National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-06-09
The Administration Right on Vir-
ginia Matters.

ship of Malone, the patriotic enthusiasm
ofhis ex-confederate followers, the touch
ing fidelity to him of the blacks, and the
cordial cooperation of the white Repub-
licans, with few exceptions, all combine
to promise success for the admirable
ticket put forth by the Readjusters. The
! bold and Independent course of the great
Virginian in the Senate last winter and
his enlightened utterances convinced the
great body of the people of the Nation
that he and his political associates had
marked out for themselves a mis-
sion of which the State debt ques-
ton was but small part. The una
nimity with which the Republican
members of the Senate expressed their
respect for and confidence in him and
the hearty God-speed he and his party
have received from the press have made
his cause that of the whole anti-Bourbon
element of the country. To-day it would
be difficult to find any but hide-bound
Bourbon paper anywhere in the North op-
posing the Cameron-Lewis ticket. Re-
publicans have not forgotten that since
reconstruction commenced to be proven
failure through Northern weakness,
treachery, and Indifference in 1874 the
one great dread has been the "Solid
South" 1t was the fear of that power,
and all that it implied, which furnished
the strongest incentive to the efforts
which resulted in nominal victories for
the Republican party in 1876 and 1880.
Forsix weeks the Solid South was fought
in the Senate and coddled at the White
House. Lamar, Butler, Hampton, Morgan,
and others in the Senate were so useful to
the Administration in the work it had
marked out that we had the absurd spec
tacle presented of our party in the Senate
dealing with some of the warmest sup
porters of our own President as danger
Gus elements in the Government The
brave leader who has for two years borne
aloft the standard of revolt against Bour-
bonism in Virginia and whose patriotic
course so inflamed Southern Senators that
they forgot the usual amenities of the
Senate Chamber and treated him as an
outlaw, found, strangely enough, that his
fight for political freedom in the South
was embarrassing the President in his
warfare upon the New York Stalwarts
1t was a queer experience for the
first real apostle of freedom and nation
ality the confederate element had con-
tributed to the Senate to find that while
he was engaged with Republicans in
overthrowing Bourbonism the Republi-
can President was engaged with Bourbons
in overthrowing Republican stronghold.
This was, however, but an episode. Laws
stronger than the will and caprices of
men are at work in this land. The knit
ting process IS going on betaUee,a the tgo sec
tons. Violent as may be the internal
struggles of the party called Repub-
hcan, the fate of the Nation depends
on no such transient contingencies.
The Bourbon Democrats and the few
Bourbon Republicans had counted on
the opposition of the Administration
to the Malone movement. They thought
the Bourbons who had served the Presi-
dent during the extra session must have
taken security of him to aid their cause
in Virginia. Great hopes were built upon
ssifis. If only the few Republicans op-
posed to Malone would make a ticket, |
the President was looked to for such
moral support of it as would divide the
anti-Bourbon forces and give an easy
victory to the enemy. 1t was said that
he was undetermined and non-com-
initial. More than this, it was claimed !
that Secretary Blaine was positively op-
posed to the Liberals and w9iiid aid the
element led by General Wickham in
straight Republican campaign.
We are Cad to be able to say that the
JOurbons will have no such aid The
President and Secretary Blaine were
both separately consulted yesterday by
very prominent Virginia Republican,
one who has been inclined strongly to
oppose a coalition-for advice and infor-
nation. The President informed him
unequivocally that he was in favor of the
Readjuster State ticket and opposed to
the nomination of any Republican ticket
in the coming campaign. Secretary
Blaine, who does not disguise his reluc-
tance to see this course pursued, stated
that the Endorsement which the Malone
movement had received from, the |
National Republican party through
out the North left the Admin |
istration no other course to pur-
sue than to support it fully and to dis
countenance any diversion of anti-Bour-
bon votes by the nomination of Republi-
can candidates. These are our reasons
for saying that the Liberal cause in Vir-
ginia seems to be beyond peril. We be-
lieve Cameron will be triumphantly
elected and that the Legislature about to
be chosen will elect an anti-Bourbon col
league for General Malone. We believe
that other Southern States will fol-
low Virginia, for the best people
of the South are tired Of the iron
rule of the Bourbon Democracy, which,
being a minority, has to maintain its
hold by criminal methods. We believe |
General Malone is to be famous in his
tory as the emancipation of the South from
the slavery of prejudice, caste, and partisan
bigotry. The Republicans of this coun-
try may well congratulate each other that
the national cause thrives and grows, de- |
spite the jars of faction, and that the |
future isfull of patriotic work for those |
who shall come out of present trials with |
armor unpierced and high purposes un-
abated.
TIE NATIONAL REPUBLICAN recalls with |
satisfaction its earnest advocacy of the |
true policy in Virginia. Our readers will |
remember that all through December, |