Delaware state journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1870-1883, 1881-03-17
The sale of a senator.

power to organize the l mteu States
Senate was justified by the delivery OF
the scopndrel they have bought to that
party. There is no shadow of doubt as
to the character of the transaction. The
did not carry enough States
at the recent election to give them control
of the Senate without the aid of David
Davis of Illinois, which they cannot get.
But the leaders of the Republican party
want power, no matter how it comes, and
emboldened by vote for their candidates
at the last election which oondoned their
past crimes against free government, they
concluded to secure by purchase what
they failed to secure by the voice of the
people or the States, and they naturally
turned to the man most likely to be in
the market.
There was no doubt or question any
where as to who that man was. Not
long ago one ofthose spasms of dishonesty
which sweep over communities enabled
man HNllltll mdllOlt 10 lldht
himself the leader of all that was worst in
Virginia politics. He had been General
in the Confederate army and an extreme
Democrat when parties began to be
recognized. He engaged after the war
in an ambitious scheme to make himself
sort of Railroad King but failed and
came out practically bankrupt. This
was the school in which most the
leaders Of imitation and reputation
learned their creed and Malone came
out of it a Repudiationist and
sought to commit the Conservative party
Of Virginia to his scheme of dishonesty.
The best men of that party fought the
shameless attempt with vigor and sue
cess, though they could not prevent the
leading of of many of the rank and file
ON the false plea that the debt was a
legacy of the cursed Yankee rule, and
Virginians We're not responsible for it.
But the brains OF the Conservative party
stood by the maintenance OF Virginia :
faith and honor, and Malone could not
secure a sufficient following inside the
party to give him control. Then he
sought to win the negroes TO his support
and he secured enough of them to give
the repudiationists majority in the
Legislature, though not a sufficiently
large majority to enable them to pass a
reputation scheme over the veto of tn,
honest and honorable Conservative GOV
ernor Of the State.
Malone had all this time protested t,
he a Democrat and to have sought til,
alliance Of others merely for State pur
poses. The Debt-paying and Readjust
ing Democrats had an overwhelmin.
majority in the Legislature. Neither win,
would vote to send into the United State
Senate a man who was not a Democrat OF
National issues. Malone protested to b.
Democrat and as such received the sup
port of the Readiuster Democrats and d
all their allies among the Republicans
the latter as between two Democrats pre-
ferring one who was in accord with ther
on the local issue. Under the circum
stances Malone was elected as Democra
just as much as his colleague, and eve
50 late rs during the last canvass Mahon
avowed his adhesion TO the Democrat
party and publicly pledged his separa'
electoral ticket to Hancock, For Mahor
then, TO vote with the Republicans o
party questions is Just as complete an a,
OF treachery and bad faith as it would |
for any other Senator elected as DEM
crat to do So.
But despite an this the Republica
leaders who sought to buy vote la,
never doubted their man and the
promptly opened negotiations for him
soon as they saw they needed him. Til,
chose fitting agent too, in the person
Iorham, eX-secrrtary Of the sena
and at once 7talwart Republic,
and Grcenbacker with communi
tic leaninss. The Democrats ha
not entered into competition +
the possession of the fellow, and
the sale has gone smoothly and the c
was delivered to the purchasers, and "
terday, with Conkling'~ collar on /
neck barked -hriily AZ any whodi-turb
his gloa'ing over the bone for which