The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1885-09-17
An Echo from the Bugle Blast.

The bugle note and convention business
is beginning to wake up an unpleasant
echo which the buglers little dreamed of.
The tactics which controlled the Demo
cratic Convention Of Augusta last week
were also put into practice in Roanoke,
but the result has not proven as happy.
Instead of tamely submitting to ring
manipulation, some of the delegates to the
Convention have united with Republicans
in call for Mr.. w. w. Brand. practical
straightforward business man, to announce
himself for the Legislature.
The Rev. D. G. Moomaw heads the list,
and in card in the same issue of the
Herald winch publishes the call, speaks out
in meeting as follows. Let every farmer
in Augusta read it. Mr.. Moomaw says:
1t is due to my Democratic friends who
support the nominees of that party, right
or wrong, that / explain the cause of my
action in soliciting the candidacy of Capt.
w. w. Brand.
In the first place the management of
the recent Convention held at Roanoke
Red Sulphur Springs was, in my opinion,
INTERCHANGEABLE LILO QOICS0bCO ACPLCbCuu-
ing the rural precincts were not free to
express the wishes of their constituents.
Bound by so-called ''iastructions.' a
maneuver well understood by the adroit
political manager, the Craig delegation,
in its individuality, did not vote its senti-
ments, as / obtained positive evidence on
the day of the convention. The rural
delegates were almost unanimous for a
candidate identified with the industrial
professions, but unskilled in the art of
manipulating political conventions, and
disunited and without a leader, the towns,
led by the solid lawyer influence, drilled to
march in unison, out generated them and
succeeded in procuring the nomination of
Mr.. Huffman, a young lawyer from New
castle. The lucky gentleman, who doubt
less was as much surprised at the result as
we were, does not possess the confidence
of portion Of the Democratic party. He
is a member of a profession that practi-
cally knows nothing of the wants and in
| terestS of nine teen tWentiethS of his con-
stituents.
The rural districts have grown FESTIVE
| under the persistent domination Of that
profession, and are determined to demand
| fair partition of the responsibilities OF
the important functions OF representatives
to the General Assembly.
business depression is due partly to the
! impractical character of our State legisla-
ton. Questions of the most practical and
| important character are subOrdinated to
political scheming and juggling, and the
general veal is made to subserye the igno-
BILE use of party domination. We are not
| in sympathy with such a maladministra-
| ton of our affairs, and propose, hence
| forth. to fill our Legislature with repre-
sentatives who give evidence of their lit
ness by successful devotion to those pur-
suits which develop and increase the
elementary wealth of the country-men
whose experience has taught them where
| to find the shoals and hidden rocks where
on States aud nations founder. From
time immemorial the legal profession,
! land there is no profession more honorable
and ornamental) has dominated every de-
partment of our government, and with
sorrow we say it, after 200 years of unre-
strained management of governmental
affairs, there is scarcely twenty cOnsecu-
tive miles of our public thoroughfares
over which we can travel without the dan
ger of breaking our necks, a state OF things
| that would disgrace a province OF the
Great Mogul. Trade languishes, the re-
lation of capital and labor is und efined,
corporate and individual interests are in
constant and dangerous conflict -prodigi-
Gus sums Of money are exacted from the
people annually by taxation. yet our school
houses are rotting down for want of paint
| and protection, the children of the poor
are without instruction for want of COM
| Portable clothes, text books are forced or
| the people one year and rejected the next
criminals go UNPUBLISHED, Jail deliveries
are of constant occurrence, bribery, extOr-
tiOn, defalcatiOn, etc., riot in high places
and yet theruthless juggernaut rolls on, and
the people bleed and grOan under its muir
derOuS wheels.
Brother farmers and Workingmen, this
abnormal state Of things will continue as
long as we send men to make our laws who
are without experience, men who could
not manage farm or workshop without
| involving it in hopeless debt; as long as
we regard the Legislature as apolitical,
instead of business establishment, as
long as we tamely and supinely submit to
the irregular and unfair management of
our Conventions, as long as we wear sub
misSively the collar and muzzle OF the pro-
fessional politicians. We have the reme-
dy in our own hands, and we can use it
unless it be true that 1.-THE farmers have
no discretion, as no trio of them will work
in unison, as [ heard charged against us
recently. If we are worthy of our exalted
liberty, let US choose our own rulers, in
dependent of party dlctation, when that
dictation is destined to promote other
than 1.-The greatest good to the greatest
Number" This is the foundation stone
of the great Democratic temple, and on it
let us stand, though we perish in its ruins.
In the language of the historic Henry,
Give us this liberty or give us political
DEATH"
In supporting Capt. w. w. Brand, it is
not our purpose to desert the Democratic
party. We intend to vote the State ticket
faithfully. We have never voted any
other than the mOss-cOvered rag. We
dom know the way out of the family. All
we ask of our temporarily absent friend
is Don't throw your mud this way. The
woods are full Of us. and we are in no
very amiable mood for that species of
political gymnastics. Many have grown
tired Of Democratic hash, and are longing
for the imaginary say0ry steaks OF Re-
publicanism. Deal gently with these weak
babes. Another slice from our party such
as you cut off by abusing De mocratic-
Readjusters, will relegate Roanoke De-
mocracy to the eternal shades. We are
honest, without political designs, deter
mined, brim-full of fight, and we say to