Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1886-05-21
TINsLEY s MORTON. Proprietors,
FRIDAY MORNING. MAY. 81. 1886
THE PRIMARY NEXT TUESDAY

The Democratic City COMMITTEE, as H. |
structed by the large Democratic meeting |
held on Tuesday night-the largest
ever held In Staunton for the purpose
has called Primary election for Tuesday |
next. The Democratic majority in Staun.
ton is anywhere from 225 to 300; for Gov. |
Lee last November it was 237. Its ticket |
for city officers nominated next Tuesday [
will be elected by, in all probability, a |
larger majority than for some years
past, large number of colored Repub-
licans having left the city for |
work in another State. 1t would |
take detection from its own ranks of
fully one hundred and seventY-fve voters
to imperil its ticket. No such detection
will take place.
There Is one safe rule that Democrat
may adopt with certainty; that is always
to follow the old flag. If she goes on to
victory you are there. If it goes down in
defeat you are there in good company. If
you have grievance redress it IN your
party. Your time will surely come 1T
has never failed yet and it is not likely to
fail in your case. Don't 60 with your
grievance to the Republican party; it is a
poor market to carry your ducks to. But
we don't know how you have been out.
ragged in some particular matter and how
your friend has been treated? Oh yes we
do. We have got trunk full of disap
pointments that have been inflicted on US
and our friends in the Democratic party,
and every now and then, when we get
chance, we open the trunk and pick out
one of our grievances that we have got in
soak for the fellow that did it. and We
wallop him with it. But we never hold
the party to account for personal disap-
pointment. 1t isn't just-this is part of
the reason-and the other part is that it
doesn't pay-a party is rather too large
thing for one. man, or even good many
men to attempt to punish. And, after all,
if we could punish it, it would go harder
with us than with it. 1t is hard thing
for Democrat who has been one for
years and who has fought in the line and
mustered with the boys at every olI-call,
to see his party down and feel that he has
a real Democrat to look at. And in the
end we'haven't hit thelman or the men we
owed the grudge to. In all the crowd that
are grieving over the disaster, we don't see
Jones or Smith or Brown, the fellows that
we owed our bad treatment to; we only
see the old flag in the dust and the hun
dreds of men we have marched and fought
with, eyeing us with cold reproach and
passing by on the other side. 1t is dear
bought victory if it were victory.
But another trouble is that it won't be
victory. If there is one organization in
a Virginia city harder to whip than anoth-
or, it is the Staunton Democracy. They
know what it is to fight, for they have had
enough of IL for the last fifteen years. Fol
years it had to contend with large ele
ment that, while Democrats on every 9th
er election, al ways kicked when munich
pal election came along. 1t was led by
ere ct the shreWdest men we ever knew,
aad Gne who for keenness in running
campaign was not surpassed by any man
of that day and not equaled by any of this.
ing Republican up for Mayor was taken.
That was the sign for funeral. The
long roll was beaten. Against the De-
mocracy was arrayed all the city officers.
Mayor, police, treasurer, with plenty OF
ammunition to back them. The Staunton
Democracy went in and downed the whole
thing, upset the city government and put
Primary nominees in its place. 1t had good
workers-as it will always have, no mat
ter who goes or who stays-but the victo
ry was owing chiefly to that Democratic
brotherhood which creates enthusiasm and
general effort, and which we shall always
see in Staunton.
It won't be a victory. There are toe
many reasons why it should not be. Last
November a year, for the first time in
thirty years, we elected Democratic
President of the United States. Last Nov
elected Democratic Governor of Virgil
mia. Last November, we swept the whole
State of Republican legislators. And now
1t is asked that our home party organiza-
ton, part of the great machine that did
all this work, a bright musket in the line
that won this grand victory, shall be
thrown aside to rust; that when the In
spector General, FitZ Lee for instance,
comes along and asks where the nusket is
that Gid such good work. he shall be told
that somebody that had grievance got
dissatisfied and broke it up, and the enemy
can come along and thrash US now if he
feels SO disposed. That would never do
Let those who are complaining of the
call for Primary, by the city committee.
reflect. Some of these gentlemen are Dem
onrats who have been for primary under
~ circumstances and at any time. We
.honId all remember this-that no De mo-
GRAFT at present in the field can be injured
by primary unless his success has de-
pended on the Republican vote. He can
get just as many Democratic votes in a
primary for an Office as he would in a free
election. In either, his Democratic friends
would have supported him to exactly the
same number. The only loss that Dem
ocraJic candidate can sustain by pri-
mary, that we can see, is the loss of the
Republican vote. And we haven't seen
yet announced as candidate, the name of
single Democrat who, we thought. would
like after election to say that he owed his
election to Republican votes. If this lie
true and even the candidates themselves,
we think, will concede it, then no Demo-
cratic candidate can possibly lose any
thing by pri mary.
And finally, whatever may be the opin-
ions about a primary it is now ordered by
the regular constituted authority of the
Democratic party. 1t is now strict nar-