Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-08-25
MAHoNES MEAN CHARGES
GIVEN THE LIE BY RECORD.
A c,,ar yindica,iOn Of the Last General As
sembIy from the vale Charges OF "a"o"e'
Outrageous Platform.

.e,,bIv from the vale CHARGES or uahoneh
| Outrageous Platform.
[For the Dispatch.l
The Democratic party, having in the
campaign Of 1883 secured a majority
in both branches of our Legislature,
has made record, and that record is
part of her hitherto proud history.
That record has been assailed by the
so-callcd Republican party under the
lead of Malone and his followers, ana
in their platform and address to the
people which they have put forth IN
this canvass we are charged with
"high crimes and misdemeanors IN
terms Of bitter denunciation. To repel
them we appeal to the reason and con-
science Of thoughtful and intelligent
people. We are willing to have our
record spread out before them. upon
it we will stand or fall. BY it we are
willing to be judged.
The writer, as one Of the clerks oil
the standing committees in the last
House of Delegates, claims to have had
an opportunity personally to observe
the actions and Judge the motives of the
Democrats in the last General Assem-
bly,, and will verify the statements
herein by the record, and by that alone.
With that before us, let us consider
the charges made upon us in their plat
form and address, passing by as I'M
worthy Of reply the wholesale denun-
Citations which are easily made against
the wisest of bodies or the noblest Of
causes, which thinking men will con-
slider as naught unless supported by
reason and by fact.
TIE CHARGE OF UNJUSTLY UNSEAT-
ING MEMBERS.
Let us examine and test by the re-
cord the charge made in so many words
and presented in so many shapes by
them that the General Assembly, in its
organization, by unjustly seating and
unseating so many members, was able
to legislate in defiance Of the Constitu-
ton and the laws and to paralyze the
executive branch Of the government.
After such bitter and vigorous can
vass it was to be expected that there
would be many cases of contested cleo
tons. The committees of both the SEN
ate and House instantly commenced
their investigations, and by night and
by day fairly and fully prosecuted
them to the end. What does
the record disclose in answer to
the charge that seventeen members
were unseated by fraud? There were
pending in the House of Delegates thir-
| teen cases of contested seats. The re-
suit was that four Mahoneites and
three Democrats who had the returns
were retained in their seats, three Ma
honeites holding seats were declared
not to be entitled to them, and three
cases of Mahoneites who were re-
turned were sent back to the people
on the ground Of the improper and
illegal manner in which the election
was held in two cases and the ineligi-
bility of the incumbent in another, and
these cases were submitted back to
constituencies who, it was known,
would return men Of the same
party with those first displaced.
| In the Senate two seats at the
| commencement of the session were de-
clared vacant, as the Mahonite candi-
dates returned held Federal and in
compatible Offices, and afterwards a
Straightout Republican was admitted
into one and Mahoneite into the other.
Two Democrats were adjudged to be
legally entitled to seats instead Of the
Mahoneites returned, and two Demo-
Gratis and one Mahoneite, cOnteSting the
returned members, were unsuccessful.
The sum Of the whole matter, by the
record in both houses, is that five Ma
honites were ousted and seven Malone
ties retained; four Democrats and one
Straightout Republican who had the
seats were retained, and three cases
were sent back to the people.
1t would thus appear that. leaving
out the doubtful cases remanded to
the people, the Democrats in the Gen
eral Assembly were liberal to their
opponents, to say the least Of it. The
houses having, by the the Constitution
the right to decide for themselves who
were legally their members-elect, anC
having exercised this right fairly anC
conscientiously as we have shown, haC
the further right to pass these measures
over the Governors vctoes. TIT
charge is that we decided all the con
tested cases in our own favor, and thu
paralyzed the Executive department
The record, as usual, demOlishes it.
THEIR CHARGE OF "sPOILs" RE-
FUTED.
, They further complain that we hay
wrested the Offices of government iron
competent hands in which they place.
4 them. This comes with poor grac
Y from party who, while they elaine,
to be Democrats and never having an
nounced such a purpose before the cleo
= ton, turned out, without alleging an
u fault, the officers in the Capitol. the Ell
tire judiciary, and every officer the
could reach, either holding State,
county, or district position. We turne
them out in obedience to the voice 9
the people as expressed in the electio
o of 1888, that we should hurl froI
= power and place the slaves and puppet
n put in by petty tyrant and controlle
. by his political machinery to do hi
work and carry out his methods. Th
lieutenants and henchmen Of the Bos
had to give way to competent and higl
IS toned Virginians.
RELIEF OF DEFAULTING OFFICERS
" Their platform and address charge
le US that we passed upwards of Seyent
N acts relieving defaulting officers an
lie their sureties, and thus defrauding IL
Treasury Of s96, 200, which they charG
was employed for " Bourbon" can
ly paign purposes. This is serious a
= cusation, but for its utter falsity v
appeal to the record. 1t is true tn
III the General Assembly passed eight
ID five relief bills, fifty-two at the regul
x n&AArty three at their extra sessiO
he but they were for relief to indivdua
m in various ways, each determined
the circumstances Of the case. OF Il