New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-11-11
THE SOUyUrPV FJFCYyO,-S

| The victory of the Liberal alliance in Nirgini
IS by far the most important political event o
! the year. A new force has appeared in the fell
of Southern politics, and it has shown itscl
! strong enough to demOish BOurbonism in tn
oldest and most intelligent of the former Slav
States II will no longer do to speak Of thi
new force rs movement to readiust the deb
| of single State. The underlying impulse
| which gave it the capacity of snch mpiC
growth has nothing to do with local financial
questions. 1t comes from profound dissatis
faction with q scheme Of political action which
ties the whole South to the dead issues of the
past and keeps it from rcapius the advantage.
of participating i'm the march of progress which
the Northern states are making. TT a protest
against r,Sunccting the ideas of slavery and
rebellion from the graves to which history Ion 2
ago consigned them, and setting them mp as
objects OF worship. II is a determination TO
brca', down intolerance and prescription, to
welcome free discussion, and 10 secure liberty
OF action at the polls. Its q declaration that
the ballot of the laborcr shall bc as potent as
that of the landlord, and that elections shall
record and give effect to The. VIII of The ma
jorty.
llt ifN movement - Ii'l 'Il''iil ~ NbNuE
men of good education and good families, who
feel an honorable ambition to get their State
ont Of the old rutS OF sectional prejudice, and to
open for il a new era Of social and industrial
progress. In everything but name it is Rcpub-
lican and It draws the greater part Of it, vote
from the Republican on -anjHton This year il
takes the form of a coalition, but its remark
able success cannot fail to weld it into one
homogeneous organization by the time it is
called upon 10 enter another contest. Indeed
there is nothing to keep apJr, the lndcrcn-
dents VINO follow Malone and the Republicans
who voted for Garfield year ago and for Cam
erOn last Tuesday. Both elements are equally
the advocates of % Free. fair ballot, mud an in
tclligcnt progressive policy in State and Ma
tional affairs Nothing seems more probable in
the future Of politics than that tie Liberals
who have Won Virginia 50 CALAMITY will hold
II for many years, and throw is electoral vote
for the Republican candidate for President in
1851. Thus the triumph OF the Virginia Re
pub.icans and Independents under the lead of
Senator Malone makes an important change i'm
the conditions OF the next National canvass
The Democrats will not bc able again 10 count
upon the entire electoral vote OF the South a,
securely bound aud delivered to them in adj
vance, and 10 concentrate their efforts upon
securing two or three Northern States. Vir-
gnia is lost to them, and II they keep North
Carolina, Tennessee and Mississippi they will
have TO fight for them rs hard a, they fought in
Indiana and Ncw-lork in 1850.
The encouraging news of new departure in
the South which comes from the Old Dominion
finds an echo in Maryland. Without any cx-
traordnary effort the Republican. have gained
eighteen members of the Legislature in that
state, and thus have secured stronger rrprc-
scntafion in the lawmal,ing body than they
have had at any time during the past twenty
years Their successes appear 10 be- As great a !
surprise 10 themselves as to their opponcpts
Buried 50 long under heavy Bourbon maioritics !
and with all the social and business Influences
Of the community arraycd against them. they |
had almost ceased to hope for better times.
But the new influences which have proven 90 |
powerful IN Virginia were at work north rs |
well rs south Of the Potomac, and have pro- |
1uccd unexpected results. If these influences |
are not checked, Maryland will be dcbatablc |
ground III the Presidential contest OF 1881.
The returns from Mississippi are still too in
complete for us to ascertain just how much has
been accomplished there by the new anti
Bourbon combination. Our scanty informa-
ion concerning the campaign leads IA tc think
hat the Liberals only succeeded in portion OF
he counties in polling their full vote and 90.
'urlng fair count The colOrcd Republicans
If large partOf the State are still tcrrorized
~ the memories of the murdcrous shotgun
ampaign of 1875, and by the system Of in
imidation practised by the Democrats at every
election since. We believe it will be- found
hat only in some CT the Mississippi River
ounties where the negroes heavily prepondc-
ate, and in Il few interior counties where there
re enough white Independents to protect the
oils, was there an approximately full Republi-
an vote cast last Tuesday If it shall turn
ut, rs the last dispatches indicate, that General
.ing's candidacy for Governor has in spitc of
he brutal spirit of the Democratic politicians
nd their well-laid plans for cheating in the
cunt, reduced the Bourbon vote ten or fifteen
the result will be highly gratifying
With fair election Mississippi is as strongly
to-day as Virginia, but the new
lovement there has only had a few months, |
rOwth. Give it time to organize and To devise
ays of protecting itself against the unscrupu-
'us and merciless practices of its antagonists. |
nd it will carry the State.
The news from the Southern elections, there
IRE, is full of encouragement to the Republi
ms of the Northern States. One thing must
Dt be overlooked, however. If the movement
hich has wrested Virginia from the Bourbons
id given such evidences of growth in other
ates is to have its full effect in the future, il
ust be sustained by the National Administra-