The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1891-09-03
Monkeying With q Buzz Saw.


VALLEY VIRGINIAN's reference to
the platform Of the Nirginia. Alliance,
we published last week. II seems TO US,
that.a paper Of the reputation, eircula-
ton and influence Of the Dispatch ought
to be equally as plain and direct in its
criticisms OF such dangerous fallacies as
those projected by the alliance IS the
VIRGINIAN. The Dispatch knows that
to give practical force to the deciara>
ton Of the Alliance would bring ruin
not only upon the farmers but upon the
whole country. Why does it not say so,
and direct its influence to arrest the
mad folly OF the leaders OF that organi-
zation who are deluding and deceiyng
the farmers? The press owes no higher
or sacred duty to the people than to
expose such wicked and ruinous doc
trines as these Alliance leaders are seek
ing to press upon the country and in
corporate into laws 1t falls short of its
mission when it stops to temporize and
compromise with INSCRIPTIONS. dema>
gogues, who are ignorant of the first
! PRINCIPLES of finance, and reckless as to
the consequences Of legislation, SO they
get the offices.
There is q anger in the ideas promul-
gated by the Alliance, and it is the duty
OF the press to point it out. The people
want to do right, if they are satisfied on
which line the right lies. There is moi
/ tnll yle
would vote for free coinage OF silver, il
lie was thoroughly informed of the eff
/ fecta upon his own property and indus
| try; there is not one who would favor
the repeal of the national banking law,
if informed of the effects upon business,
and the medium through which business
is transacted; there is not one OF them
who would favor the foolish and non
sensical sub treasury scheme il he should
comprehend its effects and results; there
is not one of them who would vote for
the government taking charge of the
| railroads and telegraph lines of the
country we're they to think of the vast
army of dependent officers and employees
gress and the Executive and be used to
defy aud defeat the will of the people
whenever it answered the purpose of the
party in power to do it. There is inf
mite danger in all these crude and revo-
lutionary notions and it is the duty of
the press to call attention to it, Yet the
Dispatch is coquetting with them and
the organization which projects them,
! for fear it might operate against some
/ partizan interest, or ieopardize some
political aspirant, instead of speaking
out the truth, and condemning the
! whole Alliance scheme from beginning
I to end. The Alliance, as it has develop
e and is being carried on, is no friend
dangerous enemy, for no interest would
suffer so directly and seriously as that
/ of the farmer should the wild notions of
/ the Ocala platform be reduced to laws.
/ The country owes a debt of gratitude
| to such courageous statesmen as Sena-
tors George and Walthall, OF Mississippi;
| Senator Butler, of South Carolina: Sen
1 ator Morgan, Of Alabama and Senator
/ Sherman. of Ohio, for their timely
manly exposure of the fallacies and dan
as announced in their general and State
conventions. And the danger of the
ideas or notions they support, is aggra-
waited by the fact that they propose
their plans and consult over their pur-
poses in secret, under oath>bound obi
cations to reveal nothing but what it
suits the purposes of the leaders to give
ont. This of itself is menace to Re-
Publican inst ltutions. 1t is in conflict
with the spirit and purpose of our civil
system aud the whole genius Of the
Aa4ernment. There has never been be-
fore but one organization that aspired
to national proportions and was held to-
gether by secret oaths and ties, and that
one today Is execrated by all mankind.
1t was the Know Nothing party, which
| buried face downward That will be
tae fate of the Alliance as a political
organization, seeking to engraft the
ideas Of the Ocala platform upon the
| legislation of the country. With the
people fully aroused to the natural and
inevitable effects of such legislation
they will place the stamp Of their indigs
nation upon the whole revolutionary
scheme, and assert their own patriotic
c neern for the government, its poll
.:o a "a - ~,
The Dispatch will be awakened to the
f ily of it's non comnittaIisin and tlnid~
ity. when probably it is too late. 1t is
considering the situation from u parti
ian standpoint and while it is hedging
AMI temporizing and conceding tie
denagogues of the Alliance are going
right ahead demanding everything, and
getting what they demand. They say
they will be satisfied with nothing less
than the control of the Legislature =
They will be apt to get that from pres
ent indications Ii they do. then look
out for music in the air, especially from
the fat and sleek oificeholiers from u
S. Senator down to the sweep at the
capital building. They will go quick
and fast, whether that be a part OF the
bargain or not. In this there is room
for Improvement, but the same power
that would effect this, would also enact
laws that would disturb and derange
every interest IN the State; cripple the
railroads, and arrest the development
and progress of the Commonwealth to a
degree not now dreamed of The truth
of all this will be demonstrated, and
more, toe, if the Dispatch and other pa
pers of influence do not show holder
courage and sagacity, in the treatment
of the matter.
The Dispatch, as party organ, is
monkeying with a buzz saw, in tam
paring with the fallacies of the Alliance.
One of the most disastrous railroad ac
cidents which has befaiien a Southern
road, occurred at bridge over Third
creek, near Statesyille, n. c., on the
Vastarn North CaroJiua railroad loc+