Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-09-08
The Situation in Virginia.

THE FrNDERs EXPECT To wIN--BUT THEY HAVE
HARD FIGHT on HAND--MAsoNE's MEN BUSY
THE CAMPAIGN IN THE VALLEY.
Correspondence of THE EVENING STAR.
WINCHESTER, VA. Sept. 6. 81.
The drift of popular sentiment in the present
political canvass certainly seems to be i'm favor
OF the democrats. or funders, as they are more
frequently termed here. This is very conclusive
after having questioned men as have met them
as to their own political preferences and that %:
their neighbors respectively The better classes
OF the population are undoubtedly with the
funders. The merchants whose credit stands
highest and the farmer. who is spoken a;
as an honest man." will almost invariably be
found among the anti-readjusters. One of the
SHINING lights OF readjusterism not thousand
miles from this place is a man who bought all the
goods he could get on time. sold them for less
than cost and swindled his creditors by CLOSING
business. There are very few even among the
test classes of Virginans, who believe the
state can pay her entire debt with the rate O.
interest originally agreed upon. Nearly ever,
man you meet says in substance that the cred
ltors must consent to a reduction of the debt
TO refunding at lower interest: if they want
payment. This. it is universally believed. can
be accomplished without any difficulty The
general opinion is that the creditors will consent
TO composition very readily. whenever they
can feel assured of the payment of the reduced
debt. Malone does not seem to have made any
converts i'm this part Of the valley while he has
evidently lost some of those who followed him
last year. met on the train the other eyenin.
young farmer who seemed to - a type of a
pretty large class. In talking with him of the
political situation he attached but little i'm
portance to the debt question. He said the debt
would have to be reduced before il could be
paid. and that this reduction would be brought
about. no matter which party might win He
said he had been one of Mahone's original SUP
porters, and had followed him into the support
OF the July Hancock ticket last year. but :"
he added, Il can't stand Mahone's affiliations
HIS votes In the Senate last winter separated
MIN from me. l am democrat and i'm my
nelghDorhood there are many others who have
left Malone for the same reason" The reason
assigned by this man for abandoning Malone
VIII apparently influence hundreds of votes i'm
the Shenandoah valley at the coming election.
The funders have made the most of Mahone's
votes and of the efforts of himself and lieuten-
ants to coax the cOlored people to his support
1t must not be concluded, however. that the
readjusters are not going to get votes in this
section. They are working untiringly and mean
70 poll every vote they can get
The best informed and coolest headed
democrats realize and frankly admit that they
have no holiday job on hand i'm their effort to
beat Malone. Still, the prevailing opinion is
that he will be beaten by $1,000 to 5000 ma
Jority in the state. The white republicans are
naturally divided Those who are engaged in
business pursuits and i'm farming, and who have
no special interest in politics-are not after
ofhce-will, as rule, stay away from the polls
Of those who take an active part in the canvass a
majority are with Malone. while some are work
ing for the success of the straight democratic
ticket