The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-08-06

terests. and to that end suggest CONVEX
tiontO be composed of representative me
from the counties interested, who will re
commend to the General Assembly, sue
legislation upon the subject as may b
proper.
ELECTIONS.
We favor such changes in existing law
as may be necessary to relieve the peopl
Of the Commonwealth as far as possible q
the burden OF too frequent elections. bu
are unalterably opposed to mixing Stat
with Federal elections, whereby such in
reference as has been experienced in tn
past under an ill-advised or corrupt Ad
ministration might be possible.
PUBLIC PATRONAGE.
In the distribution of public patronag
WITHIN tne State we favor equality anon,
all sections, whereby those sections with
out Democratic representation NAV hay
just and equal share of such patronage
and we recommend to members of tn
General Assembly and all representative
OF the Democratic party to duly consider
this subject and to provide some mod,
by which the desired result may be OBJ
tanned.
TIE TARIFF.
We reaffirm the declarations of thu
National Democratic party at its last con
vention on the subject of the tariff, an(
especially do we maintain that the nee
essary reduction in taxation can and must
be effected without depriving American
labor Of the ability to compete success.
fully with foreign labor, and without i'm.
posing lower rates of duty than will be
ample to cover any increased cost of pro-
duction which may exist in consequence
OF the higher rate OF wages existing in
this country. And we favor, as in 1883
and in 1884, tariff for revenue, limited
to the necessities of Government econom-
lcally administered, and so adjusted in it's
application as to prevent unequal burdens,
encourage productive industries at home,
and afford just compensation to labor, but
not to create or foster monopOlies. 1.-THE
necessary reforms to remedy the abuses of
the existing tariff the schedule rates should
bear heaviest on articles of luxury and
llghteSt on articles of necessity.
CIVIL SERVICE.
We reiterate our advocacy of such civil
service reform as will make character and
fitness the tests of official preference and
exclude the loathsome systems of the Re-
publican party which became the scandal
OF the country but we hold at the same
time that an Administration charged with
the solemn responsibilities of government.
and needing relations of confidence and
harmony between it and its subordinates
to secure efficiency. should not be unduly
hampered by having obnoxious officials
forced into or continued in its service.
No efficacious system can be established
that does not work in accord with the will
and aspirations of the people under an ex-
ecutlve head untrammelled in the exercise
OF official positions, and the fundamental
principles of free government exact that
the powers of the Executive shall not be
shackled by the usurpation of a commits
sion or other official power unknown to
the Constitution.
THE ADMINISTRATION.
We rejoice that in the administration of
Grover Cleveland as President of the
United States, sectional lines have been
bliterated-honorable and upright men
have been appointed to office, and that the
work of reform has been initiated by dis
pensing with needless offices, cutting down
expenses in the various departments, re-
fusing the acceptance of contract work
not fulfilling the specifications, and in Sc
curing to the people the vast area of the
public domain unjustly held by large cor
PO4Gu1OAOs w Z UuC DcOQlG Ol
Virginia that he has removed in many in
stances the obnoxious partizans who neg
lected public duties for party work, and
have confidence that the blessings of good
government already secured will be ampli-
fed and extended under an Administration
which has set it's face sternly against cor
ruption, and has so speedily entered upon
the great work of reform.
Wespurn the charges brought against the
Democratic party set forth in the docu-
ment purporting to be a Republican State
platform. IL says, for instance, that the
Democrats of the last Legislature I'M
seated seventeen Republican members and
seated Democrats, whereas the records
show that out of twenty-three cases of con-
tests over elections, in ten cases only were
Democrats awarded seats, and in only six
Of these were Republican urseated.
1t says that the Democrats passed over
seventy acts relieving defaulting col
Letting officers, whereas with a sim
Gle exception no such acts were passed.
The acts referred to were less than twenty
in number, and were concerning sureties
and were supported 0y Republicans and
Democrats and approved by Republican
Governor. Again it is charged that the
Democrats Squandered the surplus they
found in the State Treasury whereas a
larger surplus now exists than when the
Democrats came into power, about one
million of which has been invested in Rid
dleberger bonds. Of such extravagances,
contradiction and disqualification is this
Republican platform made.
The Democratic party has always been
foremost to exalt and dignity every func-
tion of the State Government. 1t has
created the vast net work of railroads and
turnpikes which have developed our re-
sources. 1t has been the steadfast friend
of labor, and it has never neglected the
just and ordered rightsof property ;frown-
ing on all class distinctions in all efforts to
array one portion of the community
against another on issues outside of the
domain of politics, it recognizes and will
maintain all classes of the Commonwealth
in their civil and political rights. We must
not overlook the vast Importance of Dem
ocratic control of the Federal Government
and we eXhort every Virginian to remem-
Der that the success of Democratic policy
in Virginia may we'll be of vital mo-
ment in confirming and strengthening the
suspicious hold on the confidence of the
country now happily established in the
pure and enlightened administration of
Mr.. Cleveland. We therefore proudly pro-
claim our allegiance to the Constitution
and the Union of the States, and to the
national Democratic party as their inter
prefer and defender. To that great party
is specially confided the future mainten-
ance of those principles of local self gov
eminent administered by the States and
limited imperial power entrusted to the
Federal Administration, which can alone
by their harmonious working secure and
perpetrate the free institutions of ter
ritory so extensive and populous, so vast
as those of the United States. Men of
Virginia! In that fundamental idea of
the Democratic party is summed up your
final condemnation of our opponents-the
only denunciatiOn we mean here to visit
on their heads. Other times and other
places will serve for the detailed criticism
of their men and measures. Let this suf-
flee here. They were first the allies, they
now proclaim themselves full and accepted
members of the National Republican par
ty. The patriotic voters of this Common
wealth will never surrender it's destinies
to that party of sectional hate and consti-
tutional heresy.
Confident as of old that the true heart of
the people will utter it's real voice in the
free and untrammelled elections which re-
cent legislation secures, and the virtue
andintelligence of the State will be awarded
due influence in it's Government, the
Democratic party calmly RENTS the issue
now joined to the voters of Virginia.