The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-06-05
The sold Ticket


one Of the devices of the Bourbons to con
ceal their poverty in national contest
In sheer desperation they are driven to the
extremity of posing before the country,
with Tilden as their golden calf, as re-
formers. They know that they cannot
unite their demoralized and contentious
factions upon any line of public policy az
fecting governmental administration
They cannot agree upon any prominent
member of the Democratic party as the
Presidential nominee because of these dis
sensions. They have been so long accus-
toned to defeat us party of negatives or
simply Opposition, that they are afraid to
present an aggressive, Independent, manly
policy, because the absence of conviction
makes towards of them all. In this ex-
tremity they have turned their eyes and
hopes to the moribund sage OF Gray
stone, and make believe that the great
fraud of 1872 has to be rebuked in the
nomination of Tilden. The issue, they say, is
to be Tilden and Reform, with an appeal
to the country to vindicate the man whom
they elected President in 1875, but who
had not the courage to take what the peo-
pie gave him.
Every sensible man, who wants to know
the truth, knows very well that Tilden was
never elected President. Every sensible
man knows that if the Democrats had be-
lieyed he had been, they would have made
that issue in 1880. This they did not do.
On the contrary the bare suggestion of his
denomination was received with derision
by the Democratic press of the South, es-
pecially, and that if he had been chosen
to make the contest he would scarcely have
carried State in the Union. After the
exposure of the CIPHER dispatches and the
methods employed to steal the electoral
votes of Oregon, Florida and South Car
olina, there was not an honest Democrat
In the country who did not regard Tilden
with the supremest contempt, for it was
demonstrated that all the fraud which was
attempted In that memorable contest was
perpetrated with Tllden's knowledge and
conniyance.
The nomination of the s'old ticket" in
1884 would insure one of the most memo
rable Republican victories ever achieved
since the organization Of that party. 1t
would be simply walk over for the Re-
publican candidates. The reaction would
be more fearful and effective than that
which followed the Greeley craze, and
the result equally disastrous for the
Democratic nominees. So it is simply
whistling to Keep their courage up to be
clamoring about the ''old ticket This
| is made the more apparent in the fact
that the more Tilden declines the fiercer
the screams become. Every day or two
an authoritative statement comes through
some visitor to Graystone that Tilden
twould not accept the nomination, and
forthwith the clamor is renewed with in
creasing vigor for the ''old ticket
The fact is, the Democrats are so con-
founded and confused that they do not
know what to do. If they can escape
the disruption Of their National Con-
veDtion in July next, they win be for
tunate. There is the danger and that
is what is troubling them. How to re-
concile the discussions in the party
on the tariff and revenue questions is
the rub. Carlisle and Morrison and
Watterson believe the true policy is to de-
clare for substantial free trade and make
the fight on that line, with defeat GER
tain in 1884, but hopeful for 1888. They
have the courage of their convictions and
believe i'll educating the people up to that
idea, so that at least some claim to SINGER
ity can be preferred. The other wing,
greedy for spoils, are pressing the ''old
ticket and a vindication, in the hope
that with an assured solid South, enough
votes can be captured in. the North by
the pretext Of reform, to give them the
government. This element makes no
pretense Of conviction or principle. And
thus is the party divided, without the
faintest hope of unity, or prospect of sue
oooo