The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-09-17
stribling SPRING..
LITicAL AND SOCIAL JOTTINGS FROM
THE MOUNTAINS.

STRrRITNa STRINGS. Sept. Ia.

of 1874, have not forgotten the great fraud
in Louisiana, to give the cleo
toral vote of that State to the Democratic
candidate, James K. Polk. John Slidell
was then in the climax of his power. He
had a national reputation as an unscrupu-
lous intrigant and desperate partizan,
and to justify the character he bore as the
most unsavory politician of his time,
he instigated and organized the Placque-
mines frauds. He hired or purchased three
steamers and loading them with loafers
and bummers, ran the boats up ,nasd
down the river, voting these purcE
creatures at every precinct on either
of the stream in the Placquemines dist
The result was that Louisiana cast
electoral vote for Polk and Dallas, and Li-
dell became a demi god in the Democratic
camp.
Slidells methods and tactics are not
lost on his party of this day, although
forty years have passed since he committed
this crime against the people of the coun-
try. The State of louisiana and the CITY
of New Orleans are ruled by a regime as
deeply-stained with corruption and crime
as was the result in that Commonwealth
in 1874. Intelligent citizens of the Cres-
cent City, who are visiting the Virginia
mountains this year, have no scruples in
expressing their opinions about the man.
ner and means the Ring Democracy
both OF that city and Of the State employ
to defeat the popular will, and foist upon
the people government controlled by the
worst element of very bad party These
gentlemen have their identity with the
Democratic party. They represent the
culture and wealth and business enterprise
OF New Orleans, and feel the deep dis
grace which is inflicted upon the city and
the injury business has to suffer from the
frauds and crimes perpetrated by the Ring
Democracy to prostitute government to
the vilest and most corrupt ends. In the
municipal election last year seven thous-
and dead men and other fraudulently-en-
tered names on the registration list, were
voted for the Ring candidates. These
were supplemented by other resorts equal
ly as disreputable and criminal. such as
armed roughs at the polls to intimidate
voters and crowd them from the ballot
box, SO that afree way might be made to
count the dead men and other false en-
tries, and thus secure Democratic Rim
triumph. The opposing ticket was repre-
! sentative of the best elements Of the city,
who had revolted against the ring and
made determined effort to rescue their
city from the grasp of the corrupt agency
which has been controlling it for years, in
the name of Democratic Reform. Two
OF the City Ring officers are now under
sentence of death and two others under
sentence of eighteen years in the peniten-
tiary for committing murder in the in
terest of Democratic Ring Reform but
no one thinks for a moment that either
sentence win he carried into effect. Nc
Emery, the Ring Governor, knows he dare
not allow the verdict of an honest jury to
be enforced in these instances. Commu-
tation OF the capital sentence is confident
ly expected, and all, it is believed, will be
pardoned, after the feeling incident to the
crime has somewhat abated. 1t is this
Reform Democracy that now has Louisiana
in its grasp. 1t is the kind of Democracy
and the methods which keep the South
solid for the Democratic Reform party.
1t is this kind of Reform that the people
OF Virginia are asked to rejoice over and
cooperate with, because it is es sential
to the perpetuation of the solid Democratic
South. tits kind Of Reform that the good
people of that outraged city intend to
crush out, If not by peacable, then by
forcible means. even if the shedding of
blood is necessary to emancipate the mu-
nicipality from the foul disgrace which OPP
presses it.
Maj. John w. Daniel is traversing the
State as body-guard to Gen. Fitz Lee,
and is getting off some pyrotechnic states
manshlp to enthuse his desperate party.
AS declaimer he is impressive, and as a
peddlar OF rounded sentences and studied
POAAOAS1 Auii VI oOuAo duQ 1ulHs OISully-
ing nothing" it is difficult to find his SUI
periOr. But when it comes to frank
statement of political fact and logical de-
duction from recognized current history,
solid appeal to the judgment and
reason of the people, he is about as COM
plete failure as ever attempted the role
of statesman. We venture the prediction
that no man who has ever gone from Vir-
glnia to the Congress of the United States,
will fall farther below public expectation
than will Maj. Daniel. He is not equal to a
logical discussion of the vital questions of
the day, and when his sky-scraping elo-
quence is submitted to the pune turing
process OF the newspaper correspondents
and the cold criticism of trained writer's
and thinkers, there will be lamentable
collapse in his reputation as /. statesman
| and Senatorial possibility. And this blow
ing OF trumpets and manufactured enthu-
slasm, in the progress of this canvass sim
ply means Fitz Lee for Governor and Jno.
w. Daniel for United States Senator how
ever earnest the effort to obscure it by
protestations. Barbour will be permitted
to do the drudgery of the campaign while
Daniel will do the ornamental part as
master of ceremonies. and claim and re-
! ceive the reward which both are struggling
for in the improbable event Of success,
provided Parson Massey does not step in
and steal the bone, while the other two are
fighting over it.
Ii the speech of Maj. Daniel at
Wytheville, as reported in Democratic
papers, is to be accepted as fair spec
linen Of his fairness and effective
ness, it is no wonder that he trav-
els with Gen. Fitz. Lee and thus avoids
discussion with his political opponents.
When a Democratic speaker can volunta-
rily state to an intelligent audience that
the Blair Educational Bill was defeated by
the man@uvres of Republicans in the Sen
ate, there is latitude ofliberty that beats
all the license ever accorded the poet, or the
room and verge conceded to the most ex-
travagant romancers. Every one knows,
who knows anything about the bill, that it
was passed by the Senate, with but two
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