National Republican., 1883-08-17
REpUDrArEp by THE PEOPLE.

A Fair Majority OE the Late strnighto"t
Convention ut Richmond were EN-Ohicc~
holdcrs--The Curious Position lhcy
Have Taken.
speciai Lettcr.
RICHMOND, VA, Aug. 16.-Out ofthe fifty
three delegates to the "straghtout conven-
ton yesterday thirty-cight were defeated
candidates and cx-clorks. This was the most
stiking feature Of the asscmblagc. From tho
dincrrn. sections of the state came delegates
who had either been left in the race for mag
is,tatc or congressman. All stood on the
same level, and the facial intcguments Of each
plainly indicated that an Office was the only
thing that could sooth his dropping
spirits and make freedom what it
ought to be. w. II. Laws, colored
"straighout," from MiddlescN; Dozondorf,
the chairmnn w. IL. Lestor, who was re-
moved from the Office of collector of customs
while engaged as clerk John Callahan, from
Portsmouth; j. ". Cochran, from the eighth
district and a cOored man named Ward from
Norfolk, were tls principal orators OF the
day. The first named, in loud and long
talk culogizimg Dozcndori, worked into
his pcroratiOn the unique assertion that
Mir Dczcndoff has died upon
the soil Of Virginia" Tho speaker
evidently intended it as n compliment, but
the defeated candidate Tor congress indi-
Gated by his counenancc that Laws was rum
ming too near the truth. Perhaps the most
noticeable feature of the entertainment was
tho conspicuous absence of Gen. Wickham,
the confederate general, who cried at the
sight of the union flag during the war;" the
republican vino voted for Wells for governor,
and tho present democratic funder nUmi-
noe for the senate from the Hanover dis
trict. Next to Gen. Wickham's absence was
the silence Of the convention us to his recent
actions and democratic Endorsement Not Il
word of allusion TO him, either in speech OF
resolution, was made, and thcre is much
anxiety felt here, particularly on the part OF
the democrats, to know the meaning of this
ominous silence There is a desire on tho part
of many who were not permitted &c
attend tho conference to know whether
it means that they repudiate Wichhau
and his coherts, or whether they indorst
republicanism only by resolution, intending
all the while to support Wickham ant
the democrats. And then how is the rcsolu
tion indorsing Blaine to be considered
Taken separately these resolutions contradio
each othcr, Taken together they mean, wv,
indorsc Wickham and his democratic
Endorsement, but we are afraid to offend ou
hoped-for republican votes by oil
open declaration; We indorse Blaine
and by q mathematical axiom Ching
which are equal to the same thin
are equal 10 euCn OtnerJ IL ODltlneu tue Ou
deducable corallary, that the democrats in
do Sc Wckham, straightouts indorse Wick
ham and Blaine, therefore the democrats in
fsorse Blaine and will support him in 1854
The situation is strikingly amusing.
Barbour and his party have appropriated t.
their own use the readjuster platform, anC
Wckham and his party have grabbed ant
bagged Barbour and his party aud brough
them into the straightout camp.
The resolution to nominate candidates il
nll counties, &c. subject to the advice of tn,
straightout republican state committee sim
ply means that the counties of the second anC
fourth congressional districts and fey
others are to have triangular fight in thu
coming election, not with the view or hope
of electing n straightout, but that a demo
cratic senator may slip in and be on hand
to vote for Barbour for tho United State
senate In 1886.
1t is understood that Dezendorf is yer,
anxious to run for the senate from the Nor
folk district, and the action of the convention
in declaring that Senators Rue and Martin
of Norfolk, are ineligible to sit as senators il
the next general assembly can be readil.
accounted for as Dezendorf has an itching 70
Rues seat, and has henchman, doubtlessly
in Norfolk or Princess Anne who would lik
TO rest his aching bones In Martins chair.