner, whom the Malone
ties removed in order that they might
give his place to Mr.. r. R. Farr, of
Fairfax. 1t gives great credit to the
Mahoneites for reorganizing the charit
able institutions of the State, though in
that reorganization they removed expo
rienced and efficient physicians from
the superintendency of the insane asy-
luulS anu 1Opl1CCu IhOL4 WAUA AA4VARCAA
enced and therefore, temporarily, at
least, incompetent officials, and put men
in charge of the deaf and dumb asylum
who do not even understand the sign
language. It says that the election of
Senators Malone and Riddleberger and
the members of the Court of Appeals is
| highly creditable to the State, though
that assertion necessarily implies that
the credit of State must have previous
ly reached an extremely low stage. The
defeat of the land sales bill it looks upon
in the light of an outrage. though the
democrats agreed to pass it if the Ma
honeites, who profess to have so much
| regard for the popular will. would allow
the people to elect the commissioners
A large portion of it is taken up with
denunciations of Mr.. Massey and the
"big four" though of all the prominent
men among the readjusters they are the
only ones who have been consistent and
whose acts have conformed to their pro.
fessions. In slap at the Hayes admin
istration for opposing reputation in
Virginia, it unintentionally hits Com
missioner Raum, who, though now an
avowed Mahoneite, then threatened
Van Auken with removal for reported
sympathy with that party. Itapplauds
the present Administration for its I'M
sectlonalism, evidently forgetting that
though in the two preceding ones the
South was represented in the Cabinet,
no Southern man has voice at the Cab
met board now, and that of all the Sec
tionalists the North affords the most in
veterate are Secretaries Howe and
Chandler. 1t says that Arthurism and
allegiance to Arthur are all that need be
required in the future platforms of any
readjuster convention, omits all men
ton of General Mahone's vote to ex
clude ex-Confederates from the rank of
commissioned officers in the army, and
then, for ''llberal' production, closes
with the curious avowal of RELENTLESS
detestation and undying and uncon-
querable enmity" for the democrats,
who compose nine-tenths of the white
people of the State. It is eminently
characteristic of the party by which it
was issued, as may well be imagined
from the above criticism of what fills
over five columns of General Mahone's
home organ.
from the Page Courier that ON Saturday
night week, during severe thunder
storm, ''the lightning struck large
walnut tree standing within ten feet of
the residence of Mr.. David Blosser, near
Blosserville, and leaping on to the house
tore LID the roof flooring etc and