Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-05-13

InG DIduUtOH fINDiOAlOs ohN
rightfully stands up for the unchallenged ad-
mission of the seventy-two Hill delegates
from New York State into the Democratic Ma
tional Convention. 1t is a paper which is sell
dom wrong, Nevertheless it is liable to err.
1t can hardly be expected to be guilty of no
mistakes. And we submit to our Staunton
contemporary that when it questions the right
of any Virginia congressman to favor the
nomination of Hill or Cleveland OF anybody
else, OF to advocate the policy of instructing
or that of refusing to instruct the Virginia
delegates to the Chicago convention, it ques-
lions right which belongs as we'll to the
congressman, whether he is a Senator OF Rep
resentative, as to the humblest letter carrier
in the Commonwealth. To serve the people
in official positions is not to disqualify any
man for expressing an opinion in favor of the
nomination of either Cleveland OF HILL
Ricltnsond Dispatch.
To favor this Oh that, is so purely amen
tai operation that it would be impossible
to sustain OIL enforce opposition to it. But
when two U. S. Senators, the creation of
thepeople, seek by interviews and publica-
ti0ns to enforce their views on an assem-
blage of the people it becomes a different
matter What Mr.. Barbour and Mr.. Daniel
have done, Senator Barbour and Senator
Daniel may not do, and an instructive sense
of propriety should teach them they ought
not to do. To interfere, as both these gen.
tlemen have done in advance with the de-
alterations Of the people concerning who
shall be chosen President, is against the
spirit of our republican institution if not
the letter Of it's law. So careful has this
country been about the interference of
officials with the choice of the people that
it has forbidden in it's constitution that a
congressman shall perform the purely per-
two Virginia Senators seek to impress their
views on the deliberations of the people and
seek to go themselves to Chicago to choose
President, they violate the spirit of our
free institutions. 1t is Capitalization of
the power of the people INTO the hands of
officials that should not be permitted. The
people understand this well enough. When
an attack by a Virginia Democrat in a
Democratic convention in Shenandoah, the
old Tenth Legion, on the two Virginia
Senators for their supposed desire to 60 to
Chicago is hailed with loud cheers, and
when the intimation, at a Virginia
Democratic meeting in the capital Of Vir-
ginia, that the efforts of these two Senators
are inspired by personal feeling, is loudly
applauded, it seems to us that even the
most stolid mind ought to be convinced
that the people resent this Senatorial effort
to influence them in their deliberations.
We need not say to SO wise head as the
Dispatch, that a man who is a Senator can
not avoid carrying WITH his public utter
ances tie weight IF the infiue ice of his po-
sition which is the gift Of the people. He
is very different ler.oa and carries very
different influence fro the ''humblest let
TEL; irrier" who represents nobody but
himself. We, in common with very large
body OF the Virginia people, had hoped that
both of our Senators would have recognized
the proprieties of the situation, but it
seems we all are to be disappointed. We
fully recognize all the service, and it's value,
that Messrs. Daniel and Barbour have rem
dered the Virginia Democracy-the latter
gentleman has been a peculiar favorite of
this journal which was the first we believe
to suggest him for a broader field of useful
ness than that confined to his district-but
we fear neither Of them understand the eX-
te.t OF the irritation that is existing
against them in the minds OF a very large
body of Democrats who have been theiI
friends. Not because they favor this Oh
that man, but because it is generally be-
lieved that the influence of the high posi-
tions entrusted to them is being nsed TIC
control tie deliberations and choice OF
the people.