The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-08-29
Mahone's Convention.

The proceedings of the Norfolk Con-
yenfion are just about what We had eX
pected and predicted, except ia the final
acce ptanee of Gen. Mahone-a mere per
functnrv enactment of what had been
deiiberat y prepared for this formal
adopti)l.
Mahon IS speech is in style. turgid, in
VOWED acd ungrammatical, such as no
mortal IN n other than himself could
have PAT 'gether. There is a good deal
of mat - IN it, which, if it came from
a since e III IN in whose integrity of pur-
pose ~ p.iolic could have confidence,
would :-e valuable, but coming from a
notorious trickster, will have no effect
whatever in Virginia
His chief complaint is of election
frauds. But the only frauds now prac-
ticed by TIL. Democrats are those practi-
cable under the Anderson Mccormick
bill. by which three men at each precinct
can ret srn just as they please, the vote
of their res Dective prec incts. But this
plan was borrowed or stolen by the Dem
Gcrats from Mahone's own plan of Or
ganization and the case is the old trite
one Of the engineer being hoisted by his
own petard. His complaint against the
working OF the Democratic election law is
precisely lie one against his own plan of
organization; two OF three men in every
meeting of Republicans can determine
and deciar the action of the party there,
just as their own sweet will may in
cline.
An that is the very objection to the
Norfolk Convention. 1t was gotten up
an composed Oh the Anderson-McCor-
mick plan. Where was there ever a more
gross and shameless application of that
plan than in the meetings in Peters
burg, Richmond, Norfolk, Lynchburg,
ami other places, held to appoint dele
gate to the Norfolk Convention The
Ne.y ha?'Htoay boosted of as character
izing hat Convention demonstrates its
spurious character as a representative
and deliber;ltive body. If Mahone's OF
ject WAS to produce the impression at
Washington that there is no discord, 10
deep, wide -spread and unappeasable SEN
timent Of opposition to him and his
methods. his Convention proves too
much. 1t proves what is VIGOROUSLY and
conspieaously untrue and its very har
mony dem ;nstrates that the Convention
was bui the personal caucus of Mahone's
free bl;iuks and obedient whites.
Everyijo iy Of any literary perception
can see that the platform, like the inau-
gurai sp -aeh, was Mahones. A thor
O1ehly uneducated man, although his
mind is cielr and able, he cannot write
English O.. any other language. All lis
literary productions are a defiance of all
the accepted rules of style. ELAN is mas
ter of style, but was induced to father the
platform, while not one man or women
in any ten thousand reading and writing
people OF Virginia will persevere to read
through two paragraphs of it.
The result is, that the proceedings of
the Convention were tame enactment
throughout of thoroughly un-Vir-
giDian drama of servility. The printed
proceedin IS were patent outside, ster-
eotyped before hand, and sent down to
be issue /, without any of the features of
life AMI controversy that invariably
characterize the proceedings of intelli-
gent free citizens, differing with each
other, and assimilating their differences
by earnest, manly and spirited debate.
In short there is nothing in the Con
vention or its deliverances that measures
up to the demands of a party animated
by a hi n sense of duty to the State and
count :, and seeking public approval as
a mean to subserve their best interests
and promote the general welfare. 1t was
Mahone's Convention, called to record
his DEGREES and voice his demands as the
supre ne object and aim of party organ
izati )n, Indifferent to Republican sue
cess for the principles the party repre-
sents and only to be desired as a means
of self-eXaltation.