The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-08-14
y,rc,n,.,s narrow Escape.

In the defeat Of the gubernatorial aspira-
lions of General William Malone the VIZ
ginia Conservatives have narrowly missed,
but nevertheless. we trust, fully escaped,
great disgrace. The battle was desperate
| one, and the issue was long uncertain, but
| in the end the higher morality OF the party
triumphed in the nomination OF F. w. M.
Holiday. in whose hands the good name OF
! the State Is not likely to suffer, despite the
support he received in the anger OF defeat
| from the discounted followers OF the Ma
hone standard. Il had come to be under
stood, as we'll outside OF Virginia as
| on the battle-ground OF the long cam
paign for the nomination, that the sue
GEES OF Malone would mean that the peo-
| pie OF Virginia would spare no efforts to
escape their Just liability to creditors, whose
consideration for their straits has few paraI
lels. Malone was not an avowcd repudia-
ZIONIST but had rallied the whole rcpudia-
ton clement and other rifl-raff OF the party
to his support by declaring in favor of L
compulsory "readiustment of the State
debit cunning phrase, well understood
| to mean that the creditors should be COM
PEELED TO take whatever the debtor might
choose to pay, and that nothing whatever
should be paid if payment involved an IL
crease OF taxation. Holiday. while not 80
outspokcn as Daniel in favor Of the pay
ment OF the debt at any sacrifice, is fully
committed TO Il recognition Of IFS validity,
and IS not Il man to be Swcrvcd from Dis
conviction by any consideration OF policy
as opposed to principle. His nomination
may be considered equivalent to an election:
Malone. the boldest, and some would
say most INSCRIPTIONS, OF the candidates,
has Il large personal following, reinforced
| 7 Iva Lon. # n
hurry about paying the State debt, and con-
fidcnt OF his ability to command the Rcpub-
lican vote in certain contingency, viz
tuallY demanded the nomination under
penalty OF bolt. On the other hand,
believing Malone an advocate OF repu-
diatiou, the friends OF several other candi-
dates. notably Of Major Daniel, have been
prepared to light him to the death, and 1t
has been an open secret that if Malone were
nominated on a platform squirting at re-
pudiation an independent movement would
| be organized against him. In the prelmi-
nary proceedings this element gained many
good points. and confident OF their own
strength passed the resolution binding men,
bers OF the Convention to accept its nominee
and platform. This pledge may not deter
| Malone from setting up on his own account
after all, but it will prevent many OF his
friends from taking part in any independent
movement in his favor, especially IN view
of the outspokcn manner in which his man.
ayers in the Convention gave in their adhc-
sion to Holiday when they saw that their
own calSc was lost. When the fight was
narrowed to Daniel and Holiday they went
| to Holiday, not that they dislikcd him less,
but Daniel more.
The result is not only rc&SStlrins rs to
Era t,n1n har
| is too much disposition in that section to
think that the load OF Indebtedness dropped
from their shoulders when they were strip
ped OF their slaves. and that all post-bellum
debts were illegally incurred because the
| taxi in the several years OF the re-
construction period and immediately fol-
| lowing readmis>ion to the Union, had 80
! little to do with ncurrimg them. But Viz
gina has less excuse than any other SOUTH
crn State for seeking to evade her financial
responsibility. Her debt WAS in the main
contracted before the war. 1t has since
| been reduced by setting apart the portion
cGuitably falling to West Virginia, and the
balance has been funded on terms OF her
| own proposing.
IT was well said the other day that the Md
hone party proposed 20 barter the honor OF
Virginia for poStagc-Stamp. We're Virginia
to repudiate every southern Stale might
fairly be expected to follow her example.
Honor to the men who have stood up for the
credit OF their State in the long struggle we
trust now ended. They did no more than
their duty. but did it the face OF many malign
and powerful influences. The monster re-
pudation may make another effort to throttle
the State, but now that he is down it will
be easier to keep the upper hand OF him;
to this work let all honest Virginians adj
dress themselves -EHita0efDhtG Times.