The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1883-10-11

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| families in the distribution Of the offices. bu
| he has it in his power to make them respect hin
TO Ue sure ne hits: AKtt lie 1usu ice
his changed condition no little. Unde
the old regime the ''best families" wer
entirely ignored and the humble newer o
wood shared in all the honors and emolu
ments of office and grew fat on it. lie al
ways named the candidates, and neve
went outside of his immediate class t,
find material. He has surely not forgotten
how his horny handed co-worker, Marshal
| Hanger, was sent to the Legislature tern
after term, until he got tired of it, AM
then returned to the people who sent him
and may now be seen day after day driving
his little load of wood from Christian
creek. And then, too, this humble Read
juSter remembers how he and Jno. Echol
used to go out into the woods to chop thai
little load of wood, and John would al
ways select the biggest tree and insist OF
doing all the labor, while the II II drove
the wagon to town and pocketed the money
After awhile election time came around
other of its men to represent the county
in the legislature. All the humble Read
justers had been in the habit of taking
dinner at Johns house every day and OF
Sunday making ont the three meals, and
John loved them so and was SO much q
part of them that they sent him to Rich
mond. Every week he would send to the
humble Readjusters the per diem he
received, for he acknowledged that he
was but the servant of the people, and
whatever he made was for their benefit.
After awhile john too, got tired of Rich
mond, and undertook a contract for cutting
ties out in Kentucky. He took all of the
humble Readjusters from Christian S creek
along with him and they shared in his
fortunes and grew rich. In the meantime
Christian S Creek wanted another man to
stand IN Johns shoes at Richmond, and
once more a stalwart son of the soil was
selected. Jas. III. Skinner was the choice
this time, James having earned the dis
tinction by his vigorous denunciations of
piAO UCou hlltl HOW Oul
creek is called on again to part with an
other of it's own dear class. Edward
EchOls is named, he who, following in the
footsteps of his father, has made the
woods ring with the sturdy blows of the
axe, and while he stopped to wipe the
honest sweat from his manly brow, always
had breath enough left to say something
against the 'best families " And then, too.
there is Johnnie Opie, who from sun up to
shutdown followed the pillow and never looked
back. He did not even dream of politics.
He was so absorbed in bucolic pursuits
that he didn't know the way to town, and
when the humble Readjusters of Christians
creek came to call him from obscurity.
protested against being disturbed, and had
to have the pillow actually wrenched from
his hands. And then, too--but this is
enough to show how much the humble Re-
adjusterS of Christians creek, who drive
their little loads Of wood to town. have
ost by this late ascendancy of the hest
families.'' They who for years and years
have fattened upon the public pap until
each has his lands. and his barns and his
cattle upon a thousand hills, cannot longer
share in the distribution of the offices. -
md the only resort is to maize the 'best
respect and give them recogni-
ion. The change is humiliating indeed.
No wonder the Vnadicator weeps