Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1884-09-30
BLAINE AND VIRGINIA.

The Funder press is just now full of JOY
over the late declaration of hostility to the
Readjuster party by Jim Blaine, ex-senator
from Maine and ex-Secretary of State. The
| p,ayed-out remnant of the once great Con
servative party of Virginia rejoices in its
desperation over the symp thy for itself
and for the so-called ''Straightout'' Repub-
licans, the allies of Funderism, of the
worst played-out. Radical politician in all
the land.
Blaine has peculiar record of hostility
| to the South, and as a slanderer of South
ern men and women, he enjoys a reputa-
ton among the Radicals of the North sec.
ond to nobody-not even second to poor
old Horace Greeley, whom the same Bour-
| bon leaders that are now coddling Blaine,
| vainly endeavored to persuade the South
| ern people to vote for ten years ago. His
| speeches in the Senate and House of Rep
| resentatiyes during his long term of service
in Congress, were the bitterest and most
slanderous indictments ever made in that
body of the civilization and Christianity of
| any portion of the American people. His
prosecutions and ISLANDERS OF the Southern
people lasted long after the slightest pre-
| text was offered for them by even the most
intolerant of partisans, and when decent
Republican politicians had ceased to assail
the South and her leaders in the late war.
What fitting thing for the wretched
Pharisees of Funderism to do! How ap-
propriate that they who arrogate to them
selves special guardianship of the honor
and reputation and welfare of the Virgin
ia people, should gladly wallow in the mire
of defamation of Readjusters with the
blaine Radical, Jim Blaine! What de-
II, oh VT fJ,oe +o
John Daniel to poor old Massey How
quick the pace and how short the journey
from the infamy of Masseyism to the per-
dition of Blaineism But Blaine has other
grounds Of sympathy with the frauds of
Funderism. How joyful the embrace with
which these "sweet-nuts" of politics seek
each other. Blaine has the worst reputa-
ton as political corruptionist known to
the annals of Congress. Do the Funders
of Virginia SUPPOSED that the people will
permit. them to introduce as factor in
our politics the brazen hero of the
'sMulligan letters? Are they so utterly
reckless as to suppose that Virginians will
take counsel as to their politics and their
material interests from the peculiar pet of
the monopolists and lobbyists of Wall
Street and Washington? Yet such man
is the present hope and admiration of the
Funder leaders. They cannot endure the
spectacle of the goodwill of Arthur for
Readjusters whom he helps to make Old
Virginia powerful and influential member
of the Union; but they rejoice in the SLAM
ders of Readjusters by Blaine the most
malignant Of the haters and slanderers of
Virginia and the South. Bourbons and
and Funders can have no sympathy with an
administration, which, though hardly
old hos hoo0r,,o foy f1ri fc
prosecutions of corruptionists, but they
naturally enough join hands in hostility to
Readjusters with the leader of the Wash
ington lobby.
Let honest Funders, already weary of
following unworthy leadership, contem-
plate one inevitable and conspicuous fruit
Of Mr.. Blaine's assault upon Readjusters.
Nc statement could be stronger in vindica-
ton of the party now in power in Virginia
than Blaine's plea for the payment by the
Federal Government of our State debt be-
cause of the despoilment and dismeniber-
ment of Virginia by the war OF course he
Gid not intend to pay tribute to the integ
rity of our settlement of the public debt;
but honest men will everywhere so read it.
1t greatly strengthens the ReadjSster posi-
ton for integrity and equity in the settle
ment of the public debt that their most
Conspicuous cIlciHy dL LILO NOFtii UeCldT0S
that the Federal Government should assume
the whole. Blaine is OF course insincere in
that proposition. He knows that the
Northern people would never consent to
such scheme. He knows also that our
debt is already settled and his impertinent
Interference in Virginia politics IN the midst
of our canvass, was designed merely to d.
vert enough strength from the Readjuster
ranks to throw the State into the hands
of the Bourbon Funders, and thus create
a possibility of the re-opening of the debt
question.
We rejoice that Blaine has at last openly
joined the Funders. For more than year
past Bourbon leaders have meditated max
ing their candidate for President the can
didate of the Washington lobbyists. The
association between Blaine and the Funder
leaders will be at least congenial. but it
will not be profitable to either of the con-
tracing parties. Jim Blaine will lack 49,
600 votes of receiving the electoral vote of
Virginia in 1884 or in any other year.