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

NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
GEN. wICKHAM's RECENT LETTER TO THE
EDITORS OF THE VALLEY vIRGINIAN.--
SOME CONTESTABLEFACTs ABOUT THE
LYNCHBURG REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
OF 1881.-THE UNDOUBTED REGULAR
ITY OF THE REPUBLICAN CONVENTION
WHICH MET AT THE OPERA HOUSE.
HARRIsoNBURa, April 9TH, 1884.
Messrs. Edit0rsl:- Gen. Wickham' IS let
tiers to you which are published in last
weeks VIRGINIAN, caused me no little
surprise, although had thought that no.
thing he could do or say IN politics could
further surprise or shock me after seeing
his remarkable political course in recent
years.
His claim, however, that the Straight
out'' Republican Convention, which was
held at Lynchburg in Holcombe Hall, in
1881, was composed of majority of the
legally elected delegates is, to say the least
of it, most remarkable.
have heard overzealous or uniformed
Straightouts claim that the action of the
Opera House or Coalition Convention was
not regular because the Chairman, Mr.. j.
W. Cochran, presided ouer the other Con-
q,e,stion, but no one heretofore, no matter
how Jealous he might be. or how badly in
formed he was, has had the hardihood to
claim that the Holcombe Hall or Straight
out Convention had in it a majority Of the
regularly elected Republican delegates.
agree with you, Messrs. Editors, that it
is matter of very little Importance now
whether the Opera House Convention
which endorsed the Cameron ticket, was
or was not regular. The Republicans of
the State with practical unanimity en-
dorsed their action at the polls at the next
and every succeeding election, and have
continued to do SO up to the present time.
The wisdom of their course, in thus en-
dorsing the Coalition, has been demon
strated by the sslogic of events" and to-
day RESTORED SUFFRAGE, The ADOLF
TION OF THE WHIPPING POST, AN AWAK-
ENED FEELING in favor of EQUAL RIGHTs
before the law for ALL, Low TAXES, and
ECONOMY in the administration Of the
Government, speak so conclusively in favor
Of the action taken by the Opera House
Convention that no amount of observation
induce the thinking Republicans to be
guilty of the extreme folly of running a
little-a gery Httle-s ide-show, labelled, it
is true, t'STRAIGHTOUT REPUBLICAN"
but really operated in the interest of that
great monster combination which has tray
eled under various aliases, such as White
Mans True Republican, Greeley Republic
can, Conservative, Funder, Debt-Paying,
Democratic Readjuster party, and other
names too tedious to mention. No, this
Bourbon Demo cratic- d. btpaying- Repudi-
ating-L ow-Tariff- High Tariff No Tariff
All-things-to-all-men party might as well
abandon all hope of getting much aid from
Straightout Republicans, for those who
really desire Republican success will hardly
help to divide the Republican vote in Vir-
ginia by running a separate electoral ticket;
while those who are at heart in favor OF
the Bourbon Democracy. though calling
themselves Straightout Republicans, can
hardly hope to deceive many persons into
voting ticket protesting to be Republi-
can, but which every one iUW at once see is
run only IN the interest of the Bourbon De-
mocracy. Therefore, Messrs. Editors, /
presume all of those who are at heart Re-
publicans will concentrate onone electoral
ticket.
In commenting on Gen. Wickham's let
ter, however, you while asserting that the
HolcombeC Convention the traightOutC Con-
,vention) was trump Convention )" that
it comprised only minority of the regu-
larly elected delegates, and yet use this
language, las to the Opera Hall Conven-
oloA ~ !ioU AV ACSAoAAA"oy Va AO6uAesAAo
about it,
Now, as I said before, it makes very
little difference, in view of subsequent
events, whether it was or was not regular !;
but as the StraightOuts seem to lay great
stress on their claim to regularity lin fact,
it is their only claim to recogniti0n), and
just as much on the alleged fact that we
had mo legitimacy or regularity pro-
pose to consider that question very briefly.
In doing this, however. my remarks are
not addressed TO zen: Wlcknam Win any
hope OF converting MIN Tor while nave
the nlghest respect, ana may say esIeem
Tor MN as hlgh-toned gentleman ana ad-
mire MN IN everythlng ootsloe OF polit!cs,
yeg WIN an my Irlenasmp ana admiiaClon
nave never Deen aole 70 ao,nlre =. eyan
understand MS pollIlcal SIatus or his pollC-
lcal actions since 1881.
After ne himself, by ms own acIlon. nad
prevented, WnaC ne lnSlSIS Oh calling tHe
KepuDiican party, from having candloaIes
IN Ine Ieid. ana Wnen ne was thus COLI
pehea 20 choose pegWeen cameron running
on a piatIorm SUBSTANTIALLY hepupncan,
and DANIEL, tne candldate OF parry WHICH
was opposed 70 every piihciRle auxocate ~.
Dy tne hepuDncan party, ne CHOSE clle 10y
Yer, whose eiectlon ne advocated III pun
lisned leGIer.
zen. W1cKnam 5 excuse ZOE tnlS was tiiaI
the Democratlc party was oeot-pdysfsg
party, atnougn II had Deen demonstrated
Gnat tney were not near as gOoo prac6ical
deDt-payers as Ine headJusters were.
zen. WlcKnam, however, LOOK WnaC
seemed TO De hlgh ground. ne sald ne
was AFRAID OF Ihe heaaJussers because tney
would make democrats OF US hepu1llcans,
and again because they would make he-
pudlators OF US.
YET, IN 1858, after the democrats had
az LynchDurg Geciarea unequivocany u
favor OF wnaI zen. MlcKnaln nau vlgof,
ously denounced as hepudlatlon. we lin9
MIN consenting TO become tne cahdldate OF
tnese hepudlating democrats, ana uaat'
100, qfter me hedd5usters hao prooe0 cor
ctatseoety tndt tney aoere Prdctacauy fsepuoiS-
cans.
zen. W1cknam : actlon IN tnis lnatLer
suggests inc conclusion InaC nls upposi-
ton to the Liberal KeadJuster party was
INSPIRED py someghlng stronger even IMAM
ms devoClon 20 hepuDncah principles, anu
someGnlng more potent IMAM ms IoVe VI
aeDG-paylng, lntense as InaC MlSt ha a,,e
Deen. In iact, aIter pelng elecIen W sno
STATE senate py comDlnation OF hepuuia-
Ting democrats ana otralgntout oepo-pay-
ing hepuDlcans. we see MIN at once nlaue
leader by the former, ana as chairman Vi