Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-03-27
The Debt is Settled.

at last, without "the shadow of per-
adventure" as friend Louthan, of
Clarke, would say. In 1879 the Fun
ders declared that the State debt ques
ton was settled by the passage of the
McCulloch bill. Then the lawyers, al
most to man, declared that Readjust-
ment could never succeed, because the
Constitution was against 1t and the
courts would all be against it, but the
Readjusters believed their cause was
Just, and that their objects and aims
were right, legal and constitutional, and
in accord with all the essential elements
of free and popular government. The
principles which we advocated were
triumphant before the people, a settle
ment was made in accordance with the
popular view, and the laws which the
Readjusters adopted have been approved
by all the courts. The debt question Is
now disposed of by the common con
currence of all parties.
There is now no bone of contention
to keep alive two factions in the Demo.
cratic party If the Republican party
claim the credit of settling the debt let
them have it; we are content that it Is
done and out of politics. All true Dem.
ocrats will now rally TO the old standard
of popular government and the rights
of the people. There is nothing now to
keep alive, unite and animate the Ma
| honeites as State party, separate and
apart from personsI politics and the
spoils of Office. The fact that their
policy was right as to the debt and
schools, is no guarantee at all that they
| will be right on questions that will
arise In the future Funder Democrats
were as honest in their opinions and as
patriotic as ReR6iqsters the latter are
no better men than the former because
! they were right on the State issues.
These things are passed now, and with
the things that were beyond the flood.
The North triumphed over the South
| in the late civil war, and it is doubtless
the very best thing for the country, but
that does not make the Northern people
any better than the Southern people
Neither does it afford any just reason
why Southern citizens should be ex-
cluded FROM participation in the govern
ment The Southern man bps as good
right 10 the franchise and to oaace as
the men of the North have. None
should he prescribed on account of de-
feat. All are equally loyal and equally
patriotic.
The Manoneite organs claim that be-
cause REIMBURSEMENT succeeded and Fun
derism failed that Funders should be
forever excluded from office and from
power ia Virginia, and call themselves
| the great Liberal Readjqster party !!
Not at all, gentlemen; We ds9't Wish
you to exercise your liberality 10 that
way. Ii the FQnder Democrats accept
the situation, and are willing to ablde
! by aud sustain the laws in force regu-
lating all the questions that have been
put in Issue aud settled in the late po-
| litical struggles let them be recognized
as citizens of equal rights and privileges,
and let the dead past bury lts dead, and
let by-gones be by cones. -.
| Without the debt question ana the
school question, REIMBURSEMENT is body
I without soul it is a corpse it is a
| dead issue 1t will no longer be a dis
turbing element in the politics of the
State of Virginia. New Issues will now
come before the people. One of the
| Mahoneite absurdities is, that because
| they were right on the debt issue, they
will be right in everything else Re
adjustment was revolution, an up
heaval of the old order Of things, a
reformation of abuses in the State gov
| ernment but the storm is now over,
the clouds have passed away, and the
sunshine of prosperity is upon us. Any
| party long in power will become cor
rupt; we must have these changes.
The Republican party has held the
power in the National Government so
long that there is nothing but rotten
ness in Denmark " We want a total
upheavaI, REIMBURSEMENT and reform in
| our National Government, and the
Democratic party is the party of reform
when we look at the STATE of affairs at
Washington And here lies the incon
sistency of Malone as prOfessed re-
! former. He acted with the reformers
| in Virginia, but sold himself to the cor
ruptionists in national politics. He has
| proved himself to be self SEEKING, not
for his country, but for Malone alone
| If Readjustment means anything now.
it means Democracy, and Democracy
means reformation in national politics
A twenty years lease of power in rich
| government like ours will corrupt any
| party. Let US turn them out and cleanse
the Augean stable. Our rulers man
aged badly in Virginia, but it was moth
ing like the corruption of the Republi-
can party in the government of the
! Union Virginia ReddjuSter.