Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1885-10-10
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..
I Washington POST

ManOne-ne is the hepuollCan party
Of Virginia for the purposes Of this
campaign--does not expect to elect
John S. Wise to be Governor he does
not expect to elect sufficient number
of senator's to constitute, with those
holding over, majority of that body,
but he does hope to choose majority
of the one hundred members of the
House of Delegates.
If he succeeds in getting ffty-one
seats filled with his own men it will be
his victory. Fitz Lee will be Governor,
there will be a Democratic senate to
check Mahoneite legislation, but there
will be a Mahoneite majority on joint
ballot. Malone will go to the Senate,
and all the officers who are elected by
the Legislature will be Mahoneites.
Fifty-one members Of the House Of
Delegates will be enough, as they are a
clear majority of two. AS the Demo-
Gratis will have more than two majority
in the Senate, the Mahoneites will turn
out enough Democratic delegates and
seat enough Mahoneites to make good
working majority on joint ballot.
This is the scheme which is being
worked in the crossroads and by-ways
all over Virginia. There is only one
danger confronting Democrats, and that
is oyer-confidence. Let Virginia Demo-
Gratis think of the Illinois episode. A
tied Legislature was made Republican
by two votes by the death Of Demo-
crat and the election of Republican to
fill the vacancy. The four counties
composing the districts were each Of
them Democratic, the aggregate ma
jorities being over two thousand. The
Republicans voted and won the dis
trict; the Democrats stayed at home
and lost it. The result was John A.
Logan's reelection to the United States
Senate, and his vote may keep that body
Republican after March 4, 1887. Let
Virginia Democrats take warning.
Malone is making no open canvass
to count on. What Wise and Blair do
on the stump and his Richmond organ
publishes are not relied upon to hold or
gain votes. The fight is low-down and
dark one. Malone sends circulars to
this, that, and the other county pre-
pared expressly for local circulation.
Filled with lies and ISLANDERS. they are
not published in his organs to provoke
Democratic comment, but are passed
from hand to hand to do their uninter-
rupted work.
The published meetings Of his can
yassers are all for effect. Their labors
to be performed secretly are out Of all
proportion to those openly carried on.
They rely upon such influence as they
can exert in little neighborhood gather
ipgs of the faithful and those whom
they hope TO convert rather than at
meetings advertised beforehand aud at
tended by staunch Democrats as well
as bitter Mahoneites.
One speaker, who day or two ago
received list of nearly sixty appoint
ments TO be filed between now and No
vember Sd, is under sealed orders, like
the commander of naval expedition,
and does not actually know what he is
to do or how he is to do it. Dark
lantern proceedings Of this kind cost
money, and Malone has it. Where it
comes from is immaterial, so long as
the Boss has it to place where he thinks
il will do the most good.
Now is the time to defeat Malone for
good and all. 1t is easy enough to bury
him forever in political grave as deep
and dark as his treachery to his old
party and his State is damnable. The
election of Lee will be no victory, even
If the State Senate be Democratic, so
long as Malone has the House Of Dele
gates and q majority on joint ballot.
which will surely follow the smallest
majority in the House.
Let true virginians devote their time
and money for the remainder Of this
month in the good cause, and the re-