Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-08
THuRsDAY........oCTOBER s, 1885
The Malone Platform.

platform charges the Democrats Oh VIZ
ripia with being assassins, &c. They
claim that it merely charges that
the " effective strength " Of the Demo
cratic party consists Of organized re-
pudistors, ballot-box suffers. and as
ssssins.- In other words, but for bal
lotbox suffers, regulators, and assas-
sins "the good men" Of the Demo-
cratic party could not carry Virginia.
The explanation does not explain
how II is that the whole force OF public
opipion in Virgins can be controlled
by ballot-bsx suffers, assassins, and
regulators. Generally, public opinion
is controlled by the best classes in the
community. If the thieves, rosues,
and burglars could by any means con-
troll public opinion, all laws against
larceny, robbery, and burglary would
soon become a dead letter. So if the
"organixed regulators, ballotboI
suffers, and asssssins" have really
had control Of this good old Common
wealth during the last two years, the
best classes in the community must
necessarily either be acquainted with
the facts and party to the alleged
wrongs, or else they must be such fools
that they are incapable Of seeing what
is going on under their very eyes, and
this Notwithstanding that their political
opponents can see all these things and
have again and again called their atten-
ton to them.
Now, is that a reasonable story?
Does that explanation explain any
thing? Does not the charge made by
the Democrats against Mr.. WISE and
General MALONE and all who endorse
the speeches Of the former and the
platform of the latter hold good not
withstanding that explanation? If you
doubt that General MALONE meant
that his platform should be understood
as charging the great body of the
Democrats with being contemners Of
law and order, INSCRIPTIONS partisans,
and oppressors Of their neighbors, read
the following extract copied from
q letter written last week from Peters
burg TO q Cincinnati paper. We have
no doubt that this letter was instigated
by MALONE. Surely the writer of it
must have read it to MALONE. Pc
tersburg is not place which a special
correspondent Of a northern Republican
paper would have selected as his head
quarters If that place had not been the
place Of residence Of General MALONE,
the leader Of the Republican party in
Virginia. Here is an extract from the
letter we have referred to;
"Eyery Republican leader. no mat
tel how distinguished his family in the
annals Of Virginia, no matter how high
socially he and his have always stood,
no matter how exalted his character,
how brave or honest, he is socially Ia
booed and cut off in every community.
lie enters no doors socially but his
own; he is shut out Of the clubs; his
daughters are never invited out or Wis.,
tied by the young gentlemen, and his
sons are refused the entree OF society
aud social resorts. He is branded \
parish and outcast in the community IN
which he was born aud reared. and his
father and grandfather and all his an
csstors before him for hundred years.
ITO be sneered at, to be spoken OF
with contempt or with loathing a. a
moral, social, and political leper--tc
be and TO suffer all this man joins the
Republican party in the South, know
ing well what he is to expect. This
cruel proscriptive spirit is encouraged
and cultivated to hold men to Bourbon
ism who are sick and tired of it, but
who have not the moral courage 10 de-
clare their true position, or are held
back out Of regard for those near and
dear, and the innocent who would suf
fer.
"Nothing could be more dastardls
or damnable than this system as it II
prscticed in the South. The womel
are often worse than the men in thi
land Of chivalry, and combine with ex
ouisite cruelty 10 make wretched Ant
miserable the wives aud daughters o
the Republicans. This system crushe
the manliness out Of men, and for th
sake of their business and social stant
ing and pleasures, and for those VIII
love them and are dependent upon then
they 60 on cleaving to BourbonisI
when oftentime their whole soul revolt
against it in disgust and lOa,hing."
Who induced the Cincinnati Con
nGeial- Gasette's correspondent
bring these charges against the poop
Of Virginia? And how could it
possible for such public opinion ,
exist in Virgin unless the mass Of II
people are behind it, And il it
true that the Republicans in this Sta,
are "parishs and outcasts," q
/. they could not be If one fourth OF th
voters were Republicans. why shoul
the Democrats, being in such a ms
jority that they confessedly contrC
public opinion, have TO stuff ballot
boxes or assassinate negroes in orde
TO carry the elections?
As Senator THURMAN says, ~
won't DO" The charge that the Dem
ocrats Of Virginia stuff the ballot-bo,
does not consist with the charge ths
they are so numerous that for them ID
point scornfuI finger at man and his
family Is to make these psriahs and out
casts.