Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-04-13

essional advancement-hav impoverished
his purse and store-have denied him ade-
quate recognition. Or, perhaps, he can
plead that those with whom he now con-
sorts have undergone these ills, and that in
noble sympathy with them he strikes his
blow. What! Rank them, and look at
them Every man of them waxed fat
through successful and generous purvey
ance of the organization and management
they kick against; and nearly every one of
them overwhelmed with honor, place and
pelf before his maiden sword had flashed
itself in battle before his aspirations had
grown a beard!
Capt. Wise, indeed, declares that it is
for the people that he speaks; yet it is
we'll known that the people have neoer
sympathized with the talk he adopts, nor
the course he pursues. Selt-assumed
leaders" generals" s'oficers," &C.,
have time and again essayed to rally the
people the way Capt. Wise had taken; but
in every case our voters have steadily turn
ed from them. Year by year our voting
strength has increased. In 1879 only 81, 900
strong, we cast 113, 900 in 1881; 1877, 900 in
in 1888, and Ia, 600 in 1884; and if in
1882 and 1885 we fell back in numbers,
while the enemy held their own, or in
creased in force Gas largely in 1850 those
were the years when Captain Wise led us,
and whose results he is on record as having
attributed to everything else rather than
to any defects in our organization and
management. 1t is true that in 1856 and
1887 we received only 121, 900 and 122, 900
votes but in the former year we carried
the State by over 10000 majority, defeat
seven out of the tel Democratic nominees
for Congress; and our majority last year
was 1000, at least; demonstrations that
our decreased votes were not assignable to
the causes now imagined by Captain Wise
and his new allies, but to general causes
which affected all the people of both par
ties alike.
But you want to know how it will all
end. Just as other similar efforts to rend
the party have ended. THE party itself
stands like a stone aoall, and can never be
disintegrated save by division of its peo-
pie on some false and suicidal line. Against
any such division the existing organization
and management have been perfect safe
guard. This is aoeU understood. The
masses will never consent to a policy that
will lead to internecine and fatal strug-
giles, founded only in prejudice and pas
sion, and which can only subserve the
inordinate ambition of few temporarily,
to the final destruction of us all, as party,
in our common hopes for right and better
ment. We all know how ardently the DEM
ocrats desire us to be deluded into this
policy; but SO far the wisdom of our party
has provided against it, backed by an
answering majority, and it cannot be
doubted that this majority will still remain
steadfast. The majority must and will
rule. and ought to rule, no matter how
fercely and loudly the minority may cry
out and fud reverberating echoes in all the
Democratic and Mugwump press. If there
is tyranny in the party, it is that of
majority and if anybody, feels it, he is
among that minority which would usurp a
power that all Republican theory and
practice deny.
Captain Wise is genius, an orator, "a
jolly good fellow" with popular manners.
much wit and humor and other attractive
traits; but 1 think all will agree that he
lacks sobriety of judgment and steadiness
of character, while his record as a "Boss"
at Richmond does not commend his pres
ent professions of regard for popular lie,
nor certify his capacity to conduct u party
discreetly to victory.
W c. ELAN.