Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-02-17
What May Be Expected from Party
Organized for Spells.

adiuster Independents OF virginia,
and the anti-monopOly Independent"
of New York. A short time since the
Mahoneites of Virginia, seeing the vital
necessity to their existence as party OF
permitting as many Of their clan as
possible to enjoy the pickings to be de-
rived from the public crib, demanded of
their State Auditor, Rev. DR.. Massey,
that the party be allowed to make all the
appointments in his Office. He, very
properly, demurred, claiming that, as
he was under heavy bonds,
and was responsible for the
public moneys which passed through
his hands, it was a matter of the first
consequence TO him to know who filed
positions under him, and that, therefore,
the appointments of his clerks and as
sistants should be made by himself
alone. This eminently proper position
of DR.. Massey so incensed his Readjuster
brethren that they determined to GUST
him from his position, and in caucus
nominated another of their adherents as
State Auditor Whereupon, Massey,
who is one of the ablest men in the Re
aciuster faction, and is manifesily a
power in the State, organized a revolt,
and, as he was able to command consid-
cradle following, brought on a deadlock
in the Legislature which has, so far,
prevented his rival from securing the
coveted office.
On Tuesday evening last another Re
adjuster caucus was held, in which the
Masseyites participated with the under
standing that their leader was to be given
''another showing" When Massey's
name was again brought forward, how
ever, it was the signal for a general row.
Readiuster United States Senator Rid
dleberger stated that he would resign his
seat in the Legislature before he would
vote for such a recalcitrant as Massey,
who had proven false to the only princi-
pie known to the party, viz. that of con-
trolling the spOils of Office. Finally mat
tiers waxed so warm that the excited
Senator-elect denounced Rev. DR.. Mas
sey (whO. by the way, is political par
SOM as a felOn. whereupon the friends of
the latter arose in a body and left the
caucus amid great excitement.
Here, then, we see the Readjuster-
Malone faction in Virginia, although yet
in its infancy, engaged in an unseemly
wrangle over the State Offices, denouncing
each other bitterly over their newly &C
quired spoils, and the party already
threatened with disruption and disinte-
grafton Nor is this Massey detection
the only trouble impending over the or
ganization. As Rev. DR.. FELTON, proposes
to do in Georgia, they had formed CO.
ailtion with the Republican element in
Virginia, and by that means, to great
extent, succeeded in carrying the State.
Now these Republican allies are also
inclined to show their teeth, since
they are complaining that they are
being sighted in the distribution of
the spOils, and threaten to bolt the
organization, on the ground that Mr..
Arthur is showing undue favor to the
galvanized Republicans of the Malone
stripe, and is ignoring the original
straight-Outs. Thus the party is split
ting up at both ends, and will finally, we
doubt not, break down in the middle,
and the sooner that happy event takes
place the better it will be for the honor
and fame of the Old Dominion.
The unreliability of a party formed
on such basis as that of the Malone
ties in Virginia, and the Kellyites in
New York, was also shown by the action
in the New York Legislature on Wednes-
day of the latter, when they, although
elected as Democrats, because they were
not allowed by the Democratic majority
to dictate who should be placed in Office,
deliberately bOlted the party, and voted
for and secured the election of a Re-
publican. Thus, for the third time in
the history of the so called Tammany
faction of the New York Democracy,
that faction, because it was not per
mitted to control the distribution of
official patronage, has deliberately turn
ed traitor and sold out to the Republi-
cans.
What has been witnessed in Virginia
and New York so recently will be re-
peated in Georgia, should Rev Dr. FELTON,
and his Independent Radical coalition,
through any possible chain of unfortunate
circumstances, succeed in getting the
State Government within their clutches.
There would speedily follow unseemly
wrangling over the spoils, bitter denun.
cations of the ms by the disappointed
outs, restoration of Radical rule when
ever necessary TO maintain Independent"
supremacy, and a final disintegration
and disruption of the party, through
lack of offices sufficient to keep up the
cohesion among the heterogeneous mass
of political malcontents and Office seek
ers, of which it is composed. And, in
the meantime, the credit of the State
would be impaired, confusion would
prevail in all departments of the govern
ment, her material prosperity would be
retarded, and the taxpayers and citizens
generally would be the sufferers. This
must be the inevitable result when any
State is turned over to the tender mer.
cies of men lost to everything but the
reckless desire of securing place and
power at any cost.
A remarkable statement concerning