Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1881-11-17
The Readjuster Triumph in Virginia.

on the simple issue of the debt the re-
suit would have attracted very little at
tention or sympathy from the outside
world. Most certainly the Northern
people, who are debt-paying people, mol
Excepting Minnesota, would not have
sympathized with Malone. But the is
sue did not turn on the debt. 1t turned
on Mahone-on his position in the Uni
ted States Senate-on his position to
ward the colored people of Virginia, and
on his general opposition to what is
known as Bourbonism in Virginia. The
election thus became one of national in
terest, and the sympathies of hundreds
of thousands of people were enlisted in
the result according to their party affili-
j ations. The feeling of the country was
much the same as in Presidential year.
The issue was not local, but general.
Now that the election is over and Ma
hone triumphant it becomes q question
of interest as to "what will he do with
it." The victory is in his hands, but
not the result. He has thrown the stone
into the water, but the waves that will
spread from shore to shore are beyond
his control.
There can not be a third party in this
country as issues now stand. The vo-
ting public must find their place in one
or the other of the two great parties.
Aud this they will certainly do. The
lGreenback issue is dead and the Tenn
perance movement draws only a small
following from each party. For the
| present there is no issue to divert the
people to any material extent from the
Republican and Democratic parties.
Therefore Malone and his followersmust
affiliate with the one or the other party.
Which will it be?
AS we. read the signs of the times they
will hereafter act with the Republican
party, and the present Indications are
that Virginia is now quite as likely to
vote for the Republican candidate for
President in 1884 as is the State of New
York. This is putting it mildly, for
New York, owing to New York city, is
always an uncertain State. We might
say thst she is as likely to vote that way
as is Pennsylvania. Pennsylvania is
held to the Republican party mainly by
the tariff issue, and Virginia is now an
embryo Pennsylvania as respects that
issue. There is great awakening in
Virginia in favor of the development of
the manufacturing resources of that
State. The free trade sympathies Of the
Democratic party have for a long while
past been alternating large following
in Virginia. This element is now pref
ty well weaned off from the party.
Even the Richmond Dispatch. Bour-
bon organ, has lately come out in favor
of protection, but it has followed and
not led public opinion in this respect.
The fact is that the people of Virginia
are bursting their old trammels. They
have fed on the husks of pride and pow
erty long enough. They have found
that the name of Virginia is no longer
magic spell politically or otherwise.
They have found that their pretensions
and affectations were an offense to the
country atlarge, and that capitalists and
immigrants avoided State where the
natives put ON airs over more intelligent,
more energetic and more progressive
people.
An opportunity has long been want
ing in Virginia to crystalline this dissat-
isfied and alienated element of tho Dem
cratic party into an effective opposition.
The Republican party did not attract it
because it was under both political and
social ban in Virginia. Identification
with that party was a matter of person
al reproach, and people sensitive to their
business interests and social popularity
hesitated to cut loose from the dead boz
dy of Virginia Bourbonism.
The readjuster issue, led by a bold
man like Malone, a native of the State
and Confederate general in the war.
afforded the pretext that thousands had
long sought for cutting loose from the
Democratic party, and hence irrespec-
tive of the debt issue they gladly follow
ed Malone. And now that they have
followed him despite his alliance with
the Republican party in the Senate, and
despite the cry of Niger that was raised
in the canvass, it is altogether likely
that a permanent breach has been ef-
fscted in their former party relations,
and taht they will hereafter follow log
ically where events may lead them.
This, as we interpret the future, will be
in the same road travelled by the Repub-
lican party.
In this view the result of the election
is very important to the whole country.
1t is the desired wedge that will split
the solid South and put an end to sec
tionalism in this country. Surely this
is great desideratum. 1t was the final
influence of Virginia that brought on
the war. and it is fitting that she at
length should lead in breaking up the
political array that still remains as the
anti-climax of the rebellion. She could
not do nobler historic work. With Vir-
ginia detached the array falls hopelessly
to pieces. We believe that she is now
permanently detached, and that the sol
i'd South is thing of the past Revolu-
tions do not go backwards. Republican
ism is no longer a bugaboo in Virginia.
1t has come to stay and occupy the land.
1t is now as when the Romans took
Capua. The great idol that stood in the
gates and that was expected to conyulse
nature under the touch of sacrigegious
hands, was struck and broken by Ro-
man battle ak, and the earth did not
open and the sun was not darkened,
Once disenchanted, the disgusted VIC
tins of an ignoble tradition-the Capu-
ans themselves-fel to and demolished
the idol with their own hands, and
henceforward belived only in the gods
of the Romans.-WheelingI Intelligencer.