The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-17
GA Boom. :

Amid the prevailing wreck and ruin
which seem to surround the Democratic
party in State and Nation, one little speck
of comfort appears in the dim distance,
which is magnified into boom of huge
proportions. Torn and distracted in Con-
gress over the tariff question and utterly
demoralized in contemplation Of the fear
full record made by the last Virginia Leg
islature, the Bourbon press of the State
has eagerly seized upon one incident to
make pretence of hope and courage, and
out of which to manufacture BOOM
That incident is the declaration of the
State Democratic Convention of Pennsyl-
vania III favor of Randall for President.
To understand the meagre material
out of which forlorn and despairing
party can affect boom, it is only
necessary to state that the Democratic
party is in a minority of $4,000 in the
Keystone State, and that nothing is
more certain than that the electoral vote
of that Commonwealth will be given to
the Republican nominees for President
and Vice President in November next
In the platform adopted, the Virginia and
Ohio resolution on the tariff question is
inserted, which could receive the support
of no sincere friend of either what is
called Revenue reform, y or protection to
American industries. Coming from a
party that has SO recently made a free
trade record i'll the election of Speaker of
the House of Representatives and the ap-
pointment of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, it will be accepted by the coun-
try as another desperate device to deceive
the people and play a double part on an
important issue of legislative policy. 1t
is in keeping with the position of the Dem
ocratic party in Ohio on the wool question
last fall, and the action of the Demo-
cratic House of Representatives in repu-
dating that which the Ohio Democrats
had announced as Democratic policy.
1t is really amusing to notice the fantas-
tic tricks and suple-jaek performances of
Ohio last fall, they arraigned the Republi-
cans as the foes of the wool interests, be-
cause, in adopting the compromise tariff
bill by the last Congress, a feature of it
decreased the tariff on wool, which would
have been opposed by every Republican
had it come up as an independent prope-
sition. But the Democrats held the Re-
publicans responsible for it and rang
this charge in the ears of the people.
with the promise that if the Democrats
won the present Congress, the old rates
should be restored Republican Districts
gave Democratic majorities and delegated
Democrats to redeem the promise they
had made. The vote last week on Mr..
Converse's resolution to return to the
wool tariff rates of 1867, evidences how
little the Free Trade Democracy cared for
the protection of the wool of Ohio, and
how Indifferent they were to the dilemma
in which the Ohio Democrats found them
selves. A party that elected Carlisle
Speaker because of his pronounced Free
Trade views and appointed Morrison
Chairman of the Ways and Means Com
mittee for the same reason, could not
think of openly repudiating the idea thus
conveyed, by helping Mr.. Converse out
Of the difficulty in which he found him
self.
Now comes the Pennsylvania Democ-
racy with double-dealing, meaningless
plank in it's platform on the tariff ques-
tion, and the announcement that Samuel
J. Randall is it's first choice for the Demo-
cratic Presidential nomination-the gen.
tleman whom his party sat down upon eff
fectually for Speaker and elected Carlisle
over him by vote of nearly three to one,
solely because of his views in favor of pro-
lection. Notwithstanding this, however. the
Keystone Democracy had the courage to
take a positive p0sition-to declare for a
Presidential candidate, and forth with the
demoralized and dazed Bourbons of Virginia
throw up their hats for Randall. They
forget, or are in such confused and per-
turbed condition of mind that they cannot
collect their thoughts to recall the action
OF their party representatives a few
AAOAAoAio Wy NIL 1eulUttll dllu LIS
tariff notions were utterly and overwhelm-
ingly repudiated.
But anything for a ''boom,'' in order
to direct attention, if possible, from
the actual condition of the party in the
Nation and this State. Distracted and
divided and hopelessly demoralized as
to national affairs and ashamed of the re-
cord Of imbecility, duplicity and CORFU, J.
tion so recently made in State affairs. ST
would indeed be providential disper ,sa-
tion if ''boom" could be scared up o af-
ford even passing relief from the Oh
pressive despair which presses upon them.
But the Randall boom does not afford even
a glimmer of hope. The fifty thousand
majority in his own State against him,
would of itself be wet blanket. and
then to recall the terrible rebuke his panty \
gave him in the contest for Speakersh;n, \
would effectually quash the BOOM in, it's \
very incipiency.
There never was party so utterly at Il
sea, on the eve of great national contest. \
NO 80 ,,o,r, 4l,o napaoorotio Monty rNrs..