The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-24
sTAUNToN, VIRGINIA. April az 1884.
A Severe Arrangement.
HOUSE OF DELEGA TEs,

the Virginia Legislature is drawing tt
close, deem it duty owe to the PEG
pie Of tie county / have the honor to rep
] resent, to tell them, through the columns
| Of your valuable paper, what / have seen
since | came to Richmond last December.
| have seen what was called "a good
working majority increased to tro thirds
majority by the most foul and unjustifi-
able means, and in defiance of all laws, the
Constitution and the expressed will of the
people. ..N
Ilhave seen ReadjuSters. who came here
| With undisputed majoritieS, unseated and
4 their places given to so-called Democrats,
lwh9 necessarily represent minorities. i
have seen in nearly every case of contest
[against the Readjtlster that the Readjas-
tier WAS forced from his seat. alt
/ have seen that in every instance where
j o Read juster contested the election of a
Democrat, the Democrat was retained in
his seat. ~ iie -a' +
~ have seen Readjusters forced from
itheir seats and the election, referred back
ttodhe people when there could be no pre-
text to seat so-called Democrat. only to
i gain the'two thirds majority land
VI have seen these same men returned to
their seats Ty largely increased majOritieS
i by their outraged constituents.
i have seen Readjusters expelled from
| their seats by mere resolution by this So
| called Democracy. to regain the two thirds
| majority that had been lost to them by the
rebuke of the people in returning their I'M
seated representatives.
L have seen committees of investigation
IappOinted to investigate the management
OF the different ASylumS of the State, af-
ter making the most searching examina-
4 tions. report that the Institutions were
well and economically managed in every
Prospect, but capable and efficient officers
Unjust be swept out simply because they are
Readjusters, and in order to give place to
so-called Democrats.
| have seen men of lrreproachable char
acter and standing brought before investi-
eating committees, only to impeach them
on some trumped-up charge. to give place
to some hungry office seeker of the so-called
Democratic party.
| have seen leaders Of the So-called DEM
ocratic party of Virginia appear before a
legislature committee and advise this So
called Democratic majority to establish
precedents it they could not find them, and
II there was no law to suit their purposes
that they should make it.
| have seen the Governor of Virginia
deprived OF powers that have belonged to
the Executive since the foundation of our
government, to be transferred to an ac-
knoWledged straightout Republican who
had been elected to Office by this co-called
Democratic Legislature and, worst of all,
a gentleman who had fought calamity
through the war in defense of Virginia,
and bears upon his body the scars of seven
wounds, was ruthlessly pushed aside, only
because he was a Readjuster, to give place
to this straightout Wickham Republican.
l. have seen large sums of the peoples
money expended by these sO-called Dem
ocrats in useless Investigations.
| | have seen these so-called Democrats
| refuse to reduce the peoples taxes when
there are nearly two millions in the treas
ury. which shows conclusively that their
professions Of friendship for the Riddle
berger Bill are hypocritical. They are pre-
tending to try to cripple the coupons and
at the time are making preparations to pay
them.
| have seen all these and many other
outrages committed upon the people of
Virginia by this o-called Democratic party.
Having been lifelong Democrat and
| a firm believer in the doctrines and prin-
ciples enunciated by Jefferson and Mad
ison and Monroe, and having witnessed
| the preparation Of the enormities and out
RACES have enumerated, by a party CALL
ing itself the Democratic party, am
forced to the following conclusions if the
l
the election of last fall the party that is
solely responsible for all the pernicious
Legislation enacted by this general assem-
bly,, is the Democratic party, it has either
greatly degenerated OF have been greatly
deceived for long time. The latter | am
not prepared to believe then what has be-
come of the Democratic party / once
knew? Respectfully, r. G. MAUCK.
ANOTHER LETTER FROM MR.. MAUCK.
Messrs. Editors Courier - In my first let
ter told some things had seen done by
the late Legislature of Virginia, and as it
appears to have been appreciated by many
OF my friends, will now try to tell them
more of what | saw and heard, and how
many things were done by the Funder
lparty.
To give the names of parties who were
deprived of their seats in the Legislature,
[ will begin with Gillian, of Isle of Wight,
who was refused his seat in the House,
Lawson, Funder, being seated by one ma
Ijority, obtained by throwing out one pre-
cinct that gave Gillian the majority which
elected him.
Next Harnsberger and Herring, of Rock
| ingham, were sent home by throwing out
Conrad's Store precinct, upon some tech
nicality claimed by the Funders, as it had
given the Readjusters some 14O majority,
/ l.
given their seats.
Then Franklin, of Appamattox, who was
elected, was unseated, and Robinson, Fun
der, given his seat, one voters name being
registered Buck Motley, when the FunderS
claimed it should have been VIM. Motley
/ no fraud charged.
Boiling, from Buckingham was turned
out of the House and sent home on the
claim that he was not resident of Buck
ingham county, he receiving his mail at
Farmville, in Prince Edward county,
! though he served on the Grand Jury,
worked roads, owned property, and voted
in Buckingham, no one questioning his
right to do SO. Boiling was elected by
over five hundred majority. The election
was sent back to the people, who returned
Hubbard in his place by twelve hundred
and sixty majority, many Democrats voting
i open ballots for him, as / learned from a
gentleman living at Curdsville, in that
/ county.
4 Then Banks and Parker, of Norfolk,
!. were sent home to go through another
Il campaign, a new charter and new regis
u trars, with new judges and commissioners
of elections, having in the meantime been
provided for that city, to suit the majority
in the Legislature. The result was the
reelection of Banks and Parker to the
House by three times their former major
Il ity. Their majority would have been five
! times as much as at the first election but
e for the judges consuming the time by ask
ing foolish questions such as (if coiored)
if they had been slaves, to whom they had
belonged, in what degree Of latitude and
longitude they lived, what they had had
for breakfast. and many other questions
Il equally foolish. The result was that at
shutdown some five hundred voters were in
line around the polls who had lost their
votes.
Dyer, from Southampton, was wronged
out of his seat and Pretlow seated.
Vaughn, from Goochland, was awarded
a seat that he was not elected to.
The above were all members of the
House.
, j. 3. Webb, Senator from Rockingham
!. lost his seat on the same ground as did the
members of the House from Rockingham
' Then Hubbard was turned out on TIL,
charge of irregularity at Curdsville pre-
cinct, one of the judges at that precinc
). failing to come at sunrise. Another judg,
: was sworn in, and after eleven votes hat
been cast, the absent judge made his ap
pearance and claimed his right to act
which was accorded him, he being Dem
ocrat. He then demanded that the ballo