Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1884-02-08
A REPUBLICAN BLUNDER.

The sight of Sherman and Malone, two
United States Senators, perspiring in
mighty effort to raise the bloody shirt to
the top of the Republican flag staff and
then standing back in dismay that there
was no popular breeze to flap it, must,
apart from the absurdity of the perform
ance, bring about some serious RI fec
ton among Americans as to the antece-
dents of the two men who undertook it,
In a political point of view they are polit-
ical orphans, their mother States having
repudiated them. Their political plat
forms are not dissimilar; Mr.. Sherman is
the author of the code contained in the
words uttered by himself in debate: s'Any
thing that will beat down that party 1.-THE
Democracy and build up our own is JUS
tjable in morals and law" Conqression-
~ Record, April 7, 1851. p. 10. Gen. Ma
homes organs in Virginia have spent col
umns in denounciDg the proposition that
Anything that is morally wrong cannot
be politically right Mr.. Sherman rep
resents State that within three years has
drifted from an overwhelming Repubii-
can ma ority into handsome Democrat
ic majority. and Gen. Malone represents
State that in four years has changed a
partment, into Democratic majority of
thirds in the legislature and eighteen
thousand at the ballot box. Neither of
the two Senators can promise his State to
the support of his views IN the Presiden-
tial election and their leadership in this
enset has the effect of military organi-
zation with all officers, but no privates to
do the fighting. The Democratic Sena-
tors treated the diatri hes of Sherman and
Malone with the silence a nd indifference
which they lnerited. and the Republican
Senators let the effort fall to the tioOl
without giving it a helping boost into
public notice. 1t met with almost the
same reception from the Senate tina
would be accorded to some Democratic
Senator who, seeing his party without IN
issue should attempt to substitute for ONT
the oppression the South underwent il
Reconstruction times.
AS to the investigation itself we
think 1t will do more than furnish somf
government railroad fare and witness
fees to number of oath takers. The
facts that will be elected will show
the Danville affair in different light from
that in which it appeared IN the Malone
Gorham address issued after the election
and which was repudiated by J. Fl. Rives
Chairman of the Republican, Coalition
State Committee, and j. T. Dezpndorf,
Chairman of the Stra iq ht-out-Repu blicaD
State Central C0mmi ttee. 1t will show to
the cool heads of the Northern Senators a
State with all previous elections peaceful.
suddenly plunged into race issue and
bloedshed by bands of incendiary speakers
addressing inflammatory appeals to al
ignorant race, speakers animated by
one principle, one cause. one idea-Ma
hone. This is a picture that all Vir-
ginians should earnestly desire to have pre-
sented officially to their countrymen of all
politics and all sections. They want the
people of America to know the reason
why, and the history of how, such con-
sentative State as this came to be plagued
with such lncendfaries-men who hest
tated at nothing to carry their political
schemes. To whom the life of the black
man or the white man, was as nothing
compared with success, and who would
unhesitatingly drive black men to Their
death if by the driving political capital
might be made. Virginia would b. re-
joiced to see spread before the county q
truthful history of the arrayiDg Of hel
black citizens against her white by ap
peals to race prejudices. church organiza
tions. communications, bloody circulars
calling on them to execute yer geance
and many other shocking devices unpre
cedented in American politics. 1t has
never occurred before in the history OF
this commonwealth that six black and
two white men have been shot in poll
teal riot, and the Democrats of Virginia
will be glad for the country to know how
such riot came about.
The bloody shirt issue was worked
for all it was worth by the Repub-
lcan party of The country in the Gar
field campaign, up to the last sixty
daysof that campaign, when, finding that
it was failure, it was dropped and the
tariff crusade taken up instead To give
Democratic success ext fall we should
desire nothing better than that the same
party should revive the same issue, but
we fear that there are too many wise heads
i'll its ranks 20 permit such good fortune
20 the Democracy. Already we see it
being repudlated. The \. Y. Times the
leading Republican journal of the east in
commenting on the Sherman Malone
speeches says:
This incident is chiefly significant for the failure
Of phdt appears 10 hare been the original 1trpose
of the resolution 1t provoked no sectional discus
sion and showed plainly that the sectional issue Is
dedd beyond resurrection. While Gen. Malone
maintained that the National Government should
take action for the protection of itizens against
such outrages as that at ID ,nviIle his local ride
led him TO declare that they not sanction ed by
the State of Virginia or any considerable part of
her people II this Is Ii ue, why should there be
appeal to the National Government The evil is
local and exceptional, and it is within the power of
the State and its people If they have the DISPOSE
ton which Senator Malone attributes to hem, to
apply such remedy as maJ be applicable Isahones
argument was in its effect against the necessity of
interference"
While the sectional issue cannot be re-
vived, yet an opportunity may be given to
give to the world the true history of the
remarkable campaign of 1883 in Virginia
and vivid exposure Of the "free ballot
and fair count" which was much heard
Of therein.
Won't the Legislature use the pententary con-
victs in the work of making one such road in zach