Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-09-25

From the Lynchburg Advance, we copy
from long editorial in its issue of the 18th
After showing the Ubiquitous purpose of the
bill for a Commissioner of Sales, which
the Malone party in the Legislature pro
posed and supported when the Commits
sioner was to be appointed by the Cover.
nor, but unanimously opposed an amend
ment offered by the Democrats to have the
Commissioner elected by the people, the
AdUGnce says:
'It'was attempted to give the people o.
the cities and counties the right to elect
this Commissioner of Sales, If there must
be such new office. This was pressed by
the Democrats, but was resisted by the
Coalition, who wanted Malone, through
Cameron, to select these officers.
Agriculture needed fostering-needed
help. 1t had, in Virginia, been long bur
dened by high protective tariffs and the in.
ternal revenue system. The WORKOUT
lands of Virginia needed the aid of fertil
izers, and the farmer and planter wanted
them as cheap as possible. This Coalition
Legislature was prepared with a scheme o.
its Boss to fasten on this oppressed indus
try They provided that the salary of the
Commissioner of Agriculture should be
$4,000 with clerk and employees salaries
to be fixed by the Legislature, and they
provided that each separate brand OF fer
tilizer should pay tax OF sou. This
enormous tax would be added to the fertlll
ger, and paid by the planter and farmer,
And then the Coalition Commissioner, DIR
Blanton, must add something to the Boss's
cyphering, and like Gehazi, "take some
thing from the uncircumcised Democracy;
and he invented his tag tax, charging five
cents per bag, thus taking some thirty
thousand dollars more without authority OF
law. So the move went on. They were
developing the resources of the State, get
ting rid of Bourbonism-that is, they
were turning out the Bourbons that they
might have good chance to plumber the
planters and farmers. No wonder they
called themselves party of progressively
were progressing into the public treasury,
and into private property, and If theil
progress had not been stopped, they would
have usurped all the powers of the govern
ment, and the rights of the citizens, and
the State and every city and county, and
every trade, business and industry would
have been subjected to the exactiOn of a
hungry horde OF political bummers and
dead beats, appointed apparently by the Leg
islature and the Governor and his officials,
but il reality by Malone. Their progress
siye spirit gave them the effrontery to take
possession OF the private warehouses OF
gentlemen, who neither asked their assist
ance nor desired their interference, pre-
tendedly in the interest Of planters, who
secuted the fraud and despised its origina-
te1s. Mahoue had an eye for railroads.
In this business he had squandered ''many
thousands, - and wanted to squander ''many
more" He set his eyes on the Virginia
railroads. He knew they could be black
mailed. If the worst came to the worst, he
believed they would buy their peace with
him, and make it out of the people along
the lines. His experience told him they
would pay tor privileges and grants, and il
they would not submit they could be plum
dered, and hence his famous Railroad Con-
missioners bill. Now, these schemes were
defeated, and many tricks prevented by tie
Democrats aided by the Big Four. The
cry, 'This way, freemen y had awakened
the people, alarmed the unsuspecting class
es-the hon st men. who, in ignorance q
his schemes, had followed Malone, and
the State was rescued from his grasp. IA
their rage they poured out their wrath On
Massey and the Big Four These traitors
to Democracy Kissed treason, treason, '
at these Democratic Readjusters-these de
serters of their party-denounced as de
serters the men who would no longer obey
their puffed-up and arrogant Boss. They
did more. In their rage, they announced
their determination to elect Legislature
that would carry out all their schemes-that
would execute the orders of their chief
and from that day they have openly allied
themselves to Arthur, and used his patron
age to pave the way to success this fall
Let the people everywhere look at these
schemes and see what they have escaped
and prepare to maintain their rights. II
Virginia is ever to be prosperous she must
be quiet and conservative, and put down
this Boss-this disturber of the public
peace