Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-08-20
lanrastcr f,ltelltgenrer.
EVENING, AUG. 20. 1881.
The YirHfnia Issue.

virginia OF the MahOne ClcKeC nave
great labor in making their course con-
sistent with their profuse declarations
of hostility to debt reputation. The
leading organ, the New York Tines,
scrambles over the difficulty by declaring
that as neither party in Virginia pro-
poses to pay the whole of the state debt,
it feels itself at liberty to give its SYM
pathies, independently of that question,
on the principle that it is as much sin
to steal pin as a greater thing and so
the Malone party, which proposes to pay
little bit of the state debt, is no more
dishonest than its opponents, who desire
to pay a bigger bit, but not the whole of
it. The position is more ingenious than
ingenious, since the Times fails to give
its due weight to the fact that the Vir-
ginia creditors have consented to accept
on full acquittance what the Demo-
cratic party proposes to pay, though it is
not the full sum of their bond. If the
creditors do not complain probably the
Times need not. The fact is that the Ma.
hone orators and newspapers in Virginia
rail at the bondholders and the Democ-
racy rs in coalition and the main part
of their capital is the antipathy they
thus seek TO excite against their politi-
cal opponents as the bondholders'
friends. Under the circumstances, which
are very familiar to the Tines, it is of
course very insincere and wholly dishon-
est in claiming that there is no differ
ence, but in degree, in the reputation
designs of the parties in Virginia, and
that one is not more entitled than an
other to the sympathy Of debt-paying
advocates.
The Philadelphia Press, which has
been blowing hot and cold on the Malone
alliance fer six months past, being very
hot before the administration got cold,
and fast cooling with its frigidity, was
warmed up again under the seeming
political expediencies of the situation
and the encouragement of the Times,
into vehement advocacy of the Malone
ReadjusterS ;" and reconciles the debt
paying conscience to such a reputation
alliance in pretty much the style of its
contemporary, but with difference. The
Press discovers that the Virginia Demo
Gratis, though promising to pay more of
the debt than the Malone people, do not
intend performance. While the " Read
justers, " who offer very little intend to
pay that little. Thus the Press satisfies
itself. or pretends to, that the Malone
party is the real debt-paying party, and
as sucl, joyfully embraces it. 1t is some
what singular that the Virginia bond
holders have not made this notable dis
cOvery along with the Press. One
would think that they would he for
the party that proposed to pay,
and that they would rather have
little cash than any amount of prom
ises, and would he alert and quite as
sagacious rs the Press in discerning the
party that gave them the best assurance
of their money. If it he true, us the
Press alleges, that it il the Malone peo-
pie who are the real bOndhOllers' friends,
not themselves proclaim it in Virginia,
but Oh the contrary seek to throw the
odium and the glory of that connection
upon the Democrats.
And here 4 remarkable thing is to be
observed which is the total difference
in the ground taken by these Republican
cOadiutors OF Malone in the North and
his partisans in Virginia. There the
contest between two parties that have
made nominations for the state offices
is distinctly upon the question of repu-
diatiOn, or. aS thu advocates of that
policy style it, readjustment of the
state debt. This is the issue upon which
the contest is made and the parties are di-
vided. 1t was strong enough to cause
the disruption of the Republican con-
vention and the adjOurnm: mt of the
fragments without making nominations.
There is no Republican state ticket. The
Democratic ticket is headed by Major
Daniel, an uncompromising debt payer,
and Mahone's ticket by Mr.. Cameron,
who claims to be Democrat and was
until now, and who has no difference
with his old party, eXcep: upon the
question of the payment of the debt.
upon which he makes his canvass. He
dare not make it as Republican, even
if he would, nor as anything but Demo-
crat, because he must secure Democratic
votes to succeed. To gain them he needs
to declare himself rs good Il Democrat
as his opponent.
The fight in Virginia, then, is distinct
ly waged between Democrats-one who
has left the old organization and one who
stays in it-on the question of the debt
and the Republican journals in the North
who support the Democratic readjust-
ers, rather than the Democrat who ad-
vocates the payment of the debt accord
ing to the agreement made between the
state and the bondholtlers, cannot to any
intelligent apprehension twist away
from the fact that they sustain those
who refuse to keep the plighted faith of
the state to its creditors, and oppose
those who propose to maintain it.
The object of this Republican support
of Malone is very obvious, and the jour-
nails which seek to cover it up with the
shallow pretext of the Times and the
Press must have very small opinion of
the intelligence of their readers. The
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