Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1883-11-28
AN ANSWER TO MALONE BY THE
CHAIRMAN OF THE REPUBLICAN
STATE CENTRAL COMMITTEE.
LYNCHBURe, November %.

various sources that the recent defeat OF
Malone creates considerable surprise out
side of Virginia, and that Malone himself
ascribes his defeat TO the race issue, which,
he says, was intruded into the canvass just
before the election.
The causes of Mahone's defeat are APP
parent to every rejecting mind, and are SO
plain that he who runs may read. The
causes have existed almost from the COM
mencement of his rule, growing each day in
strength, cumulative in their effect, until
an Indignant public, composed of all parties,
have repudiated the little boss by an over
vhelming majority This is the legitimate
result of Mahoneism and its methods, which
is too well known to need any description
in detail from me- To well-iDformed poll
tcans residing in this State who were con-
versant with public sentiment the result
was Just what they predicted, and just " hat
thew expected. 1t was a foregone conclu-
sion. and no power could have averted it
while the leadership of the party remained
in the hands Of Malone. | saw this so
clearly after the Wise Massey campaign
that advised prominent readlnsters To re-
organize their committee and select some
one in place of Malone for their chairman,
and thus avoid the indignation which Ma
hone had arouscda2 against himself personally,
and the odium which attached 10 his name
| 1t seemed 10 me then, and it seems to me
! now, the only course open TO them which
promised the least chance OF success.
So impressed was ! with the cor
rectnrss Of this view that wrote the
| President under the date Of November .Sth,
1852, in the following language: II desire
also To say that Senator Malone does not
represent republican sentiment in this State,
| if am correctly informed, aud that the re-
publican clement would be greatly rcjoiced
| if Won would indicate some other source
through which it would be agreeable 10 you
to receive their views" Let us examine
the facts to see if this view was not actually
correct and we'll founded | shall deal in
round numbers. and not trouble myself to
refer to the table for exact figures. The
| first election after the coalition of republi-
cans and readiusters resulted in the election
of Gov. Cameron by $4,000 majority, with y
majority in both branches OF the lIesisla-
lure. 1t was TO be expected that Il party
| having the executive and both branches CT
| the Legislature would cntrcnch itself in the
public esteem by lis public acts, but this
result WIS not attained. The majority III
the Senate was alienatcd by what | have
heretofore termed MahoncSm and its meth
DDS. legislation was baked, the people dis
eIlstcd by II long. tiresome and angry Ses-
sion. and public Indignation stirred 10 its
iuncrmost depths by the spectacle present
ed by the rcadjuS senator from Virginia.
ahscntinw himself from Washington for
months while the Senate was in session. and
making his residence in Richmond that he
might control the Legislature for Virginia.
| Thus ended the first winter after read ulster
success. The party was weakened and dis
satisfied.
Next came the Wise Massey campaign, in
which three important issues were made.
First readusment of the State debt, which
was, in fact, an appeal in an agricultural
State TO the agricultural interest FOR low
rate of taxation second, repeal OF The capt.
tation tax as prerequisite to vote--an APP
peal for republican support; third, promo
ton and protection of the free schools, an
appeal 10 the liberal Of all parties. Notwith-
standing these descrvedly popular and i'm
portant issues, Wise's majority over Massey
and Dawsons combined vote was only ,inD.
Gen. Grants majority over Horace Greeley
in Virginia was 200, though Greeley was
not as unpopular candidate in This State
as the Rev John +. Massey, late read justcr.
| Either Malone did not poll the republican
strength, or he did not poll any readjlstcr
votes lie may take either solution he pre-
| fers, vet the fact stands out in bold relief
that he did not do as we'll as the republicans
| had done under similcr circumstances III
aided.
But what had become Of Governor Came
rons majority Of 1900, obtained just one
year before? Sacrificed, lost by Mahoneism
| and its methods 1t was apparent to me
| then that the coalition had suffered griev
GUS defeat, and said so, though Malone
claimed, rs usual, great victory.
The next election was last spring FOR
county officers. The Wig, Mahones Fir-
einia organ, urged the running of candidates
in every county. What was the result? The
coalitionists failed to carry a single county
in which the democrats had n maj ority, but
the democrats carried good many counties
in which the coalitionists had MAJ orities by
the previous vote. Some Of these counties
were in the white and some in the black
districts. 1t was apparent that the popular
majority had ranged itself on the democra-
tic side. Scarcely eighteen months had
passed his ma jority had dwindled in each
successive election, until it stood with
threatening aspect rs q balance on the other
side Certain and overwhelming defeat was
inevitable unless stayed by some master
stroke Of policy. Did he exhibit the resour
ces of a great popular leader in this hour of
danger? His last campaign was barren of
ISSUES that interested the public. The re-
dis,ricting of the State for members of Con
gress and for Judges, the passage of a land
commissioners bill, excited the opposition,
but added no strength to Malone, for even
his own party did not care to aggrandiZe the
power of one man. The democratic party
on the other hand, met in convention,
pledged themselves to stand by the read
lustment OF the State debt, to foster and pro.
mote the free schools. were liberal in their
professions and invited rcadjusters to re-
turn to the democratic fold. What reason,
therefore, forbade man who was demo
crat at heart from returning TO his party.
and what time more oppOrtnne than the
present, when the chances Of the democracy
were brightenings
Malone, I understand, declared at meet
ing of the Readjuster Committee just after
the spring elections that there was no re.
publican party in the State, that the Presi-
dent and republican senators recognized no