The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1886-10-21

districtl there are something like ifteen OF OF
twenty Democrats who favor protectivetari
and the Blair bill, and they declare they intend
TO support Yost.-Augusia Co. cor STATE Repub
licdn.
support Yost for what? Bumgardnsr will
fight for the same protection for manganese
That Yost will. If there are twenty protect,ons
Democrats at any precinct in Augusta county
east or west. who are going to vote for Yost. We
haven't heard of them, and Protective Demo.
crat isn't generally afraid to speak his MIND
He isn't that sort of man. There will not be- Ave
men In Augusta county who voted for Grover
Cleveland that won't vote for James Bumgard
ner and there will be scores who didn't vote for
anybody who will come out and vote for Bum.
gardner Tindicotor.
Yes; Bumgardner would makea pretty
fight indeed, for protection of any kind
He believes protective tariff to be nm
constitutional. He stands in this respect
where Tucker stands. and for this reason
Tucker is supporting him. He would
have voted for the consideration Of the
Morrison tariff bill just as Tucker did Al.
though it was known that it was test
question between protection and s.revenue
reform. +" or the recognition of the policy
of free trade. He would be controlled ia
Congress by the predominant sentiment of
his party and that is for free ores, as the
Democratic National platform declares.
and for free wool as the Morrison tariff
bill demands. To carry out the policy OF
the Democratic party on the tariff would
reduce to nothing the value of the mineral
properties of Augusta county and the
State What Virginia wants is an increase
of the tariff on iron ores to at least SO so
a ton instead of rs cents, as now. Then
we could find market for the ores of the
Valley in Pittsburg and Philadelphia, for
we would not be driven out by the pauper
labor ores of Cuba and Spain, brought to
our ports as ballast. Augusta is protec-
tlon county and if the people would vote
their sentiments at the polls it would car
ry by large majority. Mr.. Tucker boosted
in Richmond the other day of the endorse
ment of his views in this district two
years ago, but there is not an intelligent
man in the Democratic party who believes
that the vote he received was intended as
an endorsement of his known views on
the tariff or the Blair bill. Capt. Bum
gardner holds substantially to the same
opinions. He does not believe in the con
stitutionality Of the Blair bill or protec-
tive tariff, yet it is assumed that he would
vote for both, were he in Congress, The
people of Virginia and of the South have
been misrepresented long enough on these
subjects, and we are gratlfied to see from
the publication in the State and the make
believe confidence of the T5ndicdtor that
there is an awakening of the people here
in Augusta to their true interests. Adopt
any kindred measure to the Morrison bill,
and the mineral lands Of Augusta county
would not be worth seventy-five cents an
acre;the effort to develop them would cease
at once, and not a dollar would be paid out
for labor to utilize them. It is reasonable
that this would be the case. Foreign ores
coming in free, would be placed at every
market in the east, or wherever there is
consumption, cheaper than we could get
them out and ship them. That is the case
now. and the importation of them, by rea-
son of the inadequate tariff on them, is
rapidly increasing-the first six months of
1886 showing that they doubled over the
entire importation of 1885. Every ton of
ore imported displaces ton of home ore,
and gives employment to foreign pauper
labor, instead of the labor of this coun.
try,
We want to see protection sentiment
manifested at the ballot box. That will
be encouragement for capital to come here
and the announcement that the 10th dis
trict had elected pronounced protection.
ist, would be worth millions to us, for II
would be an invitation of the right kind,
tangible and expressive, to capital and en-.
terprise to step in, assured of a sympa.
thizing sentiment. We have been met a
dozen times at least, in speaking of the
mineral resources of the South river dis.
trlct, with the remark that as long as this
district sent a free trader to Congress, we
would find difficulty in inducing capital to
locate here for the development of the
mineral resources of the Valley for the
reason that capital, like everything else,
desired to be surrounded by friends, who
would manifest their sympathy with it by
voting to sustain it and the labor it en-
ployed, through proper legislation.
If Capt. Bumgardner is for protective
tariff and for national aid for the Public
Free Schools, why did he not accept the
proposition made to him before a public
audience at Lexington, that If he would
pledge himself to vote and work for both
policies, the Republican candidate would
then and there retire from the field and
take the stump for him ? He declined the
proposition and that declension was a
more pregnant answer than anything
that could be said in words Why did not
the Convention that nominated him, and
why does he not now come out for pro-
tective tariff and national aid to public
education. without any ifs or ands about
it, instead of destroying the force of what
he says upon these questions by conditions
and subjunctions, which leave the impress
sion that he yields his convictions to out
side pressure To have earnest work
for these policies. there must be earnest
conviction behind them. which will press
their possessor to do his utmost, in season
and out of season, for the development of
the resources of Virginia and the South
and the promotion of the prosperity Of the
people.
The assumption of the Vsndicator about
the vote of the county is confession of
dense ignorance of the condition Of public
sentiment. 1t is possible our contemporary
believes what he assumes, and will rest in
this happy delusion until awakened by the
reverberations Of an explosion on the I'd Of
November.
Mr.. A. D. Mohler, prominent citizen
of Roekbridge county, died at his residence
ip Lexington on Friday last.
There are great many things in this
world of which the Tnadicdtor has not
heard, and good deal that it has to learn.
Probably it will be wiser and better in
formed after the November election.
Henry George, candidate for mayor Of