Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-05-29
FRIDAY MORNING. MAY. 20. 1885

The Democratic party cannot afford to make
any mistake in this matter. We are allowed
only one opportunity to name the proper man.
If we miss once, we miss altogether. There is
no court of appeals. We are glad to know that
the Democratic papers are alive to the impor-
lance of selecting as our candidate for Cover
nor man whose record can stand the test of
the closest scrutiny Richmond Dispatch.
There is food for a good deal of re1ec-
tion in the above paragraph, and a wide
field for the exercise of common sense is
opened by its suggestions. 1t is exceed
ingly unpalatable for Democratic news
paper to warn the party against unavail-
able candidates by name, and yet we are
not wholly convinced that such a medi-
cine is not the only remedy to be given
some of those aspirants who are being
pressed warmly by their friends. 1t looks
very much like ingratitude to an active,
distinguished, and thoroughly in earnest
Democrat, to say to him that there is that
about him that forbids his being rewarded
by the nomination. And yet it would be
a kindness to him and the party to say it
plainly. What will it profit the Virginia
Democracy if their nominee is brilliant,
clean handed, eloquent of tongue, able Of
pen, and yet hath been by both tongue and
pen pinned to some slip in his rfcord
which will be rubbed up by the enemy I'M
til it shine with a brightness that shall
consume him What excuse will the
members Of that convention give to the
Democratic people of this State who had
been promised Democratic State govern
ment for long, peaceful four years ?
Will it do to say to them that he bore the
name of long line of heroes, that his
deeds Of the sword were written in his
tory, that Virginians intended to perpe-
tuate the Virginia names that had become
great? Why the people of Virginia in
their madness of defeat would destroy
such fatuous apologists. What excus e
will members of that convention give to
the people,if they nominate man of great
wea lth, broad acres, and in technical al
lance with a great-interest, and send him
to defeat? What excuse, when the
''great INTEREST," itself Indignantly de-
mands why this man was put up by politi-
clans to represent 1t
Let us try and be frank with each other
in this matter. Much depends on 1t. Four
years of Mahoneism depends on it,and you
know to your cost what that is. The
Democracy of this State has a majority in
it. That is certain. But what is it !? Only
1909. That is the legitimate majority of
the Democratic party in Virginia, brought
out on Presidential vote. A change
of seventeen hundred votes would put the
Democracy into the minority and make
Malone, or his creature, Governor of this
State with the veto power until January
1, 1890. Is this a condition Of affairs to
warrant trifiing? Is this a condition of
affairs in which the Democracy can afford
to look away from the people, to honor
great names and reward the heirs Of the
heroes Of great deeds. This generation
owes no debts. Ths young men who have
crowded into the field with ballots in their
hands owe the Past nothing. They are
proud of the brave record the generation
before them made. but they propose to let
it be a matter of individual pride and not
a mould for political thought nor spring
for political action. Great names will
not move them as they do u.s.
They say to US, all that is History.
While we grey heads are prating about
our past, this generation are thinking of
progress. TO this generation the Virginia
Democracy must present something more
than her wrongs of the past. The National
government is now Democratic. Our Re-
publican oppressors have fallen into pit
and with them have gone most Of the cid
party cries at the South. The Democratic
party of Virginia must be readjusteG to
suit the times. There IS something fas-
cinating to the young men Of this nation
and State ip the history of the Dsmo,
cracy. To them it's unfailing courage, Its
patience, its resistance to wrong, its ever
ringing defiance to oppression in every
form, and its final victory has, as if has
to the civilized world, the semblaaes of a
heroic romance. There is no trouble In tie
Democracy retaining the aTectsons and
adherence of the yoGager generation of
Virginia if it will only seek to deserve
them. To dc SO they must have for their
representative man of to-day, and man
of and FOR the people.
It is not hard to say what the people
Of Virginia want. Every man who goes
to the Democratic Convention will, If he
has any perception at all, know what nine
out Of ten Of his neighbors want. He will
know that they want a candidate whoss.
record on the acceptance and enforcement.
of the Riddleberger bill is without q. aaw
and who is knoaon to be in earnest in en-
forcing the sovereignty Of Virginia. against.
those who seek to impair its power. He
knows too that they wans. candidate
who favors national aid 10 do that which
Virginia has tried, and poorly sucee eled
in dOlng-eGucate the children OF the
poor-a candidate VII favors and ha al
ways favored the Blair bill. On this sub
ject of schools the Democratic voters Of
Virginia are as sensitive as the Republic
can voters. They have shown it more de-
cldedly than their opponents. for they
turned down theig own party and put the
opposition in. OF the mere promise that
the other party would dc better by the
schools. A candidates speech against
the Blair bill reproduced this fall would
imperil il not defeat the whole ticket, for
the people would set down that party as @
fraud, which pretending to know the men
1t recommended to them. should present
even one who was opposed to the platform
it adopted.
STA UNION GRAIN AND PRO-