Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-11-03
Bossism in Virginia.
To the editor Of the NeU York Herald.


Every person who has lived in Virginia,
or who has been there sufficiently long to
understand the condition of matters, knows
that your correspondent, 'Clinton," has not
misrepresented the kind of government
which Gen. Malone has established there
He is the absolute master of his party and
he rules it with the most despotic sway.
All of the negroes in the State are in his
party, and, as matter of course, he allows
them no voice whatever in its control The
only white men who cooperate with him
are place hunters and office seekers. These
he compels to submit to his dictation as if
they were slaves. What your correspon-
dent told you of his requiring every person
whom he allowed last year to be read
juster candidate for the Legislature to sign
and seal a pledge to VOTE if elected, for
every measure determined on by the read
juster caucus is true. Ifyou will take the
trouble to inform yourself of the facts you
will learn that Malone has established a
personal government in Virginia, the like
of which never existed anywhere in this
world, 4 personal government, too, the in
struments of which are as vile and corrupt
as it is possible for men to be-
You are under Il very great miSapprchen-
sion in thinking that General Malone has
advocated, against Il sentiment the other
way, ''the rights of the colorcd people to
vote as they pleased and to have thcirvotes
counted :" and that She and those who act
with him have abolished laws which bore
hardly upon the colored voters and inter
fered with their exercise Of political rights
DO not do the Firginians the injustice of
confounding their actions with what is
alleged against the people of the States
further South in this matter, of the truth or
falsity of which know nothing. But do
know that from the ending Of the war to
this time there has been but little complaint
of fraudulent voting in Virginia, and no
complaint at all of bulldozing coored men
out of their votes, and | do know that the
only complaints of fraud in voting practised
upon the negroes came from the counties of
which General Malone was the democratic
manager before he omit the democratic par
ty, and the whole State of Virginia knows
that the election tricks that were used in
those counties to cheat the negroes were
tricks of his invention when he was "a bet
ter democrat than Ben HILL" He and those
who act with him have abolished no laws
which bore hardly upon the colored voters
and intertered with their exercise of polti-
cal rights.
In 1876 the constitution ofthc State was
amended so rs to forbid any person, white
or black. to vote unless he first paid a CAP
itation tax Of 81. 1t would be idle and un-
candid to deny that this amendment. while
aimed at black and white alike, was really
intended to disable the negro vote. 1t was
we'll known that many more Of them would
fail to pay the capitation tax than of white
men. Now, whether this provision was
wise or unwsc, it does not lie in the mouth
of General Malone to rcproach his present
adversarics with it. Its insertion in the
constitution was favored by him and
all those who cooperate with him, and
the fact that it is there is due more
largely to him and them than to any
other parties. This is the only law that has
ever existed in Virginia since the war that
inter(ered in any way whatever with the
negroes right to vote. 1t did not exist
long before all parties in Virginia saw that
it was a mistake. In its practical opera
tion it failed to prevent any negroes from
voting, and in the hands Of corrupt men it
became an effective instrument Of fraud. It
would make this communication too long to
explain in detail how these results were
reached. Suffice it to say that all parties in
Virginia have reached the conclusion that
the provision ought to he out of the consti-
tuition. Last winter an act was passed
through the Legislature for repeating it and
submitting to the people this fall the qucs-
tion whether or not it shall come out Of the
constitution.
In the political contest now going on in
the State no issue is made as to its repeal.
All parties agree thatit shall come out Of the
pnn nstt ri1fin g., H. ~
Will be no votes, or comparatively none.
against taking it from the constitution. 1t
will not, therefore, be Gen. Malone and those
who act with him who will have taken this re-
strction off from the negroes political
rights. 1t will be taken off from the general
concession that it is unwise and mischicv-
Gus in its practical operation When the
act for submitting the proposition to the
people was passed by the Legislature all
General Mahone's opponents, in each body,
voted for it-that is, it passed each house
without division. You can see the record
in the House Journal, page 354, and Senate
Journal, page 322.
You say you do not understand the Vir-
ginia debt question. 1t is perfectly simple
and you can understand it by giving it two
minutes attention. Prior to the war the
State borrowed large sums of money to con-
struct railroads, canals, sc. She gave her
bond for this on which she promised to paw
six per cent interest. She has borrowed no
money since 1860. During the war one
third of her territory and one-thrd of her
population were detached and converted
| into West Virginia. In 1871 tic debt Of the
old State, principal and accumulated inter
| est, had come to amount to about SIS 600.
600. Virginia thought that rs West Virg ginia
had assisted in borrowing the money and
in spending it she ought to pay her proper
tionate share, which she thought was one
third. In 1871 the Legislature of Virginia
enacted q law which provided that if holders
! of Niroinia's bonds would sllrrender then,