Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1882-09-13
ANOTHER EXPOSURE OF MaEoaz1sa:

Malone party claim the indulgence of re-
presenting our real position before the
country Ill the present political crisis. Much
that intended to write has already been 50
fully and ably presented BY Colonel Rutlin
that feel greatly relieved from the unplea :
SAINT duty Of defending myself and my three
other friends. can, lift were necessary,
vouch for the truthsofhis whole statement:
and ifpeople will only read his statement,
il seems nothing more could be necessary to
convince them of the proper course to be
pursued IN the coming election. |, and
am sure my friends, feel very greatful to
him.
shall mainly confne myself in way Of u
| reply to paper called "the address of the
rcadjuster members of the Legislature" now
| i'll circulation all over the State 1t is odd
it hears the above title at its head, while it
was written and read by General Malone,
who was then i United States senator, and
failed TO secure eleven members Of that party
TO sign it. But this deficit was made up bv
securing twenty-siX other signatures from
the lIicutenant-Goyerno down through all
| the Capitol and basement officers and clerks
and out into the pcnitcntary wherever a
signature Of an official could be obtained.
! But Governor Cameron did not sign it.
Significant General Malone, the author,
did not sign it. More significant But he
had done SO it would have been correct. He
WAS the Legislature Of Observation-Disclosures
so called. But the General has il way of
writing papers for others TO sign that he
would not sign himself
received one myself. which | will copy
here, preceded by Il part of Il letter reuuir-
ing me 10 do so from one Of his aids. This
was While was candidate for the Senate.
Z. :. Observation-Disclosures orrlct.l
| "pAHvILLE, VA, September II, ISL.
Dear Judge send you herewith two pledges
tn sign and have the party nominee for Your conn
~ sign the other one and return to and will for
ward them 10 General Alnhonc who directs me to do
| this.
OF course it is nothing for an honest man TO ,lo and
sign his hand To his faith. Please attend 10 this matter
THE "pLEDGE,"
"PArHcK COUNTY, vA..l
=" hereby pledge mysclfto stand y the Ecudirlslcr
party and platform, and Ia go into caucus with the
measures, nominees and candidates to elected bv
the Legislature that meets in Richmond, the caucus
Given ondcr my hand and seal this = day of Sep
TENDER, a. d. ISL = =
This document General Malone would
have never signed if he had been IL mere
member of the Legislature, possessing no
more influence than other members. as
sumed the privilege not to sign il. More |
did not deliver the other one to the county
candidate. He never knew had il. had
TOO much respect for him to allow him TO he
tempered with III this way threw one in
the fire and kept the other with Fcrnald' 5
letter. 1Ir. Massey has these PAPERS in his
possession now
| confess felt from this time alarm at the
tendency of affairs.
After the election received letter from
General Malone to meet him and the other
leaders OF the party in Richmond OH the
18TH OF November to consult on important
political matters" ! declined To go for re;l-
SONS now apparent 10 all. This was the
meeting alluded to in Colonel Ruln's let
tiers. Then and there it was that all cincrc-
diblc schemes for sczng the liberties of the
people were inaE9urated and formulated.
The Legislature that met in December was
Il mere unthnking, humanity, and humiliat-
Ell plant machine 10 carry into effect these
| measures.
Immediately upon our arrival in Richmond
i think the night before the Legislature
met-wc were summoned to caucus in the
chamber Of the House of Delegates, and
there that night was read to Us by General
Elliott IL set OF rules by which we were to
be governed that in my opinion ought to
have shocked the sclf-respcct of every man
who was there rs the trusted representative
of an honest constituency. | could never
set copy Of these rules III am in error
in my opinion, let the man who has them in
his possession publish them and let the peo-
pie read them and decide whether am cor
rect. | call for their publication. II shall
| I Il; al c. Al.
an overwhelming majority of the caucus
voted their adoption Ny vote is recorded
against them: ut least requested il to be
done. These rules were prepared in adj
vance, and by the vote that night became
the second written pledge or deed Of ndi-
vidual opinion and representative freedom
to the central power.
Shortly after this. in IL discussion in the
Senate, it WAS admitted that about three
iolrths Of the Read juStrr members had
given Unsigned the flta"plctl.c, and sup
| pose it was then Oh file in the office of Gen
cral Malone. do not know This. I simply
Judge from Fcrnalds letter to me what was
to be done with them when signed. |
thought could then account for the adop-
ton ofthc caucus rules. The members had
lost by this pledge all option in the matter.
Too late they learned that they were not
irccmen, much less free representatives Of
coniiding constituencies
The collar had been locked. Malone had
the key. a representative Legislature had
ceased to exist the night before it was born
yet had strange abnormal life It existed
| for over live months in n halfcunsciolls ey-
istence, conquered and submissive, horr-
be pol. teal abortion. There were goodmen
there, who, as vile schemes one after anoth-
er developed themselves, would have been
happy to have resisted them. but the pledge
the fatal written pledge" the word .Trai-
tor, TO be printed in capitals, to be hurled
from the Wing office against any one who
should dare to break it. Such was the pow
er held by one man over the members of his
party in the Legislature of lSSl-'S2, who, by
some strange fascinating power, could force
men who had been elected to the Legsla-
ture on the trust OF their unwrtten word to
surrender to him and lie allowed TO tell
them to their teeth that he, theirmaster, had
no faith in them,a as their constituencies had.
and that he must have their bonds, under