The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1881-02-24
Judge Hughes on the Political Situa-
ton in Virginia

Judge Hughes on the Political Situa-
ton in Virginia.
A staff correspondent of the Philadelphia
Press, gives the following purported interview
between Judge R. w Hughes of Virginia and
Hon. Simon Cameron OF Pennsylvania.
1.-THE solid South is national nuisance, and
war upon it is war for all the countless bless
ings that are comprehended in the word I'm
ion.' said Judge R. W. Hughes to Hon.
Simon Cameron as he sat in his private Car at
the depot in Richmond, discussing Virginia
and Southern politics. Judge Hughes is the
United States Judge for the Eastern District
of the Old Dominion-a man of brains and
character, one of the strongest lawyers, strong
est writers and most devoted Republicans in
the South. He was born and bred in Virginia,
and has suffered for his convictions as much
as any man in the State. He came up from
his home at Norfolk to pay his respects to
Gen. Cameron and spent an hour Or more
pleasantly to both in doing it.
s'The movement of Gen. Malone and his
supporters in Virginia attacks this threaten
ing thing, and is the first that has originated
within the Democratic party to break it up.
The national Republican party" continued
Judge Hughes, may not sympathize with
those views of its conductors which seem to
array them against public credit but it cannot
help sympathizing in movement which looks
to breaking up the solid South and which
not only attacks the methods of the Southern
Democratic party, but attacks the bad things
which those bad methods have been success
fully employed to secure"
WHAT is THE DIFFERENCE.
as Gen Mahone's position on the Debt
o.,,oo+;o,, 1.nrca thap that IF hic ODnOnants po
asked Gen. Cameron,
mo sir there is no party in Virginia that
proposes to pay its debt" replied Judge
Hughes. II am stalwart Debt-payer. | do
not believe that Virginia is too mean or too
Door to pay her honest obligations and 6 per
cent interest thereon. / was one of thirty
nine well-known citizens of the State, who, in
1875 ms sted that the State could pay its debt
of $30,0000 900 with per cent. interest there
on This thirty nine issued an address calling
upon all who agreed with us to organize in
their respective counties, without distinction
of party, to compel the two political parties to
pronounce and provide for maintaining the
credit of the State upon this basis by all prop
er legislation. This, of course meant an in
crease in taxation, which both parties oppos-
| ed and still oppose with equal emphasis, and
we were villiied by both and almost every
newspaper in the State for our action The
| settlement of the Debt question by passing the
McCuloch Bill, which has produced such a
variety of forms and complications in the con-
dition of the debt of Virginia that new legisla-
ton has become absolutely necessary IN order
to bring the heterogeneous mass in some con-
| sistent shape"
| A DIFFERENCE OF PER CENT. ONLY.
"Then, as | understand it," said Gen. Cam
eron, ''the difference between Gen. Malone
and the Bourbons is one of per CENT rather
than principle"
THAT is exactly it," replied Judge Hughes.
"since VIM. L. Royal left the State, do not
know of but thirty other men in Virgin
ia besides myself who maintain that Virginia
ought to and can pay its debt OF thirty
millions with six cent. interest. You will
! therefore see that upon the Debt question
Gen. Malone and myself are widely apart.
Neither have | ever been in accord with him
in politics. In 1869 we were angrily antago-
nized in 1878, bitterly SO, and in 1878, upon
the basis of the paper signed by the thirty
nine, publicly so and in a manner quite pro-
nounced But now, he and his party in Vir-
ginia are doing some things which approve,
and | cannot find it in my heart to oppose
| them.
MAHoNE's GREAT WORK.
"They are supporting in full faith the public
schools, and their care for these schools is not
like that Of their opponents step-mother's
care. They are introducing more economy
into the administration of the State Govern
ment, and a stricter accountability of State
officers, especially those in the basement of the
Capitol More important than this, they are
insisting upon the removal of the tyrannical
restrictions upon the poor man of color which
requires the prepayment of the poll-tax as a
qualification for voting, and they are demand
ing the repeal of the barbarous law, twin sis
ter of the other which subjects one citizen to
criminal prosecution who pays another's poll
tax More important still, they demand and
did last year secure in regard to our elections,
State as we'll as Federal, that there shall be
throughout Virginia fair vote without fear,
an honest count of ballots without fraud, and
a correct certification of election results with
out perjury. Besides these things, they advo-
cate the cultivation of sentiments of respect
for and attachment to the Union, and denounce
the Bourbon policy of lmplacable hostility to
the Union and the National Government"
GREAT RESULTS.
"These are great results to be credited to
any political movement, no matter how strong
and even their partial success must be fatal to
the Solid South and know of no one thing
upon which the future OF this section of the
country so much depends as upon its political
division" said Gen. Cameron, with emphasis
''That is my opinion of it" continued Judge
Hughes. 1.-THE solidity of any considerable
section of this country seems to me to be but
menace to the Union The soldity of the
South is necessarily SO. A Solid South dom
mated by the same party which organized The
secession of 1861 and conducted the war from
1861 to 1865, is and cannot fail to be regarded
by more than half the American people as 6
serious menace to the Union. 1t DULLES othel
sections into soldity: creates everywhere al
atmosphere of distrust sows the seeds OF APP
prehension broadcast over peaceful land
converts the whole business Of a vast country
into speculation of hazard marshals peace
full States in hostile array, and places point
, ed sword in the hand which would tender tht
olive branch
IT CURSE TO THE SOUTH.
"To the South itself it is pernicious curse
Theoretically sealing us out from the vltalizins
atmosphere Of the world ,paralyzing enterprise
combining the sale of our lands, which are gu
; principal wealth, to natives alone, and making
us poorer and poorer in a country and an ag,
of unexampled thrift and prosperity. 1t i
irritating to the national temper and disturb
ing to the national repose. Our people ar
, getting to understand these things, and SCI
where this blind adherence to bourbonism il
leading them, and Malone is, therefore, get
ting some of the best men in the State to assis
him IN his effort to lberalize the politics of thu
State.
an looking abroad over the South thi
movement of Gen. Mahone's is the only thins
observable in the Democratic party which
does attack or give us any promise of over
throwing that national nuisance. How car
; Southern Republicans then keep from sympa
thizing with such movement"
GEN'L CAMERON'S SURPRISE.
"From your statement of the situation, sale
Gen. Cameron, II do not see how any Repub
: lican can hesitate as to his duty. | am sur
prised at what you say concerning Gen. Ma