Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-11-12
A BROKEN PRESTIGE.

A BROKEN PRESTIGE.
We have never seen in Virginia a poll
tical organization where the prestige Of
one man was SO supreme as that of Gen.
Malone in what was called the Readjus-
ter party. Readjuster delegates went to
the 18th of July convention with conserva-
tive views about the policy of running
another ticket, and came back from Rich
mond completely changed, and with the
news that s'Gen. Malone has got down the
figures from every county in the State,
and will beat both tickets combined"
Not forty eight hours before the election
some Readjusters returned from Richmond
thoroughly confident Of great victory
''Gen. Malone has got it down on paper"
they said. Large sums OF money were
lost on this information. The reply to
every argument and entreaty to our Re-
adiuster friends not to endanger the Han
cock ticket by voting for third ticket
was confidently answered by many Of them
by the statement that it was all safe, that
the Readjuster Hancock ticket would
beat both the others combined. Even
Hon. Jno. Paul in speech in our Court
House, said, I'VE didn't want any COM
promise; we don't want any now-if we
hadn't known we could elect our ticket
we wouldn't have put it up" Gen. Ma
hone deceived others, but it was because
de was deceived himself. Only four days
before the election he issued the following:
COMMITTEE Rooms,
REApJUsTER ORGANIZATION,
RICHMOND, VA, Oct. %, 1880.
Let me assure you, as I do confidently,
that your electoral ticket. headed by Cam
eron and Riddleberger and pledged to
Hancock, will carry the State by a plural
ity of twenty-five thousand, that it will
beat either the Funder or Grip Sack tick
cts by this vote-not less. Rely on this.
VIM. MALONE.
Only the day before the election he gave
opinions wholly erroneous about the re-
suit. They are contained in a telegram
from Richmond to the Portsmouth
"Times" [Readjuster] dated Nov. LIST, and
are as follows:
General Malone spent to-day in Rich
mond, and left for his home in Petersburg
his ticket is undated. He told me that
had it not been for the recent letter Of
Mr.. Jewell his electoral ticket would re-
ceiye many thousand Republican votes,
but that in his calculations he now left
out the Republican party entirely. He
thinks that up to tonight not more than
One-half the cOlored voters have registered
and paid the poll-tax. His latest maxi
mum estimate is As, 900 for the Republican
electoral ticket. $4,000 for his ticket, and
$4,000 for the regular Democratic ticket
He says that he has made an extremely
liberal estimate for the regular ticket,
and that the probabilities are that it will
lack several thousand votes of the figures
he has conceded. He rejects scornfully
the suppositlOn that any considerable num-
Der of the Readjusters will vote with the
regulars, and asserts that be expects to
hold his forces thoroughly IN hand.
The very night before the election he
made speech at the Academy of Music
in Petersburg, of which the Petersburg
appeal" says:
Seen. Malone spoke for an hour or
more, He said there was no doubt that
the readiuster electoral ticket would car
ry the State by large decisive majority,
and that the ticket aoould be elected eUen aosth-
out the aid of a single colorel cote. He,
however, advised the colored people if they
knew what was right, to vote with the re-
adjusters."
Reading all this, even the most ardent
admirers OF Gen. Malone cannot fail to see
that his prestige as leader is gone. No
statement that he or his organs may make
hereafter will command the faith of his
followers as heretofore. If it should be
the i'll fortune of the Mozart organization
to hold together and try another campaign
no bugle blasts from the 'sWhig, no man
ifestoes of Gen. Malone from ''Committee
Roomso will ever inspire Them with
courage or confidence again. There can
be no cheer derived from the words Of 3
man, or organ, who has promised avote of
eighty thousand and come in with
a lpitiable little following Of about
one third of it-beaten and distanced by
everybody in the field. Tom Benton once
SAID that you can explain everything in
politics but a defeat, and Gen. Malone
will find it so. His prestige as an organi-
ger for which be was chiefly noted is bro
ken and gone.