Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1886-10-20
POLITICS..

POLITICS.
As the Huntington Advertiser says, there
must always be differences of opinion, and
it is desirable that we have at least two
political parties. They should not be
merely different roads to the same destina-
tion-public plumber" but the honest, spir-
tied competition of good men for the public
veal. The people have become tired of
that political warfsre which consisted Of
personal abuse, misrepresentation and cal
umny. They want principles discussed,
public affairs exposed. scrutinized and criti-
cised, the character of the public men
judged by their achievements and policies
measured by their results. Political strife
can be intense without resort either to cal
umny or low, vulgar, personal abuse.
There is class of very good people, ed
Gated, refined and cultivated, who affect
to dispise politics. They languidly deplore
the evils they lack the energy to attack
They seem to think their hands too clean,
their taste too dainty, their culture too ex-
allied for them to bear manly part in up
holding good free government. Regard
ing such matters as vulgar, they stand aloof;
and we hear from them, not in manly adj
vocacy of better government, but in croak-
ing complaint that the government is alto
gether bad. These exceedingly good peo-
pie, whose patriotism expends itself in
fault-fnding, do harm to our Institutions.
They lack faith in the people and are inca
pable of free government.
The men who want good, honest govern
ment can have it only by taking hold and
helping to make it. If politics is a dirty
pool, let the good people interest themselves
to cleanse it. If bad men are in Office, it is
the part of patriotic citizens to 60 to the
polls on election day and vote to turn them
out. The people have themselves to blame
if they fail to accomplish any reform or car.
ry out any measure. Master Workman
Pewderly we'll said in his address to the
knights of Labor at Richmond the other
day, "Popular disregard of political duty
and tolerated, con tinued political corrup-
ton will weaken our government and de-
stroy our liberties; for the worm can eat its
way through the oak which storm and
tempest could not bend, and political dis.
honesty will strike where the lightnings
could never strike If this land was worthy
that brave men should die for. it, it is al
least worthy that unselfish, thoughtful mer
should live and work in a grand devotion te
the ideas of Il real, true Democracy"
|
The Allegheny Sentinel says that "Capt.
Bumgardner is making good, clean can
vass aud will do what he started out to do,
strengthen the party in the District and at
tain seat in Congress"
Questions for Mr.. Powdcrly. 49, Ssss
To the Editor of The State!
The impression is growing that Mr.. Pow
derby is not big enough for the big problems
of the hour. His advice to Knights of La
Dor to break the bottles in which the,
bought their beer, in order to give more
work to the men in the glass manufactures
displayed limited vision. The Knight o.
Labor in that case would simply have to
include the bottle in what be paid for his
beer thereafter; or, in other words, buy the
: bottle as well as the beer
, Why not break your wash basin after
using it or the chair you sit in, &C., in or.
der to give more employment to those en-
) gagged in these lines of manufacture?
His treatise on ''labor-saving machines
J shows no research, and the conclusions
drawn are opposed to the statistics on the
subject, to say nothing OF throwing out Of
employment the men engaged in the big
} factories in making the machines. But il
is about his last letter on the negro ques
ton that we want to say a word; for it is
entirely too rambling and evasiTe. Lei
him march squarely uptto the subject anc
} give categorical answer to the following
, questions?
list. When he went out of his way to get
Knight of Labor to introduce him to 9
body over which he was already presiding
and to which he had already introduced an
other, and selected for this unusual apd
Unnecessary ceremony the particular ozark
skinned las he expressed i) delegate" to
whom the proprietor Of Richmond hote
refused to give accommodations, was it in.
tended as a rebukc to said hotel proprietor
for his action; if not aohat aoas his meaningi
I'd. Are negroes admitted to first clasi
hotels in Scranton, Philadelphia and othel
places in Pennsylvania? Yes Or no.
Sd. When he says that his organisation
recognises no distinction Of creed or color
does that mean social equality between the
blacks and the whites? Yes orno.
: 4th. Is Mr.. Powderly himself in favor Of
social equality between the races, and is be
willing to take negro to his house in Penn
sylvauia and introduce him to his family
and place him upon social equality witt
them? Yes or no? If no, will be favor
hotel proprietors in Richmond receiving
them and placing them upon social foot
ing or equality with the families of Others
who may happen to be guests there at the
time; for must they not sit at the same
table and in the same parlors?
This. Mr.. Powdery, is what the public
want to know. CITIZEN.