Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-04-25
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FRIDAY MORN ING. APRIL 25. 1884

FRIDAY MORN ING. APRIL %. 1884.
The give and-take feeling of revenue reformers
should not be abused by those advocates OF pro-
lection who not infrequently seek to commit the
majority, who do not agree with them, to their
own peculiar views. Democratic protectionists
must meet Democratic revenue rsformefs fairly
and squarely. Revenue reformers are willing to
concede much, but they refuse most emphatically
to suffer themselves to be imposed upon
Moreover the choice Of any individual as
candidate for the presidency is not the province of
the convention. For in that body will be found
many differences of opinion, some members favor
ing Bayard, others Tilden, others Flower others
Mcdonald, others Randall others Hancock
Richmond State.
w 18th ali respect to our esteemed cotem-
porary, this seems, when reduced to plain
English, to be proposition which may
result in sending any Democrat to Chica-
90 who may succeed in drumming up
votes enough among the delegates. We
esteem the State Convention as an oppor-
tunity to ascertain the sentiment of the
Democrats of Virginia on all questions
which may be of sufficient Importance to
warrant in sending messengers to Chicago
to carry the news of what their views are.
Unquestionably that is what State Con-
venton is for, and not merely to send a
certain number of gentlemen to vote as
they please after they get there. AS we
understand it, tie State Convention is to
express the views Of the people and that
being true. delegates who are selected
should be such as represent the views of
those people, and not merely prominent
politicians who, familiar with party man
agement, may secure their own selection
without reference to those views. For
instance, the feeling of sthe people of
Augusta, accurately set forth and with
the brevity and force that characteriZes
the author, may be found in this answer
forwarded by our County Chairman to an
inquiry from the Richmond Dispatch ask
ing who is the favorite candidate and how
our people stand on the tariff question :
AUGUSTA
J. Samuel j. Tilden.
g. Our people stand square and solid upon the
Virginia and Ohio platform,
JAMES BUMGARDNER, Jrs
Now. our people are sufficiently well in
formed to know that the nomination of
Mcdonald at Chicago means long fare
well to the Virginia and Ohio platform.
They are also we'll enough Informed to
know that if Tilden. Randall or Flower
are elected. the weight Of their admins
tration would be thrown in favor of the
abolition of the Internal Revenue Depart
ment, and that remnant of the machine
~ for war taxation would soon succumb
TO the pressure. They also have an abld
ing conviction that the nomination of
Mcdonald or Bayard would mean no cleo
ton Of them, but simply the first and If
retrievable step to the attempted educa-
tion of the people to free trade, however
numerous the Democratic Presidential
defeats may be that will inevitably &C
company the tedious, and to our mind
hopeless, schooling. The State proposes
to its neighbor, the Dispatch, discussion
of protection and the benefits Of the pres
ent tariff-reform. We should be glad to
see the matter discussed by two journals
of such conceded ability, though as dele
gates are TO be chosen in about three
weeks, the time for educationg the people
IS rather brief. We think in view Of the
circumstances, the question between these
papers should be: SIS the Democratic
party justifable in indefinitely postponing
the change of a corrupt and eXtravagant
and unrepublican National administra-
ton, until the people can be taught the
merit of the Morrison tariff-reform bill?"
We nominate the Dispatch for the mega
tive side of the question.
Why not settle this matter at the State
Convention now, and having settled it in
side of the party as far as the electoral
vote of the State is concerned, let it here
after be confined to the congressional dis
tricts where it can be handled as the in
terests of each district demands.
Tt would seem that Hon J. Randolph Tucker is