Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1881-04-26
MAaOAElsM.
True fnwardness Of the Contest in
Virginia.
A Lively Fire All Along the Line.

EDITOR LEDGER-I did not see
l.. G.. TBS second article in your
issue of April 21st until the next day.
In his whole article there is but
one matter stated by me as a fact on
which he takes issue, and on that he
offers no proof against mine but his
own unsupported opinion. On this
point l reasSert my former statement,
that all the funder talk about the re-
adjuster party being chiefly COM
posed of negroes is bosh,"
In addition to the proofs before
given, | viii state that l wa during
the election of 1879 in a county with
a large negro population, nearly all Of
whom voted the funder ticket, many,
of course, being bought OF
bulldozed into voting that way,
Bulldozing aud intimidation, by the
way, we're favorite funder tactics.
will give a prominent example. A
few days before the election Malone
spoke at the g. H. of this county. In
the evening a gentleman, who knew
him personally and as a brave soldier
and the bess beloved and most trusted
of all his generals BY General Lee in
the last years Of the war, called on
him to pay his respects. This gentle
man is a prominent lawyer Of that
county, a fuuder aud a descendant Of
one Of Virginia's signers of the
Declaration Of independence, and
bears a name to-day second in Vir-
GINA to none in the esteem aud affec-
ton Of her people. For his temeriiy
in daring to pay 50 small a civility to
Malone without the consent Of prom
inent iunders, he was personally
threatened by them with loss of 0usi-
ness and social ostracism. He wss so
disguised by the conduct Of there fell
lows. which he fifty denounced, that
he absolutely refused to vote.
In the county Of Mecklenburg the
iuUder gentry elected a negro, Ross
Hamilton, who afterWard bec.me in
the legislature the leader of j. w.
Daniel and the funders who voted
With him for his bill to repeal tbei.
"irrepealable contract Mccullough
bill. In Southwest Virginia, in a con-
grcgsional district composed of e teen
white counties, Che district Of that
union man" duiing the war, thas
conservative" after the war, VIII IA
yored the fifteenth amendment, who
now claims 10 be a democrat. and
whose whole long senatorial record is
comprised in a measure repOtted
from a special committee to restore
lost cuds, to prevent hollow horn and
wolf in the tail, entitled a bill to
stamp out cattle diseases mean
Senator Johnston, Of Virg.nia-the
fUuders elected two representatives
and not one senator. though all their
white orators thoroughly canvas5ed
the district. But why pile up proof?
| repeat that in southwest Virginia,
in the valley, and wherever in the
state the negroes are fewest, the read
~justerS were strongest, aud the fact
will not down at II. 81 mere bidding.
Let Malone answer for himself how
and by whom he was elected.
Iquote from his March 2Sth speech,
a speech l wish every patriotic Ten
might read and then Judge
for himself between Malone and his
maligners: Suffice it to say that
against all the odds of equipment and
munition the readjusters, to the dis
may and establishment of the funders,
carried the state by a majority of over
votes, of which over 1909 was
white majority. In the senate were
chosen % ~readjusters to II funders,
and in the house we're elected 81 read
10 AZ funders. A majority Of the
legislators elect, Of both the republi-
can aud the conservative parties, we're
strongly opposed to the McCulloch
bill. These cooperating as readjust-
ers, elected all the capital officers and
county judges, |, myself, being chosen
United States senator over Colonel
Withers by a joint conservative white
majority, exclusive Of all colored and
republican votes, Of seven, of which
three were in the house and four in
the senate-my total joint readjuster
vote being so, to 60 cast for Colonel
Withers and all others"
The small vote obtained by the re-
adjuster Hancock electoral ticket in
1880, is Dotinconsistent with the above
and is easily explained. Every
where tunder orators appealed to
democrats to sink state issues
and unite in support Of what
was called the regular ticket to pre-
vent Garfield carrying the state, and
the national democratic executive
committee made the same earnest ap-
peal, and the white readjusters did 50
vote by many thousands, saying they
would settle the Mccullough bill and
its friends in the next state election,
and they will. They believe: "It is
the property of the citizen and not
to the demand Of the creditor of
the state that the ori1inaI
faith Of society is pledged. The claim
OF the citizen is prior in time, para.
mount in title, superior in equity"
The readjusters were not responsible
Tor the two Hancock electoral tickets.
1t is true they declined the fuuder OF.
fer to divide and fuse the two tickes.
because they insisted they were the
majority party Of the state aud should
voice its sentiment, but they proposed
a democratic mode of settling the
matter and to test the relative
strength Of the two factions. That
was by a primary election in October
AL over the state to be held by judges
chosen equally from both aides. at
which every voter who pledged him
self to support Hancock might cast a
ballot declaring his preference Of tick
cts, and tLat the one receiving the
smallest vote should be entirely with
drawn and all unita ,uon IL III