The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1881-09-08
The Virginia Suicide.

There is room in Virginia for one
honest Republican party, and room for
it to grow and win substantial fruits,
but there is not room for two Republican
parties in that State, nor is there
room there for dishonest Republican
party. Had the honest Republicans of
Virginia been sustained by the National
Administration as they and their cause
deserved, there are not a thousand mem
bers of that party, white or black, who
would have followed Malone to repudia-
alton and dishonor but in an evil hour
Malone gave the balance of power in
the Senate to the Republicans by con-
tract, aud that disreputable coalition OF
the Senate Republicans with Malone,
Rh1dleberger, and repudiation ended
Republicanism as a.great power in Vir-
ginia. It is now pitiable wreck, rent
in fragments by reputation and the
promise of spoils, and the epitaph of
| Virginia Republicanism will be: Died
of Malone, Reputation, and Dis
honor"
The neutrality of the National ADJ
ministration in the early stage of the
reputation breaches in the Republican
ranks of Virginia, was the first unpar-
donable dereliction of the new Presi-
dent. It was known that Secretary
Blaine and Attorney-General McVeagh
deplored the surrender of great party
and an honest principle to adventurers
and distructionists, but there were Cab
met officers who seemed to regard petty
present spoils as more important than
principles, and ex-Congressman ]. Am
bier Smith (son-in-law of ex-senator
Lewis, who is on the Reputation ticket
for Lieutenant Governor) telegraphed to
the Reputation branch of the Republi-
can Convention Oh Wednesday, that
Cabinet officers Window, James, and
Kirkwood, and Commissioners Raum
and Dudley, openly favored and advised
the surrender of Republicanism to re-
pudiation.
Had the Cabinet officers surveyed the
| field from the standpoint of expediency,
leaving out of view all considerations Of
principle, they could not have failed to
see that coalition with reputation is
simply piling inefaceabte disgrace upon
hopeless defeat. To assume that the
Republican voters of Virginia can be
transferred to an unscrupulous repudia-
tor like Malone, who is the author of
most of the worst features of Bourbon
ism, is to assume that such Republican
leaders as Wickham, Jorgonsen, Dezen-
dorf, and Yost are idiots. General
Wickham has long born the Republican
banner unsullied by peculation or ambi-
tion; Jorgensen has been the lone Re-
publican in Congress from the State :;
Dezendorf and Jorgensen are now the
two Republican Congressman in the del
egation, and Yost is the only Republican
editor of the State who wields great
power with the masses of the party.
These men protest against the Malone
repudiation as even worse than the
Bourbonism the Repudiators first aided
to establish, and with them and their as
sociates and following protesting, it is
midsummer madness to hope for any
thing but overwhelming defeat by a
fragmentary Republican coalition with
the Democratic champions of dishonor.
The honest Republicans of Virgins
have maintained their integrity by an
emphatic refusal to be drawn into an
alliance with Malone, and the contest
will at once narrow down to Daniel and
Cameron for Governor. The one good
that has been gained out of the flood o
evil cast upon the State by Malone il
the liberal advancement of the old Bour
bon regime of the State. Malone knew
all 1GS 1nnrm1t1eS, nad AIDED to make II
oppressive, had linked it with notable
errors, and he attacked it where he hai
made it weak in his better days. These
attacks had to be met, and the result O.
the Malone freebooting crusade has beer
the enforced advancement of the ole
Democracy to accord with the liberal
lied and progressive demands of tn.
age. This necessity made the young
progressive, elegant Daniel the Demo
cratic leader, and now that his election
seems assured by Republican suicide i
will be grateful to the whole country t,
know that Virginia Bourbonism has shet
its skin and is now committed to tn
advanced views of free schools, fire.,
ballots, and the equality of all befor
the law. 1t will be a desperate battle
but it can not be in any sense doubtful
one, and the Virginia of the future viii
be all the better because of the terrible
crucible that refined her from the shame
less spokesman and the hating Bourbon
philadelphia Times.