The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-07-10
The Democratic Dictator

deavor.in whatever avenues they might seek
employment.
The Democratic Dictator.
Just at this time that portion of the
American people who vote the Democrat
ic ticket, are hanging in suspense on the
edict Samuel J. Tilden may issue to the
assembled wisdom at Chicago. 1t is con-
coded that whatever he may say, relating
to the choice of that Convention for a
Presidential candidate. will be accepted as
law, and as such be obeyed. If he shall
consent himself to accept the nomination,
a unanimous vote IS claimed for him. II
he shall.declare for Cleveland, no poten-
tial protest will be entered. His will will
be the party's will. not only of the North
| but of the South. In view of this, it is
not out of place to reproduce what re-
cognized party organ thought of him in
1879. We quote from the Richmond State
of October 3, 1879, one of whose then edi-
tors is now delegate-at-large from Viz
! ginia to the Chicago Convention now in
session. The opinion expressed of Mr..
Tilden in 1879 is equally applicable now,
| and the candid admission about the "bull-
doing, shotgun victories the Democracy
achieved in Louisiana, Mississippi, Ar
kansas, Florida and South Carolina" and
Mr.. Tilden's s'dictation, evil associations
and bad reputation, are no less true now
than then. The article is racy reading at
this particular juncture, and will not lose
it's significance during the present cam
paign, as giving the honest opinion OF an
honest Democratic paper of the great
fraud of 1876 and the great dictator of
1884. We commend the paper to the read
ing public. 1t is worth preserving and
careful study by our Democratic friends.
The italics are ours:
| [From the Richmond State, Oct.S slS79.l
| CUT ADRIFT.
| If recently reported utterances OF MI.
| Tilden be true, he has sent the South
adrift. or cut loose from us as incOrriglble.
The southern outrages of recent date-that
is the Yazoo affair, the Dixon homicide,
and the Chisholm verdict-have been too
much for the immaculate Spectator In ele-
waited stocks, falsifier of income returns,
father Of the cipher dispatches, and happy
possessor of the barl of money. He has
suddenly become quite moral and fastidi-
Gus, that rarest of mortals, an honest and
| fair politician, and one with a conscience
too, which makes it all the worse. But
how like the few Southern admirers who
are still left of this modern Isaac OF \ DIRK.
his declaration that Southern outrages and
| the blunderS of the extra session have
made Democratic success difficult, If not
impossible? The Radical press OF the
North are delighted with this reinforce
ment for their outrage mill volunteers
from the other side and make grand pa
rade of it. The Times, which has become
sort Of laudatOr Of the sage OF Gramercy
| Park, devoteS column OF editorial to
show that he has found that the North
could not carry the dead weight OF the
solid South any longer. That 1t IS TOO
| heavily handicapped and each day is fall
| ing behind in the race, and must either
cut loose from it's domination OF be ruined,
and hence this sudden determination to
| turn tail on the head OF the party. The
| Democracy of the North must dictate the
policy and conduct of the party, or 1T will
break the machine all to pieces and "bust
up the concern"
| 1t would be to do most honorable man
foul wrong to even suggest that the strong
opposition developed in the South adverse
| to his denomination had anything to do With
this sudden discovery that Southern out
RACES had become uncomfortable, and could
not be carried by the Northern Democra-
cy. But why didn't he think OF this
sooner 1t is generally supposed that he
| was the master spirit of the extra session
| a nd is responsible for it's plumbers, and
now he would make the South the scape-
goat. Nor was he wont to be so Squeam-
| ish, or take such high moral grounds. He
had no scruples about taking advantage Of
| the bull-doSiag and shotgun victorSes the
| DemOcracy1 achieved IN Louisiana, Massis-
sippi, Arkansas, Florida dpdl South Caro-
| Rp0, but used every means that he could in,
cent short of an assertion OF has manhood
to make them available for his elevation to
| the Presidency, and 1t ,oas only.,chen he dis
covered that Democratic force alone could
combat. Republican fraud that has courage
s.oozed out at the palms of has hands" He
reminds qss of that Louisiana infaatryn,an
IN the late suar ae7,o, avl,ea told By has captain
| that then mast charge and take a certain
| Federal b0tterY, remarked that he pref red
to talce up satbscrips on and btW the internal
thSsq. Ilden pre-, erred buying the office to
fq7sti,aq for it, and so lost his chance JOreuer
of being 6 President of these United States. F"
| But because Mr.. Iilden has grown vlr-
tuous shall there be no more cakes and ale
for the Democracy On the contrary, we
think the party well rid of bad bargain.
He is too greatly smirched with all sorts
of suspected and half-proven offenses
against public morality to be an acceptable
OF safe candidate for great party whose
purpose is to enter upon the next Presi-
Dental campaign with fixed determine
| ton to win, and, therefore, cannot afford
| to carry any dead weight in the shape OF
| defeated or recreant candidates, and eS-
pecially one who hasi exhibited so little
| true grit and shown himself SO unworthy
of the confidence of brave party in the
past.
| In cutting loose from the South and join
ing with the slanderers and enemies OF
| this abused section, Mr.. Tilden must
| have come to the conclusion at the same
| time to surrender all his aspiration for the
presidency, and content himself with
| fighting it out in New York, with John
| Kelly, for the control and spoils of that
great State, on the principle that bird in
| the hand is worth two in the bush. or half
| loaf is better than no political bread
Freed from all responsibility for the
South, and at liberty to denOunce us and
chime in with the Republicans in their
ISLANDERS upon this section, he hopes to win
a sufficient number of the respectables of
that party to build up a singh moral DE-
mocracy flor New Y ork that shall be able
to overthrow Tammany, or put it again
under his control, while he at the same
time sits down on Conkling and his man
Cornell.
Well, we care very little about him, or
what he does; for the National Democracy
freed from Tilden's dictation, evil associa-
tions, and bad reputation. will be left free
to choose from among it's many leading and
really great men a candidate whose purity
shall commend him to all men and whose
popularity will rally the entire country to
his support and insure his triumphant
election, be his opponent whom he may.
Capt. Rob't D. Blair, brother Of Attor-
ney-General F. S. Blair, and son of Hon.
John Blair, who represented the First
Tennessee district in Congress for four
teen consecutive years, died at his resi-
dence, Glade;Spring, Washington county,
Va, on the I'd inst. He was wounded at
the battle of Shiloh, where he commanded
company during the war. and it was
from the effects of that wound that he
died-the ball having never been extracted.