Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1885-07-29
The Republican Candidates.

The Republican convention has come
and gone. A noisy and well-nigh uncon-
trollable body, it succumbed at last TO tne
will Of the petty Boss. Wholly futile were
the feeble attempts at independence Ina'
were made by Riddleberger, Hubbard, gro,
ner and others. They bent, they ana al,
their sympathisers, to the wish and word
of one man.
The platform is what we predicted II
would be, "a re-hash of all the old anu
meaningless declarations of the Mahone
Republicans that have SO long wearled inc
public cara handful of promises never TO
be fulfilled and only intended to mlslead
the unwary."
The candidates are interesting, at least
if nothing more. The hand of the petty
Boss makes itself plain in the work. IL
had been impossible for that individual 10
disguise the fact that John. S. Wise was
his man, and his man has received the
nomination. We are glad that he mas.
For whilst it must be conceded that WISE
is vigorous speaker and will make an I'M
commonly active canvass, it is neverthe-
less true that he is not so strong in his par
ty as Blair He was not one Of the orlgl-
nal Readjusters, and there are few who 40
not believe that his sudden translation TO
the ranks of the Malone party was due not
so much to his convictions as to pique., In
short, he is looked upon as an eleventh hour
convert, whose conversion was far from
unselfish. That his strength is felt by ms
own party to be inferior is shown by the
selection of the other two candidates on
the ticket from the great Southwest. 30
far as his drawing power is concerned, long
past is the time when either friendship or
admiration could give him any Democratic
votes. Those to whom he was in his bet
ter days a favorite candidate for any office
he might seek will now be the most deter
mined of his opponents. By his course in
recent years he has wholly forfeited their
support. No man has a more vulnerable
record than John S. Wise. His career is
marked by acts of every shade and shape.
His political history is crazy quilt.
How the changes will be wrung ON this
candidates many headlong and intemper-
ate utterances-his assault on Virginia Re-
publicans, that they were ''apostates for
the price of their apostacy'; his contemp-
tuous fling at the much-sought colored
voter, that he entertained him only in his
kitchen; his fierce denunciation of the
good people Of his own State as murder
ers; and his humble petition, "Lead on,
master, I'll follow thee" Surely if the
reckless utterer OF all such sentiments
could not be defeated, then, indeed. would
Democratic victory be impossible from the
very beginning.
The second place on the ticket has been
given to ex-senator Wood, Of Scott, who
will fall far short of lending the ticket the
strength that it would have gained by the
selection of Bowen.
The third place has been entrusted once
more to Mr.. Blair, whom it is thus sought
to appease by keeping him in an Office that
he has made SO profitable to himself in the
past. His nomination is a recognition of
his peculiar gifts by which he is able to
secure private library at the States ex-
pense, charge exorbitant fees for nominal
services, and pocket mileage at the rate OF
ten cents mile for all his official journeys
throughout the State.
If the Democrats could not choose halt a
dozen different tickets superior in charac-
ter and strength to this invention of Ma
homes, they would not deserve success.
Let us choose at the coming convention
men worthy of public trust and of party
leadership, and prepare to wage a spirited,
tireless and aggressive warfare upon the
enemy.-Rich. State.