National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-02-08
To-Day,s Work in Richmond.

central OOnlInlttee VIII De engdSeu IO-udy
at Richmond
The meeting has been called at time
and under circumstances very suggestive
of sinister influences The chairman, eX-
Senator John F. Lewis, has been forced
to call it against his own judgment by a
minority of the committee. who. under
the rules, may thus compel a meeting.
The object of the meeting is to issue call
in early February for Republican State
Convention to be held on the 10th of
March for the purpose of nominating a
State ticket to be voted for in NoUember
next. The necessity for this extraordi-
nary performance of nominating ticket
seven months before it is to be voted for
is based on the fact that by far the larger
body of the Republicans of Virginia are
opposed to any nominations at all this
year, knowing, as all parties do, that
with Republican ticket in the field the
Bourbon Democracy will have an easy
victory, while in the absence of Republi-
can nominations the Readjuster Liberals
will as easily prevail.
In the November election the Bourbons
polled 81 1000, the Republicans $4,000, and
the Readjusters $4,000. Of the $1,000 Re-
publicans about 10000 are colored, and
the great body of these are enthusiastic
admirers of General Malone, the Read
juster leader. In the coming State con-
test they will mainly adhere to him.
The Bourbon leaders, knowing this, have
done what they could to force some Of
the white managers of the Republican
organization to favor straight ticket.
This they do in order that when it is in
the field they may drive the whites to-
gether by the cry that such union can
alone prevent negro rule" If the State
Central Committee of the Republican
party, in session at Richmond to-day, can
be used for this purpose they will either
have to retrace their steps under an over
whelming public sentiment, or they will
have done deed which will remand the
black man of Virginia to the political
slavery from which General Malone and
his followers have emancipated him.
Republican laws have not made the
negro voter in Virginia. He owes his
enfranchisement to General Malone,
under whose honest and intrepid leader
ship the ballot-boX has been wrenched
from the Bourbons and placed under the
control of county judges chosen by a
Readiuster, anti-Bourbon Legislature. He
owes it to the manly friendship of the
thirty-two thousand Readjuster Demo-
Gratis, who have bitterly fought their own
party in his behalf The authority of the
United States is maintained in Virginia
to-day not by Republicans alone. They
would be as helpless as are their brethren
in South Carolina, Alabama, and Missis-
sippi were itnot for Malone and his law
abiding followers, who serve as volun-
teer standing army of the Union, subsist-
ing themselves.
If bigotry, intolerance, and greed shall
control the hour, then this day the Re-
publican committee at Richmond will
treat their Readjuster friends as enemies
and their implacable Bourbon enemies
as friends. Then State convention will
be called for March, to be manipulated by
a busy few, who will treat Malone and
the Readjusters as the only enemies of
the Republican party.
If sincere devotion to the laws and to
the rights of men, to protect which
they were enacted, shall prevail, then
that committee will say to those who
have compelled the gathering: "You
cannot have brought US here for a good
purpose. You have attempted to secure
a snap judgment upon mighty question.
You have sought to render impossible
union of the law-abiding and patriotic
men of Virginia by forestalling the proper
consideration of the quest ON as to what
course will best secure victory for the
Right. You dared not wait to give the in
coming administration time to learn the
situation and advise concerning so grave
a matter You cared nothing for your
country or your party, but everything for
yourselves. You cannot use the State
Central Committee for any purpose which
requires such indecent haste and such
untimely action"
Such, we trust, may be the response of
the committee to those who have sum-
moned them in midwinter to prepare for
an election which is not to be held till
the SHOWS of another winter shall be due.
And upon the colored members of that
State committee it especially devolves to
decide now whether or not they will
notify thirty-twO thousand white friends,
who have stood fire, that the black man
no longer requires their friendship. If
the prosecutions which the Readjusters
have suffered at the hands of the Bour-
bons for defending the rights of the black
man are not appreciated by the latter,
how can he ever expect to make new
friends? Let him beware how he allows
selfish Republicans to repel his defenders
We tell the Republican committeeman
of Virginia that the leaders they rely
upon in national politics, and to whom
some local oracles look in the immediate
future for recognition and honors, are
astonished and disguised at the propo-
sition to raise hubbub over State con-
vention call in any State at this unsea-
sonable time, and to precipitate stormy
State convention of the party while the
new President is settling himself in his
chair. Men who believe they are right
do not so act. The train should not be
started when passengers are hurrying to
the station, especially without word from
the conductor.
The decent thing to do would be for the
committee to adjourn, subject to the call