Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-12-11
For the SPECTATOR.
MahOne's Defeat by Republican.

For the SPECTATOR.
MahOne's Defeat by Republican.
There has been a good deal written at
home and abroad about the causes which
led to the late overthrow of William Ma
hone, and it is certain that much Of what
has been written is not true. Now that
the smoke Of battle has vanished and the
excitsmsnt Of the contest gradually sub
sided, it may not be amiss to give the
views OF Republican, who, during the
campaign, was not wholly inactive, disin-
terested, or unobservant participant in
what was going On in different parts of the
State.
It is impossible to say whether the DEM
ocrats were more surprised at their late
victory than the Coalitionists were at their
defeat. Malone, flushed at his former sue
cess, with the whole Government machin-
cry at his disposal, and backed by the Fed
eral patronage of the State, and with an
organization perhaps as perfect as any ever
known to any people, thought only Of
perpetuation Of his power. His chiefs, on
the eve of battle, after careful survey of
the entire field, vauntingly boasted that
they already knew just where they would
gain and where they would lose, and sum-
ming up these and taking the difference,
NiOOlsAOu JudI u majority Oh
the people was with them. They flattered
themselves that they had finally disposed Of
the debt question, which had so long and
so grievously agitated the State; that they
had effected important changes in the Gov
ernment; that soon other reforms would be
added to what was already accomplished,
and which, as they supposed, would give
them still greater popular favor. They
professed to wage war against the Bour-
bonism of the South, and Bourbonism was
confessed to be odious to all classes of our
population.
They were the avowed enemies of the
bondholder, of the railroad monopoly, of
all sorts of ring rule, and of bossism gen.
orally. In doing this they fancied they
had secured so firm hold npon the masses
of the people that there could be no imme-
diate danger of their losing it.
| The Democrats, on the other hand, whilst
not dispirited, were about to join battle
under hitherto untried leader. Renounc-
ing Bourbonism, they adopted a platform,
broad and wide, and invited to it the young
Democracy of the whole State. They did
not blindly ignore the good which had been
done by the previous Legislatures of the
opposition. Conversely, they admitted, as
far as they were concerned, the fnality of
the debt settlement. They renewed their
pledge to give the public schools of the
Commonwealth their cordial and earnest
support. They extended to the colored
man every assurance that all his rights as
citizen should and would be respected and
guaranteed unto him. No more and no
less. But it was plainly apparent that to
them the main issue of the contest was the
total humiliation of the one-man power.
I 1t was simply whether the people or Ma
hone was to rule Virginia. And thus they
got ready for battle. They thought sue
cess possible, but by no means certain.
As the fight waxed hotter and hotter,
both parties became more and more intem-
perate. The heated harangues and the in
f1ammatory editorials became characterized
by aspersions of character, until the lam
guage of billingsgate seemed to be ex-
| hausted.
The race issue entered into the cont1o-
versy. 1t could not be otherwise. Affairs
went from bad to worse, until excitement
reached blood-heat, when the Danville Riot
took place on the memorable 3rd of No
vember, 1888, just three days before the
election.
There has evidently been, iu order to
make political capital out Of it, gross mis-
representation Of this much-to-be-deplored
occurrence. 1t is true the whole State was
instantly thrown into avid blaze of ex-
element, such as has not been witnessed
since the war, and its immediate effect was,
if possible, to deepen the determination
and augment the strength of both sides,
which the unprecedented large vote of the
State shows it did do. Whatever may have
been the motives which led to the unfortu-
nate affair, whether premeditated OF not
by either or neither or both of the politi-
cal parties in controversy, it resulted, so
far rs effecting the vote was concerned,
only in this and nothing more. The charge
of intimidation needs no further refutation.
How could there have been intimidation,
! when so large a vote was cast, with so
small a plurality as was realized. The fact
is, that every man who wanted to vote, and
was entitled to vote did vote. When the
sun went down on November 9th, all par
| ties were satisfied that each had done its
duty, and there was neither fear nor sur
mise that fraud of any kind had been prac-
ticed. Democrats and Coalitionists looked
with hope for the result
There were causes, however, which led to
this remarkable and decisive victory 1t is
known that for weeks and months before
the election, almost every political paper
throughout the State had its column after
column filled with cards announcing the
changes which were going on all over the
State. Men who never before had written
a political article ventured to appear in pub
lie, boldly proclaiming their reasons for the
change in their views, and confirming their
determination with their own signatures.
Stript of everything but naked facts, it only
requires intelligent common-sense to see
that it was the arrogance and ingratitude
of Malone and his satellites that drove Re-
adjusters and Republicans by scores from
the Coalition into the Democratic ranks
Republicans found that in fleeing from the
oppression of Bourbonism, they eneoun-
tered the ingratitude of Mahoneism. Re-
adjusters saw themselves transferred from
I the arrogance of ring-rule to the tyranny
of an autocrat.
1t was giving power to men who had nei-
ther the capacity to fill, nor the sense to re-
fuse, the offices which they accepted, that
outraged every sense Of right and justice,
and arrayed together the formidable force
of the opposing columns Against this
common enemy, good men of all parties
combined, and after one of the stub
bornest political conflicts on record-in
short, after everything was done that could
be done-the Coalition fell to rise no more.
1t was the Zama of its defeat.
1t is the old lesson that selfish ambition
never learns. 1t was the clamor Of the
people for a change of rulers, and not for
the subversion of cause, or to undo any
specially mischievous legislation 1t was an
uprising of the people, such as is often seen
when unworthy men are to be hurled from
place and power to the perpetual obscurity
of private life, which they have so mani
festly and fully merited; political banish-
ment, the folly of whose exiles may be for
given, but never can be forgotten. 1t was
this that defeated General Malone ~
Many wonder why the brute creation ex-
eel mankind as rule when it comes to a
question of health. Investigation quickly
ascertains the cause. 1t is because the
brute naturally obeys every law of health,