The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1877-10-06
The Views of General Malone.


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The Views of General Malone.
1t may be said that we commit a breacn
OF propriety in quoting what General M a
HONE saws about the public debt. SO lar
from this being Just criticism, we feel
that we should be clearly derelict OF our
duty to the public If we failed to do so; for
although General MALONE is not avowedly
present candidate, he is exerting his IN
f,uence over the canvass by the agency OF
others, and by writing letters to all sections
of the State upon the subject OF the public
debt. Some Of these letters are deemed so
important by those to whom they were writ
ten that they publish them. We know there
are many other letters that have been writ
ten, and that some are read in public dis
cussions. The seal Of privacy is broken by
their publication, and it becomes duty OF
the press to inform the people Of the influ-
ences that are at work to control public
matters.
We have before us the Valley Vtrglnsan'
| which contains several letters from Mr..
JAMES A. FRAZIER, OF Rockbridge, COM
| pulsory readiuster and independent candl-
date, and he brings out extracts from let
ter from General MALONE to him. We think
it proper to copy part OF them. General
MALONE writes to Mr.. FRAZIER to express
his thanks to his friends in Rockbridge and
to explain anew the letter to MARTIN. we
COPY as follows from this letter written TO
Mr.. FRAZIER:
.There is, then, but one other remedyfor
the ills VIC have, and that is to be lound IN
the enforcement of the views presented IN
the Martin letter, which may be Drlehy
summed up-thusly, to demand and ENFORCE
a reimbursement Of the public debt, when
shall determine and forever put at rest me
amount which we ought Justly ana VIII
undertake to pay, and secure to tnat sum
an equitable participation in our means me TO
nav. fixing the rates Of interest WITHIN the
certain resources OF revenue to discharge 1t
Dromptly, at the hands OF our own chosen
AGENTS. without any increase Of the present
rate Of taxation.
"Lct the people do their part, and then
let the resdjusters in the Legislature organ
ize on the same line, taking care to impress
the power Of the column in dealing with
every agency which forms the power OF
Government, and when the Donunoluels
observe that business is meant rcadIust-
ment is accomplished
No wonder that Mr.. FRAZIER says that
many gentlemen could not stand on this
platform. but it was the platform for him.
Governor LETcHER, he said, plainly told
them he could not and that is true. Gov
ernor LETCHER pronounced "forclble adj
justment an absurdity. 1t was quite pre-
per that General MALONE should write to Mr..
FRAZIER, the independent repudiator, for
he had no sympathy with Governor LEIGH
Err, and, we trust, not with Colonel SHIELDS,
both OF whom had been his friends.
When General MAHoNE wrote on the 1th
November, 1876 Qcss than a year agol, to the
London bondholders he took pains to purge
himself OF all grounds for suspicion Of re-
pudiation. He even went so far as to pro-
test against being made responsible for the
opinions Of the newspapers upon the line OF
the Atlantic, Mississippi and Ohio railroad
upon the funding act, which he had evil
IDENTITY been suspected by the bondholders
of controlling. He spoke respectfully of the
funding act, and declared that his friends
were upon both sides OF the question upon
that act. Who does not believe that those
newspapers but concur ed in his own views
in all they said denolncing that act? The
letter to the bondholders was for purpose
that was best to be subserved by concealinS
his hostility to the funding act. We recall
the readers opinion to the extract from this
letter to the bondhoders, published in the
Dispatch of yesterday.
And what is the present agitation and
war for? We tell the people that purpose
is to be accomplished by it. We say, fur
thermore, that it relates in no wise to the
advancement of the welfare Of the State.
It looks to controlling the Legislature
for personal advantage. United States sem
ators and circuit judges are to be elected,
and organization for the congressional cleo
tions to be completed upon the platform OF
the agitation. We believe that these things
are in great state Of forWardness. For
the people they should be forewarned and
forearmed, or the State will pass under the
control OF the most completely selfish and
INSCRIPTIONS personal party that ever mis-
governed State.
But let US say that the agitation must en-
counter difficulties that the leader does not
properly estimate. When the Legislature
meets, il we do not err, there will be
change in public matters tlIat will throw
selfish schemes Of the day into utter con-
fusion