Daily Republican., 1884-01-09

BOWrb0M' BEAD jGsterism.
No language WAS too severe to,apply
70 the Readjusters " hen they undertook
% part ition theuebt Of Virginia. and
70 ascertain what the State actually did
owe. Thirty ono millions of dollars
were due to .rhe bondholders by the
State when it was divided, but by thai
division Vert Virginia was not appor'
toned her share of the debt, and the
whole burtken fell upon the old origi.
nal State shorn Of one-third Of her ter.
ritory and more than one-third Of hel
natural resources OF wealth.. Upon the
paymentof this debt the people divided
and the r unders and Readjusters BE-
.came the names Of the political parties
that s,reve for the mastery. The Fund
.ers embraced the Bourbon element o,
che Democratic party, which pretended
-extreme honesty, and professed to be
In favor Of paying tue whole debt
This ehey never pah-not even any
part of 1t, and worse than all, even de-
faulted in paying the interest arnu
ally accIuing on the debt. While pro
Tossing honesty, they openly practiced
dishonesty, and even went so far in
chat dishonesty as to take a part Of the
school fund to pay the current expenses
81 of tie State, and to save themselves
from paying even a moderate tax-rate.
Strange to say, they were supported in
their course OF action by thsDemocratic
press and party leaders, by the lead.
ing Republican papers and by a large
nminority Of Republicans.
The Readjusters embraced those who
believed that the debt Should be divi-
"ded that ons-third of it,aJ least, should
be appoltioued to West Virginia, and
thatVirginia she I'D assume the remain.
ing two-thirds. Upon these divergent
opinions the people divided, and Gene
raj Malone became the leader of the
Rsadjusters. Coupled with his fnah-
cial policy, he extended such liberal
terms to the downtroaden coored peo-
pie of the Stale who had been robbed of
their schools and disfrancbised by tax
laws, that they almost en-masse flocked
to his standard. AS is well known, the
Readjusters were victorious, electing a
Legislature that sent Malone to the
Senate, and placed Virginia completely
under Readjuster rule. The real debt
of Virginia was ascertained sinking
fund was established to pay it, the in
terest was regularly paid, the barbarous
whipping post, only erected to whip col
ored men, was abolished, the onerous
capitation tax as a qualification for
voting was abolished, the school fund
was increased, white aDdcolored schools
were multiplied one-third, and an era
generally of prosperity had set in for
Virginia, such as she had never before
experienced.
But strange to say the re were Repub.
licaD papers and Republican leaders
who struck hands with the Bourbons in
violent denunciation CT this changed
state of affairs in Virginia. The Bour-
bons denounced it from partisan mo-
rves, and the Republicans generally,
because they believed the readjusters
were repudiators in refusing to assume
the pay ment of the whole debt of Vir.
ginia before the State was divided.
Republicans In Virginia, although
everything for which they had long
been striving had been obtained under
the Readjusters, Joined with the Bour.
bons, and became Democrats. One Of
these was General w. C. Wickham,
who, for many years had, been Chair
man of the State Central Republican
Committee. He was taken up by the
Democratic Bourbons as a Democratic
candidate for Senator, and under the
Influence of the Danvlle massacre, he
was elected to Legislature that, for the
first time in many years, had become
Democratic. None were more vehement
In denouncing the Readj uster plan than
WickLam.
1t was the very acme of perfdy and
blasted honor and everything that was
dishonest and wicked. Now, what do
wehear of this Honorable W. G. Wick
haM IN the Senate? Can 1t be possible
that he has turned Readjuster? There
ia no room left for conjecture. Wick
ham has become Readjuster, and on
Friday last offered bill in theVtreinta
Senate to declare Virginia's equita-
bic share of the debt created prior to
the partition Of her territory and the
creation of part Of it into the State of
West Virginia. Prior to this, however,
the courts had affirmed the constitution
atty Of the Readjusier settlement, and
oven the Bourbon Democratic State
Convention had accepted the decree of
the Court as just. As the Democratic
party has really become the Readjuster
party, where now are the papers and |.
politicians that have never ceased to
denounce Mahone and Readjusterism ?
Why is no voice raised against Wick.
ham? Is Readjusterism something to
he denounced under Malone, and
something to be praised under Wick
ham and the Bourbons? May We not
now expect that the Danville massacre
will even lOse its righteousness that it
has succeeded in placing Readjuster-
ism under the watchful guidance of !
and the Bourbons So we
20. o
We could not consistently give the c
Argus complimentary notice yester- O
day, and we doubt even if the proprie- b
,ors looked for one under the circum-
'tances. The situation Is still not much
Init llnOn the Drip cinla ofl Y