The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-10

e.hAlOuo LII 1Aio OcIuOCIdlS Ill OOuSItSS, VI
the Legislature, to order an investigation.
whereby full disclosures would be made,
being confident that such showing would
astonish our political opponents, and do
great good to our cause. 1t would amaze
all to know how little we have received,
and at what trifiing expense our campaigns
nave been conducted. Yours truly,
JAS. d. BRADY.
PETERSBURG, VA, April 5, 1884.
Editors Valley Vnyimiaa In your lead
ing editorial in the VIRGINIAN of the 3rd
instant, commenting upon the legitimacy
and regularity of the Opera House Repub-
ncan State Convention held August 10th,
1881, at Lynchburg. you boldly assert {:
Proxies were manufactured for the occa-
"slon and on the spot, and thus claiming
Ito have majority of the regular State
committee, it proceeded &c.
This is very plain language, and 1 am
sure you must have good reasons for max
ing such positive declaration but never
theless. you are greatly mistaken. | have
never doubted the regularity and validity
OF the Opera House Convention. 1t has
every guarantee of party usage in its favor.
The Chairman Of the regular Committee,
MI. Cochran. had no power to do any polit-
AOesA WV OOSoihO VI tiiC CAPlCoOCu WILL VI bli6
State committee. This Committee, at a
regularly called meeting, ordered the con-
vention to assemble at the Opera House.
Now, if it be true that proxies were man.
''ufactured for the occasion and on the
spot deception and fraud were practiced
upon the Republicans of the State. On the
morning of the day the convention met,
August 10th, twenty four of the twenty
seven members of the regular State Com
mittee were present-either in person OF
by proxy. Seventeen members were pres
ent.ln person J. j. Mcdonald, B. Upton,
Jr.. w. Z. Gordon. G. w. Lassiter, John
Callahan, Lazarus Bibb, Jos. Jorgenson,
NJ. r. Lloyd, j. d. Work. Albert Bennett,
r.. II. Alexander, E. w. Early, J. w. Coch-
ran, w. :. Wood, r. F. Tancil. Fl. A.
jameson. j. III. Ballard.
Seven were represented by proxies, duly
certified and acknowledged, and obtained
for the special purpose of attending any
meeting of the State Committee held at
Lynchburg : viz. d. nj. Norton by Robt.
Norton. J. B. Stewart by - Southland,
w. Ell. Carter by S. F. Maddox, G.. M. Jen-
nings by M. r. DeMortie, James Wood by
John I. Hamlet, G. r. Gray by j. ID.
Brady, B. b. Bolts by D. S. Lewis.
Form of proxy was duly forwarded
by mail from Petersburg August End, 1881,
to each of the said seven members of the
State Committee represented at said meet
ing, and in every case the same was prep
erly executed prior to August 10th, us
shown by the original proxies in my pos
session and subject to your inspection if
desired.
/ have given you the facts from the re-
cord, and now ask you to name one sin
gle proxy manufactured for the occasion
s.and on the spot" If you can, and will
substautiate your charge. | hereby promise
to forever abandon the claim / confidently
make,-that the only regular and legitimate
Republican State Committee in Virginia
to-day is that elected by the convention
held at the Opera House.
Yours Truly, JAS. d. BRADY.
Editors of V5ryiniaaa::
Inasmuch as your editorial comments on
my letter were adverse to the position l
assumed, l must beg space for brief re-
ply regarding the question of regularity
concerning the two Lynchburg COnven-
tions, so called. So many people place so
much stress on regularity would not
have them miSled.
For prudential reasons | refrain from
giving record evidence regarding this
question, at this juncture, but this will be
done at Chicago, proof as strong as Holy
Writ and in such bountiful measure as
will satisfy even the most Skeptical. /
will only say now, that the Holcombe Hall
Convention was ordered by J. W. Cochran
alone that at the Opera House by resolu-
ton of the State Central Committee Is of
the q members present in perscn-no
drumming for proxies" there. There
fore if the Holcombe Hall Convention was
regular and the Opera House irregular,
No i,r fov
atOr.
It seems to me that the people have by
their votes in three campaigns placed this
question beyond the realms of controversy,
save by Bourbons and Maj. DeZandorf'S
Committee, which encouraged straAghtout
candidates without electing any OF getting
more than nominal vote, but substan-
italy giving material aid to the BOurbonS :"
-gide VIRGINIAN April 3rd.
In your reply you also say, 1.-The assem-
blage Opera House, was the offspring of
revolutionary acti0n-in fragrant defiance
of the.legitimate authority of the party,
and organized with view to disrupt and
destroy the Republican organization of the
State.''
If this be true. the Opera House dele
gates-in the light of recent history-must
have had singular misconception of duty,
else were guilty of grave laches in the per-
Torrance of that duty, for the Republican
party is stronger and more popular to-day,
than ever before in it's history In this State.
No! no! The Revolutionary action
began on the 22nd of June, 1881, when a
faction of the State Committee deposed
the Hon. Jno. F. Lewis as Chairman
elected by the Staunton Convention and
therefore not creature of the Committee
as Cochrane was, elected Gen. Wickham
Chairman, and called a convention. at
Staunton, and precluded all Republicans
from participating in the primaries or in
said convention who thought it unwise to
Under the dictation of this same s'revolu-
tionary'' faction it was, that poor Coch-
rane declined to join Secretary Brooks at
Lynchburg in the preparation of the roll of
delegates, or to even compare rolls, and
arbitrarily ordered the assembling at Hol-
cOmbe Hall, no delegate to be admitted
save on a ticket signed 'sJas. w. Coch-
rane."
This is why the 131 delegates against
whom there was not shadow of contest,
did not go to Halcombe Hall and out vote
and organize the convention over the heads
of the Sc delegates which did assemble
there, and which gave paternity to Maj.
Dezendorf's Committee. They could not
SOb blCkttS . ISlcu Jdos w SOCul duC'
Briefly as to an other subject, and / am
done. In your editorial on Chairman
Rives' letter you aptly and truthfnlly say.
1T is habit of the Bourbon press to mag
nifty everything into a grevious offense
perpetrated by Gen. Malone, whether COM
mitted by him or not, and these represen-
tations fall on willing ears, sometimes
among those not identified with the Bour-
bon organization" Capt. Rives in refer
ring to the Address of the Republican
State Central Committee. y asserts sit was
dictated wholly by Gen Malone
He even dictated that portions so
remarkable for it's fulsOme eulOgy of HIM
self &c., Sc.
Capt. Rives has thus, Submitting per-
haps,- illustrated your text and put him
self in the category of those possessing
willing ears" desire to say positively
and emphatically, with full knowledge
whereof speak, that Gen. Malone never
wrote or dictated single word of that
address, +" nor did he ever see word of
it until after 1t had been signed and APP
peared in print.
That tsaddrass'. WAS written nv Ro-