Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1882-08-29

resented bitterly their DackSlld1ng from
the ancient faith, and had our memory
of wrong qulckened into fresh resent
ment by the taunts flung at Readjusters
But led by General Malone we votet
"our lectoral ticket" along with tn,
rest, and to show our friends that what
ever we might be we had no thought o
becoming national Republicans, W,
quoted the remark of General Malone
in the Senate of the United States tha
he was "a better Democrat" than some
of that party who were badgering him
for his apostacy. We might indeed
have declined to affiliate with either
party, and so bold the balance of power
as Gen eral Malone had promised to do
but we never meant to be incorporated
into the national Republican party, in
whose last Convention Mr.. COnkline
and other friends of Mr.. Arthur voted
to subvert the Government by the elec.
tion of Grant to third term. We new.
er dreamed of detection to those peO-
pie. What, then, must have been the
feelings of every man of convictions, ot
consistency, of stability, when he saw
the Readjusters in the Legislature
BLINDLY FOLLOWING GENERAL MA
| MONIES LEAD,
upon the degrading plea that the Re-
publicans would do more for us than
the Democrats, and willing to commit a
great fraud upon the representative
rights of Virginia in earnest of their
apostacy? For to district the State as
General Malone proposed would only
give two representatives to 127, 900 Dem
Ocratic voters, mostly white, and eight
representatives to "a 900 voters, mostly
colored. 1t is strange that only -"the
Big Four" dared to resist, expose, and
| the State strange indeed and only to
be accounted for on the supposition that
some honest men must have felt them.
selves fatally bound by their seal and
signature to that secret pledge, some
timid men bound as flies are in the
spiders web.
But where is the proof of this alleged
superior
FRIENDLINESs OF THE REPUBLICANS? :?
They never can have better OppOrtu
Congress for they had about $3.50, ,0O0,
600 surplus in the treasury. Nor can
we; for General Malone was necessary
!. to them. Having the casting vote in
the Senate he was a man to be concili-
ated; he held what whist-players call
the thirteener 1t was great power !;
it gave him a great opportunity; and
| that does not often occur. And he had
been elected to catch such opportunities.
regardless of party, pledged against
party entanglements. elected solely in
the interests of his State. We expected
him to be peculiar senator. Jealous of
good works for Virginia. What has he
| done? Nothing What insight he have
done? Much. As how? The inter-
nal-revenue tax on spirits paid say $780,,
OOO, 600; on tobacco, say $50, ,0OO, ,0OO, or a
total of $11O,O0O,O0O to a government
that after giving up that would still
have had $40, 900 900 more than it need
ed Poor men in the mountains of Vir
ginia, with but little to sell and no out
let for anything but in a condemned
| form and value, make their little cfU ps
of apples, &c. into brandy. We all
know how they are harried by the spies
of the Internal revenue, hauled flom
their families, imprisoned, prosecuted.
and punished for violation of this hard
law. or escape with a lawyers fee and
bill of costs which empties their pock-
cts. What relief did General Malone
seek to obtain for these poor people,
| who gave him his Readjuster majority
| in the Southwest? Let him answer.
All know that
THE TOBACCO INTEREST
has suffered from the war and from the
tax. What has the especial champion
of Virginia interests done for that? 1t
has been explained in the papers that
| when In the House of Representatives
| a motion was made to abolish the inter.
nal-revenue tax it came within one vote
of passing. That vote would have been
given by South Carolina Democrat
(Mr. Dibble), if Mr.. John Paul, once
Democrat himself, had not voted to oust
our friend and put in his place Re-
publican opponent (Mr. Mackey). So
the bill was lost.
On the 25th of July General Malone
in the United States Senate moved to
reduce the tax on tobacco to eight cents
per pound. He was sustained by only
two other Republicans-one of whom
| (CamerOn( had voted to reduce the tax
on tobacco before General Malone went
to the Senate; the other of whom
(Kellogg Of Louisiana) wished to kill
the bill, which embraced also a reduce
tion on sugar, tarif-protected product
of his State. The vote for reduction
was Is Democrats to Republicans the
vote against it, 13 Democrats and 25 Re
publicans-Out of % Democrats, Is for !;
out of % Republicans, 25 against relief
Could General Mahane have influenced
| this vote in our favor? If nay, then
why, then, did he not do it? It is said
he wants this whole
INTERNAL-REvENUE TAX
repealed. But the patronage of Virginia
is based almost entirely on the tax and
General Malone dispenses that patron
age. Does he want to give it up?
| When it comes to that, might not ''self
the wavering balance shaker" But
does he expect the Republicans to re-
peal it in face of the fact that his friend
Mr.. Arthur wants it kept up, and that
lately, when the whole question was
before Congress, the only relief the Re-
,3ublicans proposed was to banks, which
always get all they choose to ask for; to
pa tent medicine men, who daily poison
thousands ofour people; and to matches,
where the reduction would 90 into the
pockets of the manufacturers, and would
not be felt by the people. And does he
not know that his allies in the Republi
can caucus of the House resolved that
there should be no reduction of the tax
on tobacco and whisky? And do not we
know that neither himself nor Mr.. Paul,
with all his influence, is recorded as
protesting against it?
But there are other things that Vir-
ginia wants. Ever since the war we
have been talking about manufactures ;
but we need friendly guidance and legis-
Iation. Has General Malone given the
one or tried to Obtain the other? Just
now our people are little crazy about
| protective tariff. Has he attempted
10 enlighten them? Or does he know
how?
And commerce, the interchange of
commodities in large quantities between
distant points.
WHAT HAS HE DONE
about that? The river and harbor bill
gave Virginia 100000 to promote her
commerce by deepening and cleaning
oat her rivers. OF this sum James river,
on which the United States Govern
y,aant has already apenf nonrlu %6O0 nm