The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-12-10


The disastrous and humiliating defeat
Of Hon. Ohm Harbour iii the Demo
cratic legislative Caucus at Richmond on
Monday night last fer the Senatorial NOM
iaatioa. shows The ingratitnde of poll
ticians. The VOTE stood fer Daniel
3D. Barbour 81 more than two to one
for Daniel. lii the incipieney of the
canvass, ii WAS claimed by tie more
sanguine Of Mr. Barboar's friends, that
he would haze walk-oyer-that if he
was not unanimously dominated, the ma
jority would be 50 large that it would be
tantamount q unanimity But they were
toe sanguine. they did not think of the
possibilities OF numerical campaign
Staples is ambitious. as is Conrad. Daniel IS
election would give Staples a chance for
Congress to succeed Daniel. and Conrad
would be held IN Ieycrsion for Riddleber-
ger s shocs should the next Legislature be
Democratic. The selection Of Barbour
would have excluded the Sth district from
the next senatorial contest, and left Con-
rad in the realm of deferred hopes and
closed The Congressional doors on Staples.
1t is apparent now, with Daniel in the
Senate from east of the Blue Ridge, Con-
rad has fair field west of the mountains,
while Staples looms up prominently as
Daniels successor. Putting this and that
together, Mr.. Barbour may be able to fig
ure out the combination which laid him
/ on the shelf for the balance of his life. SO
far as political promotion is concerned.
After all that has been said of Barbour,
as the leader of the Bourbon forces. the
debt Of gratitude acknowledged from all
| Bourbon sources for his services as Chair
man Of the Bourbon State COMMITTEES, it
was an ungracioas fate meted out to him
He may take up the lamentation of OLD
King Learand exclaim, How sharper thar
a serpent S tooth it is to have a thankless
child To continue longer as Chairman
Of the Committee, after the result of last
contempt Of those who have slaughtered
him in his own house, and justify the hui
initiation that has been placed upon him
While we do not think that either Bar
bour or Daniel is the right kind Of timber
for Senatorial honors, we have no hesitan
cy in expressing the opinion that Barbour
possesses qualifications far superior tt
those Daniel can claim. Daniel is splen
did declaimer, and that is all. He i
wanting in masculine, robust grasp o.
great pubic questions, and will make {
poor exhibit on the floor of the Senate
when the discussion OF great national is
sues is called for. He was recently des
cribed by friend as sublime sop
homore, and that sis the description
which suits him. While Barbour is not
| brilliant or captivating as speaker, ht
possesses q ripe Judgment, we'll balanced
brain and capacities for usefulness, which
would have made him more popular ani
acceptable representative of the State or
the Senate floor.
| But Barbour, probably, ought not tt
complain when he remembers that Nc
Cogmick and Anderson were passed over
Ii real service to the party had been the
guide to preferment, either the Senator
from Clarke, or the ex-member from Rock
bridge should have been awarded the high
est honor Of the party. 1t was to theil
combined work, as embodied in the Elec
ton law. that the Bourbon party owed its
power to elect any one. That infamous
measure did the business of electing a
! Democratic Legislature and Democratic
| Governor, and if rewards had been meas
ured by party services. as thus exemplified
neither Barbour nor Daniel would have
! been thought Of.
But the deed Is done. The funeral has
taken place, and the mourners will have tt
console each other. The grief of the sad
ly bereayed in Staunton is intense, and
finds manifestation in language more eX.
pressive than polite. 1t is a severe blow
to some Of the ring, and may mean great
deal more than some of them think.