The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-04-26
THE CHALLENGE OF COZ. III. G. PAR
SONS ANSWERED
And the Colonel is Called UpOD 10 Stan'
Up and Answer some Questions.

And the Colonel is Called npOn 10 Stand
Up and Answer some Questions.
STAUNToN. VA. April %. 1888.
Editors Foiley Tirgifidn:
Gentlemen,-In the last issue OF you paper oi
10, inst, you publish the following editorial
article of the sNew York Tribune" OF 10Th, INST
WANTED GENERAL MAHoNE
In his now famous secret circular against
Blaine Gen. Malone charged that certain
letter from Virginia which had appeared IN the
Tribune, and which he affected 10 regard as
aimed AT himself with deadly intent, was really
written in this city. at the Fifth Avenue Hotel,
at Mr.. Blaine's iDstgation. and by H. z. Par
sons, of Virginia. TO this The Tribune respond
ed that the letter was not written at the Fifth
Avenue Hotel. nor In this city, put IN Virginia,
| as 1T purported to be. and not by II. Z. PARSONS
at ALL but by a gentleman whose name we have
| in our confidential records, and not at Mr.
Blaine's instigation. But Gen. Mahone Is OF
the opinion that lie well stuck TO is as gooq as
the truth, and in a recent answer to Capt. Jno
S. Wise, he says, speaking of the secret c1rcu-
mo rational human being can read that let
ter without being fully convinced that, If Its
| allegations OF fact be true, it points out the
only manly course, the only self-respecting
course for Virginia Republicans to pursue, and
I undertake to prove before any tribunal or
umpire that all these allegations are true, even
including that which charges The authorship of
a certain letter which appeared In the Nea0
York Tribune to the inspiration OF iresiden en-.
tial aspirant. and TO the pen OF one OF his
henchlnen."
To this Mr.. Pars ons made a prompt and ade-
quate response us follows:
NATURAL BRIDGE, VA, April 9, 1883.
Hon. Nm 1fdho2le.
Dear General,-I deny both the inspiration
your recent public address. | accept your
| challenge. name Hon John sherman as the
umpire, end demand an early hearing and your
evidence. Yours respectfully,
| This makes an issue. which Gen. Aahone
| must meet. be the laughing stock Of the pol
| iticians He cannot complain of the umpire,
| for he is Gen. Mahone's own candidate for the
| Presidency 50 far as we know. the General
| has lain low sincs receiving this letter. we
| publish it III the hope Of getting hin 70 snow
| himself. Come, General, where are You:
Come. editor of Ifibulae. where are you" You
| have been asked to allow the privilege OF a pub
LEGATION i'll your paper of the reasons why COL
Parsons was thought 10 he The author OF The ar
| ticle i'll question: add you have refused IL. Here
! Is a letter mailed to this editor when written :
SrAUNToN, VA, March 10, 1883.
[ Editor Tribune:
nation upon which he stated Mr. H. q. Parsons
| was the author of the com mun icdtlon published
| in your paper III NOv'r, 1886.
\ In Justice to Gen. Malone would be glad for
! space in your paper to give the reasons why
| Mr.. Parsons was thought 20 be the author OF
| that communication. An early reply Will
W f. CRAIG.
Receiving no reply from u is letter | again
| wrote as follows:
| sTAuNToN, VA March 26, 1888.
| Editor ". Y. 7rbune:
Dear sir,-On 18th. lnst wrote you that
| which he charged II. c Parsons with the an
| thorship OF The letter signed valley Republic
| cam which appeared in your paper in Nov.
| 1885, and asking you tor p, r;nission through
4 your paper to say why lie was thought and be-
4 lieved to be its author.
hope In view of your criticism of Gen. Ma
| hone by reason of what he has written concern
! ing that letter you will give me the opportu-
! be its author Having received no reply to my
| letter of 18TH inst nope you Will, at an early
day let me hear from you in reply TO ms Ra1a
| These letters were both duly mailed by my
1 own hands, and while every fair-mlnded man
will say that the request con. ained therein was
4 reasonable yet it Was refused by the letters
being thrown aside nnno'lced and unanswered
IL is true that our postal sy stem under this era
of Democratic civil seivice reform is somewhat
| in condition of ''inoccuouS dissuetude;" yet
| 1t must be presumed that as me Tribune SO
promptly receives and publishes everything to
Gen. Mahone's detrimeDt, that IL occas lonaily
J receives something tending TO his vindicat1oE.
l might say some hard things about me Tribune
| as it has done about Gen. Malone, but that Is
not my style; the very fact of jts having so un-
fairly treated me- and then after dotn9 so, after
refusing Gen. Mahone he privilege OF It's
columns, TO publish The scufrilous editor 1al
| above quoted, speak louder IN its condemna-
Yes did give Cen Malone the information
| as above mentioned, and was justified in do
ing SO, and in myself thinking and believing
| that Col. p. did write that letter, and that it
was written in The Fifth Avenue Hotel, n. y,
| and with the knowledge and approval of Mr..
ment of the gentleman who did write 1t, whose
| integrity ana veracity is unquestioned, would
| L.
| Gen. Malone did not charge the positfoe au-
| thorship of that letter TO Col. P; please note
| his language. it is this '"Ihis communication
was written in the Fifth Avenue Hotel. New
| York, by H. q. Parsons and at the instigation
OF Mr.. Blaine as hare reason to believe" Gtal-
| les lnine). NOW If the following facts and cir
| cumstances did not give Gen. NJ, sufficient
treason to believe" that Col P. wrote that let
| ter then give it up to my mind It was almost
/ Soon after this article was published IN The
| Tribune NOV. %. 1861 Gen Mahone wrote me
cI,i,, hat
certain events which had transpired, and of
which he had knowledge mot necessary here to
mention) it was evident motion was on foot
antagonistic to our organization; ana whethef
intended or not by the author of that article,
| in such antagonism The author was from the
Valley of Virginia. in surveying the held L
concluded that it came from one OF three
sources-from D. Sheffey Lewis, s. NJ and Jacob
Yost or III. q. Parsons; readily dismissed Mr..
Lewis, because knew he was present at the
state Committee meeting in Washington In
May 1856, when the whole plan of campaign
was Iormuated-especially as to his own dis
trict at his suggestlon-and not suspecting that
| any one there present would detract from the
advantage of choosing our own battle ground
| for the fight and the mode of conducting the
fight. | scarcely thought it possib that either
OF the Yosts would have so early begun 10
arouse such a powerful antagonsm when
| to Congress, and enjoyed the hearty and cor
dial support and good will of all Republicans,
and when his tuture-sO promising-depended
SO largely upon his antagonlsing nobody.
The lstly, IDLY 3dly. SC. of the article struck
i
that he was In New York about that time that
he in conference with Mr.. Blaine and
other of his friends at the Fifth Avenue Hotel.
| they all being there present together; l knew
! that he was not in sympathy with our state
| organization and its management: supposed
| that Mr.. Blaine was feeling his way for Presi-
dental denomination and that he knew if "the
/ "a delegates to the convention. the only tnlhg
worth lighting for in Virginia" were to pc won
for him 1t must be against our state organlZa-
ton, and that he and his friends would strike
that organization blow whenever they could:
Avenue Hotel with MI, Blaine and his friends,
had called meeting of representative Repub-
licans Of the Valley and Southwest to convene,
as his guests at Natural Bridge Hotel. Va, to
consider an organization whereby to. hold the
advantage already gained, TO steal q long
march on the enemy, &C., &c. l thought why
the need fanny other organization tnan that
which the people in State conventlon mad
elected, and to which all loyal Republicans
should look and by which they should be
guided surely thought that Mr.. Parsons and
Mr.. Blaine, standing as high as they did in the
party should understand this, and that If any
advantage was to be taken Of or march stoien
upon, our common enemy Democracy 1t
not through an organization of the =. W. ana
Valley Republicans then to be considered
suspected that this meeting las Col P's guests
at Natural Bridge" meart antsgonism to our
State organization and to gather in "tLe "a
votes. &C.: all that was worth ifghtlng 1of IN
These being the facts, did not hesitate to
say to Gen. M. that Col. P, was, in my opinion,
! challenge Mr.. Parsons to deny these facts.
Now / call upon Col. Parsons to stand up
and answer these questions
Have you ever been in sympathy with Gen.
Malone and the Readjuster movement in Wiz
! gina whereby the Republican party obtained
control of the State, elected two U. S. Senators,
abolished the capitation tax and whipping post
revived and re-estabiished the free schools,
and aIlayed that bitter luminosity of Bourbon
| ism towards all Republicans which we so sorely
felt?
Have not the individuals with whom you
affiliate, commonly called 1.-The kickers," and
who lately issued an address from Richmond
to the Re pubtcans of this State agreed to elect
you chairman of our party in they can
| 'down Malone?
| And If not you. whom do they propose elect
| ing as such chairman?
| Why was it that you in 1884. whine posing as
| the special friend and champion OF Blaine, an
nounced that Blaine did not desire carrying
Virginia, while we. who opposed his nom1na-
| ton were most Loyalty and energetically en-
| deavoring to give him our electoral vote?
W. +. CRAIG.
Rockingham Republicans.
At the.Rockingh am Republican Convention,
| held April %, 1888, ID. s. Lewis, permanent
chairman, defeated Webb by a popular vote OF
| 1851 to $685. DR.. VIM. J /. Points and Ii. P. Gray,
secretaries.
Delegates TO District Convention and State
Convention are Hon. John F. Lewis, DR.. VIM.
| g I in1S n i'm