Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-08-31

TO gam power he was compelled to advocate thos,
things which were really of interest to tbc nrn,
pie; popular things, popular measures. The very
| moment he got in power in, 1881, after W.. L.l
gained the victory, then it was that he pursued
policy that could not endorse, and one Thar
| no honest man could endorse if he understood Il
Us do [Ioud applause u
General Malone has forced himself into this
canvass and therefore, he is al issue | do NOT
speak OF him as Il man. but | sneak Of him ,s ~,
issue Ill this canvass aud in that view he is Il
legitimate subject of criticism He invites criti.
csm of his course, and mean that he shall hav.
lt. lCreS OF Good" and "Givc it to him." and
loud applause. Why would we endorse General
Mahone: lie has insisted, and it is the first in.
stance, | believe, in the history of yirginin
where Senator of the United States has either
gone or sent his revenue gang all over the State
10 organize meetings for the gllrposc of cndors-
ing himself. Laughter. Why docs he seek thc
endorsement of every little meeting in the State q?
Does anybody know? What has he done for Virginia
that merits such distinguished consideration rs
inc endorsement OF every meeting in the State :?
1heir coalition meeting starts out in this way ::
Resolved, first, that VIC do most heartily endorse
our most excellent Senator of the United States
lLaugher lin all things, and in his course in
the Senate, and everywhere else" daughter. |
Ihat Is about the way they all read
NOW, ask why? Has he done anything for
Virginia which would entitle him to endorsement? :?
IL not, why the endorsement? l will tell you
what 1t IS for. 1t is because he is very weak and
daily Weakening and these endorsements are
sought in order to cover up that weakness:
TO bolster him up. [Cries of Cant do it" and
applause.]
Fellow citizens, must hasten on. General
Malone has betrayed the cause of the readiustcrs
and deserted the party. Cries of "No doubt of
1t, and That's So Do you endorse his action
in leaving his seat on the second day of the scs.
sion OF this Congress, and going to Richmond
1I,,fr t1tnfy
Legislature, remaining away from his duties in
Washington five solid months for this purpose :?
lCries OF No no"l Is that something on would
endorse? Cries Of Never ncvcri"[ When the
readjustcr party, my friends last year gained that
victory, no party in tho United States ever had
such grand prospect before it. We had Il clean
majority Of both houses of the Legislature. We
had the Governor, and the legislature was to elect
Court of Appeals. That gave the party every
branch OF the government. We had perfect har-
mOny in our ranks. The people had marked out
exactly what the legislature was to do so that
When 1t assembled 1T Richmond it had nothing to
do but to carry out the will Of the people as cX-
pressed at the polls and come home. There WAS
no complication ut ALL There was trouble; there
were some miserable little offices to distribute;
that gave some trouble. There were no compli-
Gated questions to be settled by tho Legislature.
The Legislature met. 1t had hardly put its foot
in Richmond, until there was Gen. Malone and
there he remancd. He had as complete control
fthat legislature us any man in this house ever
had over his children. daughter and applause.)
There is not 4 man i'll Virginia, who has had any
thing to do with the affairs of this party since the
election except General Malone. (Cries f"rhat's
SOY He has had absolute control over it in every
particular, generally and specially and is to-day
responsible for all the shortcomings of the party
and its present condition(crcs Of THAT "wc'll
squelch him.")
Now, what is its condition? 1t is enough
to make any readjuster sick. (Crics of That's
true" Laughter and applause) Torn into fac
tions; the republicans who acted with lis dissl-
tished; tho rcadjusters dishcartcncd; everything
out of joint. Such is the condition of, tho party
now. have given you tho condition of the party
when he took charge of it ut the last election
Then, again l ask you, has he so admins
tered the affairs of the readustcrp party us to merit
the endorsement of cvery little coalition meeting
that has been held III the State any other kind o
meeting? Do you endorse his vote in the TcbhS
case? He has had it endorsed mt every meeting
OF the revenue gang, ut every meeting but
the ono here Why he did not have his ac
tion endorsed here do not know Now, why has
he bccu so endorsed; and why did not this convcn
tion up here at Marion endorse him? Does any
body know? They did not do it. Cries Of ('No and
would not.O Now, then, | shy why would ynu
endorse Gen. Mahonc
will so on little further and show you why
you should not do it, | say that he had absolute
to get cloud laughtcr.) Understand me now,
that this Legislature was not inferior, so far us
know to other legislatures, but it is not difficult
for any man in Gen. Mahone's situation to gctcon-
troll of any Legislature in the United States There
arc various ways of doing it? | will tell you how
he got control of this That he did get control Of
it no ono will deny; not even the members of the
Legislature (Laughter) 4 Senator in that
body told me that no act could bn passed nor
could any officer be elected by the Leg
islaturc to whom Gen. Malone might be
opposed. So that lie had control of it. But how?
Well, when the Legislature met, il was like all
Legislatures. 1t was composed Of three classes.
The first was Il class of men who had never been
accustomed to talking in public, although they
might bo good and solid men; men, however, who
always wanted somebody to think for them, 10
speake for them. That class Of men very natur-
ally soon became the followers Of other in the
Legislature who did think who did study, and
who acted and spoke. Laughter Then there
was another class who went there to frolic, to get
drunk; who wanted to have good time generally,
and they wanted, and needed some body to think
and act for them, to call them in when anything
important was about to be acted on; to tell them
how to vote and then after they had voted to let
them go out again and take another drink. Great
laughter. These two classes were in this Lcgis-
lature rs in all others, the most common. Then
there was third class, composed generally of
about 20 or 30, who as rule remained i'll their
SeatS STUDIED every question tnat came up; WHO
could express their views; and who, if left alone,
would have become the leaders Of this, as such
class docs of all Legislatures; one or two and be-
coming more prominent than the others. That is
the condition Of things when left alone from cX-
trancous influences. When this Legislature met,
it did not have single man in it who had any re-
putation, or who was Of any special consequence
as leader. [I.aughtcr.l That might be- you
know. That is So in the case of every new LcgS-
lature pretty much.
Now Gen. Malone had acquired Il great rcputa-
ton as a leader in the field not so much as lcgs-
lator, because believe he never was in the Leg
isature but once probably, but these gentlemen
took it for granted, especially the new members,
that he was great leader generally. According
" as soon as he reached there, all Of these two
classes that tell you wanted leaders put of for
Gen. Malone and expressed their willingness to
follow him. That left about fifteen or twenty
people who would have become leaders of the
Legislature but their followers were all gone,
and so they had nothing to do but to put Oft to
Gen Mahone also, [Laughter and so, therefore
before that Legislature was half way through with
its sessions these men went as regularly to Gen
Mahone's headquarters for their orders fort the day
as the soldier goes to his ration. Grcat laughter
and applause.l Thisis true picture, gentlemen.
merely go through this now to show You how he