The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1880-11-11
Malone.

Malone.
We publish elsewhere an account of an in
terview with Gen. Malone, communicated
from Richmond to the New York Herald. We
do this solely to give our readers the privilege
of learning what that gentleman thinks and
says, after the result of the election on the I'd
inst At this time he is the subject OF much
comment His position of United States Sen
ator elect is attracting to him unusual atten-
ton for several reasons In the first place he
owes obligations to neither Of the great polit-
ical parties of the country, as he was chosen
by the votes of Democrats and Republicans,
without reference to national parties. In the
next place, the strength of the two recognized
national parties will be about equally bal
anced in the Senate which will be sworn IN on
the 4th of March next, and he may hold the
balance of power as between them. The in
fluences which operated in his election and
his persistent purpose not to make known his
party utilization as Senator, therefore, excite
interest and many disturbing specuations. AS
parties will be divided in the Senate, claiming
identity with neither, and refusing to affiliate
with either rs party man, his position will
be eminently Independent and important. We
have no idea that Gen Malone will strictly
cooperate with either party. We believe he
will maintain his independence, and use the
anomalous influence he will be able to exert,
| for the benefit of his State and his friends
There are some questions which may come up
at the suggestion of the Republicans, as, for
instance, the tariff and the election laws, where
his sympathies would likely be with them. We
can think of none which would probably be
introduced by the Democrats, that would COM
mand his support He is emphatically pro-
gressive man. He will not be tied down to
party forms and needs, where they would con-
| flict with his own conceptions of duty and the
wants of the country He has the force of
character and the intellectual training to
act for himself and only to cooperate with
party methods as they might be conducive to
his views of the public welfare. He will not
be run by party machinery, and neither party
can rely upon him for party purposes
Gen. Mahone's prominence IN political life
has been the result of his self-reliance. OF
course not being subservient to either party,
and possessing the courage to fight both of the
old organizations, he has been the target at
which the strikers and managers of both have
fred Unable to use him, the only thing left
for them to do was to abuse him. And SO
roundly and richly has he been yillified and
denounced by the party hacks, that many
well meaning people, who gather their i'm
pressions from the partizan press, regard him
as a monster, of some species or other For
the past twelve months he has been especially
the horror OF the Bourbon leaders, who have
covered their selfish hate under the plea that he
wanted to repudiate the State debt, and dis
honor Virginia. Poor souls And now,
having accidentally gotten temporary ad-
vantage of him in the result of the recent cleo
ton, to show their sincerity and their devotion
to honor they propose to come down not only
to his terms of settling the State debt, but to
any terms, so they are permitted to father
them They proclaim that the McCulloch
| Bill, by which they swore last year, is dead !,
and must be thrown aside, and that the credi-
tors must be appealed to to offer more IA
vorable conditions. Indeed, anything, so Ma
hone is not to stand godfather to it. Not only
is Mahone's policy thus substantially endorsed,
but their own and themselves condemned
But this is nothing, if they can only draw the
people away from Malone and use them
to place themselves in power and keep them
! there
| And then it is amusing to hear them vocif-
crate that Malone and Mahonism are dead in
| Virginia, and see them tremble at the sound
of their own voices when they give vent to
the delusion, lodging around TO see whether
the ghost of the deceased is not haunting
them. We suspect they will find a pretty live
y corpse before they get tn rough with the funer
services. They will discern that like Banquo's
ghost, he will not down at their bidling. The
people who have followed him in State mat
tiers will not stink away into a corner or bow
their necks to the Bourbon yoke at Bourbon
command The fight will be renewed, for the
Bourbon party is not big enough to hold Ma
hone and his followers, and their prosecutors.
AS to the shape 1t may assume, we can
not say, but it will come, as certain as
effect follows cause. The great mass of
| the people have no sympathy with Bour-
bonism, and against it they are destined to
make determined and effectual revolt, in one
form or another. They have no more conf
dence in the old threadbare leaders now than
they had before the election, nor respect for
them. 1t was not regard for them that the
surprising result in this State on the Cd was
brought about, but the hope Of electing Han
! cock. The deluded and dazed faction will
learn in time that they have no power over
the masses and that their enthusiasm over the
present triumph will amount to no more than
anintermittent spasm. They already give ev-
idence of their own want of confidence in
their rejoicings and are trembling in expec-
fancy of the next move of the dead Malone
1t will come, and come with bulge that will
sweep away the new found hopes and ex-
pectations of these victors by an accident
| The State. Deht