National Republican., 1885-08-28
w1cKuAM,s REpuBL1cANtsM.

IbC heEulnF Annunl harce -fhc ven
cradle Marplot In His F.mtiias Role.
EDITOR NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,; Til,
following special telegram appears in
the Baltimore Sun of this date.
GES. wiCRnAM ron GEN. LEE.
Especial Dispatch to the Bdltim IRE san
RiCuMuSn, VA, Aug. 2d.--At n reunion Of thu
Hanover troops yesterday at Ashland Gon. W.
c. Wickham, the FIRST captain of the conptny,
suid that he hud always wanted politics kept
out of their talk. but on this occasion he would
depart from that and would suy to the boys
that they must support their old commander,
FitH Lee, for the next governor of Virginia, as
he tGcn. WiCkhaml was going to do. Gln.
Wickham was brigade commnu lor u'idcr
Gen; Lee, mud is great almirer Of him. Gen.
year supported Mr.. blninc.
1t is proverbul of the average political
campaign that there Is always n comic as
well as a sCriJus side for the public cliIica-
ton, and It is Il laugnable fact that this So
called appointment Republican, ~ GEN Wick
ham, who, according to the above dispatch,
has announced his intention to supper. the
Democratic candidate for governor, has
never hut once in period of sixteen
years cast Republican vote in any elec-
tion for state officers in Virginia. But,
Notwithstanding this unbroken bourbon
record, cvcty year, on the approach of
state election, the telegraph flashes upon
that Gen. Wickham has deserted the Ee-
publican ticket In his own state, where
lie has long, long been the unabashed, out
spoken enemy OF the Republican organi2a-
tion, and the active undsguised ally OF the
bourbons, 1t is confidently believed that
there is not Democratic sheet, with the
least appreciation of its news department,
that would give a single insertion TO q mat
ter so "stale, flat, aud unproiltablcn as is
found I'm the spcCinl above printed.
Gen. Wickham Is now and for the past
two years has been the state senator of his
district, nominated, voted for, and elected
by the bourbon party. AS such senator he
has been among the boldest aud most des-
perate Of his bourbon confrercs in hostility
10 the rights, interests, and liberties of Re
publicans. BY his vote he has been instru-
mental in turning out legally elected Re
publican senators, aud seating unblushing
bourbons In their stead. lie has regularly
attended bourbon caucuses and procured
important nominations at their hands.
True as steel he has stood by all the unlaw-
full and revolutionary acts OF their last
notorious legislature, and, finally, be IL
said to the credit of his hardihood on the
one hand, and his subservlency to bourbon
dictation on the other, he never once
WINGED when called upon TO do the last
desperate thing of that party in its passage
of the infamous election law whereby the
whole voting machinery was placed in the
hands of the bourbon leaders, their tools
and henchmen, for use against the Repub-
lican party.
1t is freely confessed, however, that in
| 1869 he did give an apparently hearty sup
port to the Radical. Republican ticket Of
| that year, led by ii. IL. Wells of Michigan,
candidate for governor, aud at the same
| time the military ruler Of our state, under
| the reconstruction acts OF Congress, along
,vitb l.
date for lieutenant governor. Such sup
| port, too. It should be added, speaks well
| for Gen. Wickham's sense of gratitude, as
the power Of the military government then
dominating the state just previously to the
| campaign had been used in the election OF
| Gen. Wickham to the presidency Of the
| Chesapeake and Ohio railroad.
BUTT was only four years afterwarl ,
| when an able aud distinguished native Nir-
ginian, Judge Robert W. Hughes, became
the regular Republican gubernatorial can
| didate, that Gen. Wickham refused him his
support, and either verbally or by letter
communicated to this same Gen. Fitzhugh
Lee his determination to oppose Hughes- -
at all events, Lee so announced the fact on
the authority of a statement made directly
to him by Gen. Wickham.
In the next great contest for governor
four years ago-he advocated the election OF
John w. Daniel, the regular bourbon can
didate for governor, and this he didby open
letter and boastfully. lie has, with scarcely
an exception, voted for all the regular Dem
ocratic nominees for Congress In his dis
trict. In a published card he advocated the
election of Gen. Joe Johnston eight years
ago and three times since he has voted for
Geo. D.. Wise, the bourbon successor oi
Gen. Johnston.
As to his support of Mr.. Blaine for the
presidency It is tue that he did appear at
the Chicago convention in the garb OF u
straighout Republican delegate, elected by
handful of factionists, and did, on behalf
of himself and other marpots, ask fol
recognition. Rejected unanimously by the
committee on credentials, he returned to
his home before n ballot was taken aud
practically threw himself into the embraces
of his old friends, the bourbons. His atti-
tude in the campaign which followed was
the peculiar one that while he preferred the
election Of Mr. Blaine he yet opposed the
success of the Republican electoral ticket
in Virginia. IL Blaine could win without
the aid of Virginia's vote Wickham was
willing but nothing must occur to impair
the prestige of the bourbon party In their
fight of this year for the control of the state
government against the Republicans led by
the Incompatible Malone; and this is thu
sort of "prominent Republican" that
Gen. Wickham is.
In the darkest hour of the night there Il
not at this late day in Virginia either Demo
crat or Republican who would not know
how to reach and where to find this remark
able so.calcd Republican. Let the an
nounccment next come in the form of an
other special that Fitzhugh Lee himself 4
supporting the Democratic ticket In Vlr
ginia. At least, let us have rest from thi
regular annual farce Of Gen. Wickham, TIN
prominent Republican, supporting tn
Democratic candidate.
A VIRGINIA REPUBLICAN.