The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-07-17
.arty Morality

wv " t"iAi ~ VI tlS, III Ills lcdllH2 eQl-
torial in Harper's Weekly, of the 18th,
opens with this sentence 1.-THE Presi-
dental campaign Of this year is to be in
evitably in great degree personal, be-
cause the nomination Of Mr.. Blaine re-
Quires constant personal defense against
the general protest which is made upon
grounds of public morality Coming
from Mr.. Curtis this declaration will lose
all tie force that a sincere .ssprotest on
grounds of public morality'' would have.
Mr.. Curtis has in the past made all the de-
fence of Mr.. Blaine that the public could
ask. He acquitted him of all the vicious
and malicious charges preferred against
him by reckless partizan press, and since
that time not only Mr.. Curtis, but almost
the entire Democratic and Republican
press have borne testimony to his high pub
lie integrity, his eminent craftsmanship
and ardent patriotism. AS the Premier
Of the Garfield administration he COM
manded the most fulsome eulogies from
those who are now trying to blacken his
name and fame, and during the trying Or
deal which followed the assassin's shot,
and until the curtain was closed on the
tragic and painful scene by death, the
country hung in suspense on the words
and actions of Mr.. Blaine, as the fit and
trusted representative of the government
in that hour Of National grief and tears.
Not only is the tongue of SANDER silenced
in the remembrance of what Mr. Curtis
and his protesting colleagues said of MI.
Blaine and the tributes they paid to him,
but Mr.. Curtis own course in the prelim-
mary stages of the campaign confronts
his present utterance. He knew that Mr.
Blaine was the most prominent candidate
mentioned for the Republican nomination
for President. He sought the position Of
delegate from his district. He was elected
under plan that he approved as rejecting
the popular will. He participated in the
proceedings Of the Convention, without a
protest or intimation that he would not
abide it's determination. He spoke and
voted for his own fayorite, Mr.. Edmunds I;
he remained in the Convention during
the balloting, and raised no voice of COM
plant when the final decision was an
nounced that Mr.. Blaine was the choice of
large majority of his fellow delegates.
When resolution was offered pledging
the delegates in the Convention to the
support of the nominee, he Indignantly re-
PEELED the implication that any delegate
present would so far forget his honor as to
require such a superauous assurance, as
the fact of participating in the proceed-
ings should be sufficient guarantee that
he meant to observe good faith whatever
might be the result. He participated in
the subsequent proceedings which resulted
in the nomination of Gen. Logan for Vice
President, and remained in the Conven-
tion from the first announcement of or
eanization to the final close of the ses-
sions, never uttering word that could be
construed as a protest or purpose to bolt
the action of the body, if his choice were
| not secured. ,.s.,.s,ssl
Not until after the Convention had ad-
journed and MI. Curtis had reached his
home in New York was the public in
formed that ''public morality" demanded
of him that he should oppose that which
he had been a party to concentrating. In
the light of this fact, we leave it to our
readers, whether Democrats or Republi-
cans, to say, where public morality is
reflected. whether in the action of the
Convention, or in the course of Mr.. Cur
tbs. Certainly, in the South. such con-
duct as Mr.. Curtis has been guilty of,
would be regarded as the more offensive to
the moral sense of the public. land we doubt
not such will be the verdict of the great
mass of the people of the North. Here
MI. Curtis position would be pronounced
party treachery and measured by that
standard, and the influence he would WELD
would be guaged by the moral sense of
community, without regard to party. His
position is indefensible from moral OF
political standpoint. and will not be con-
sidered as factor in the present contest.
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