The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-09-11

cs,mness Of confidence and tue S
sSs,,,red victory we're manifested 10 t sslies
s s,s and The manner fnwhich they we're
receiyed-by The speakers and bS Tue audi,
ence AS General GRAFT would says the hs
K. KS. have given us q good .send'ofi. M
The extraordinary popularity Of Governor
Waller was evident in every deu,onstra.
ton Of the crowd. s9s.
Malone as the Ruler Of Virginia.
Under the sensational caption, Vir.
"giuia-The Power behind the Throue y 10
"PcI,,ics How the Railroad Interest is try
sing to control the, tate"-tbe Chicago
Times publishes alstter from Richmond con-
taining the. following &
RIcHMoSp, VA. September 4.--f believe |
haye already mentioned General Wiltism
Mahone. president Of the Atlantic, Missis
s;nni and OHIO Railfoad Company Ia this
correspondence, SIS the political power be-
hind the throne" y IN this State; but II the
! Times do not present him morefuliy In It's
| columns it will defraud and disappoint not
only the existing generation, but all
posterity, for the General is already
Is historic parsonage. ard his promi-
hence will increase as bis influence on
men and events here and elsewhere becomes
better known. However much opinions
NAV differ as to Malone, his measures, etc.,
there is no question as 10 the great extent OF
his power in Virginia. How he has acquired
this power, it is difficult to explain, unless
IRE accept the theory thatahe is one Of those
men born to rule and command. and who
subdue men and circumstances to their Will
by tho quiet operation OF mental anu moral
qualities inherent in them. A poor boy
OF Jerusalem, Northampton county, of Irish
descent, be became general In the Conted.
erHte army, and is now president of the great
railway line, runsing across the State from
Norfolk to Bristol, Tcnn,, With a salary Of
SO, 900 q year. But there are other men
who were Confederate generals and are now
railroad magnates, yet none Of them have a
1.-THE of the political control which Malone
possesses and has held for years. ! have no
purpose of going into detail of what be
has done, or bad done, or is generally be-
Iieved to have shaped; and merely.
state in general way that he is known
to have directed the political and rail-
road policy Of this Commonwealth, in
and out Of the Legislature, ever since 1869,
and to have made and married both
men and measures at bis pleasure.
In this view, of course, it follows that TO
him is particularly due much Of the credit for
the present comparatively peaceful and pros.
porous condition OF affairs here; but, as al.
ways happens to leading spirit in pubiic
matters, he is now bitterly opposed by many
who decry bis motives. denounce his policy.
aud revolt at what they call bis Oyerbeariug
and dictatorial temper. After all, however.
Mabonism, as attacked, is rather the crt a.
ton of the Mahonites than Of General Ma
hone himself, and he is made responsible tor
many things that he knows nothing Of, and
of Others that he cannot control. That
he Is surrounded and followed By q
throng of sneaks and sycophants, who
do many things in bis name without
his knowledge or approval, is rather his
misfortune than his fault, and is due rather
to the meanness and selrility Of the clientele
than 10 any bad qualities of the patron. II
is remarkable to see how he is accepted as o
leader by SO many of the Virginans par er-
cellence who have "F. +. "" understood.
if not expressed, after their names, notWth
Standing the humbeness of his origin. He
is the chief exponent of Virginia for Viz.
ginians," the vigorous champion of d Viz
g1nia railroad policy, as opposed to free rail.
roads and the chartering Of roads that
may divert trade and travel from Viz
gina cities and ports to others outside
her borders, snd it is now believed
that he is lending his oountenance to the
third-term movement. MahOne's enemies
flatter themselves that his power is waning,
and that they, backed by the aid of the Bal
timore and Ohio Railroad Company and
other influences, will be able to defeat him at
all points, and especially in his railroad
policy in the tight, for which all parties are
preparing, that is expected to take place 10
the General Assembly this winter. But tits
u boast Of the Generals friends that he was
never defeated III any engagement during
the late war, and they feel confident that be
will stip continue TO be victorious over ali
opposition, no mattsr how combined. AS TO
the personal appearance of General Malone,
he is CT slight figure, below the average
height, with bright, keen eyes, sharp fea-
lures, sallow complexion, and with dark hair
worn long. He is often coStumed in cadet
gray, of Quakegish cut, and wears tall, wide
brimmed felt hat, with one side usually
fastened up. His appearance is striking, if
not commanding.
The popular impression that MAHoNB is
man of wonderful Influence has gone forth
all over the land. We recently heard a pas
seuger on MAAoEE's road declare In the
most emphatic manner that MAHoNB was not
ouly the best-qualifed railroad officer in the
State, but the actual Governor of Virginia !!
Now, we hold him to be mere pretender
to power. We do not believe thatthe Legis-
lature of Virginia can be influenced by him
in any way. That body has duties to per-
form, and in the performance of them has
frequently done what MAHoNE wanted done,
but that he has any such influence as bis ad-
mirers claim for him, we totally disbelieye.
But admitting it to be true that he can influ.
ence the Legislature to do what it ought not
to do, what burning shame 1t is to Vir.
ginia.
MALONE is the chief exponent Of sc Virgi-
mia for Firginians," quoth the Times's cor
respondent. How does he exemplify his
theoryp By denying express facilities to the
chief city in Virginia-by depriying Rich.
mond merchants of hundreds of thousands
OF dolars' worth of sales annually trying
to induce every passenger that passes over
his road to 60 direct TO New York or Balti'
more instead of passing through this city
and by doing everything that he can to in.
jure the trade of Virginia's capital. He is a
beautiful exponent of the doctrine that his