Daily Republican. [volume] ([Wilmington, Del.]) 1874-1890, 1885-05-14
mnhone ana xepudia Tor

mshone ana kepudia ior.
The people will eventually find tbs
Senat Malone and his party In Vii
gipia nave not been the bold, open r.
pudia'ors they have been represented
when he true history Of Virginia 1
writ, up by unbiased writer's. A r.
cent letter from that distinguished gen
tlemau and United States Senator t
Sena' or Miller, OF New York, in regar,
to the financial legislation Of his State
throws additional light upon the sub
iect that ref cts no discredit upon tn
stand he and his party took to regulat
the finan ces of his State, and 1t Is fai
to predict, in the face Of recent event,
and in the general conduct of the Bour-
bon Democratic party Of Virginia, tina
If the creditors Of the State are to b,
prote tel and their claims hOnored Il
will have TO be done through the mar
and the party that have been denounced
and repudiated as repudiators by people
WHO did not understand the debt ques
ton in Virginia, and by those who
have never intended to be half as hon.
est As Malone. Even the New York
Tribune, always one OF the leading
papers in opposition to Malone and his
party, is driven to admit that the letter
referred to from Senator Malone sets
forth many facts not generally known
or understood by the people Of the
northern States.
Senator Malone, in his letter, points
out and brings to mind an undisputed
fact that the Democratic party had
complete control Of the State ofVirginia
from its read mission into the Union
until 1879, Those who have been
praising the honesty Of the Democratic
party of Virginia, and by that party we
mean the Bourbons, seemed not to be
aware Of the fact that 1t had openly re-
pudiated all interest on outstanding
bonds, and afterwards repudiated the
contract that the coupons of the new
bonds should be receivable for taxes,
and 80 placed the State in q position of
dishonor, Of prostration in Its industries
and OF great public discomfort.
The Senator sho Tvs most conclusively
that the system OF free schools went to
decay under Bourbon rule, and the
creditors Of the State were denied even
that scant measure Of justice which the
Democratic party had formerly &C.
knowledged was their due. The Bour-
bon Democracy controlled the Legisla-
ture and every department of the State,
city and county governments, and if it
had meant to pay tho debt or the inter
est honestly or any part of it, 1t had the
full power to do SO. Yet this par ex-I
cellent party 30 Landed in the North
for its honesty permitted the credit of
the State to be destroyed. The school
fund had been diverted from its original
purpose TO the amount Of about $780,
900 the revenue did not meet the cur
rent expenses; the State was delinquent
in interest about s., 600, 900, and a float
ing debt had been created. Were these
statements not known to be facts Gen.
Mahone's letter might be discredited,
but unfortunately for the Democratic
party they are true.
In 1879 there was change. That
was the year General Malone ove--
threw the government OF the State, an
the Rsadj ulster party came into power.
That party immediately proceeded to as
certain the true debt of Virginia, in
cluding the unpaid interest. In ascer-
tanning this debt, General Malone and
his party acted upon the theory that
one-third of this debt should be paid by
West Virginia since by the act OF Con-
gress one'third of Virginia was sliced
of to make the new State. This Is
where Malone is charged with repudia-
ton, but here he brings up new view
OF the case based upon the action of the
government in Massachusetts. When
the Government refunded to Massachu-
sets the advances made by her duringt
the revolution, it was provided that a
part of this amount should be paid over
to the state OF Maine that had been cutl
on from massachusetts,, in the propoI-I
ton that the territory OF Maine bore
TO Massachusetts before a division Of
the terri 'ory was made.
Upon this theory, 1t is claimed by |
General Malone, that Congress could
not in equity create q new State out of |
any part of Virginia without appor-
uoning to that new State her share Of
the DEBT Of the old State in proportion
10 u o. erritory, population and ma
oerial wealth. 1t was upon this idea
That the whole proceedings of the Read
JuSters we're based, and it cannot be
denlel tnaf in this respect, the claims
OF the I;4adj listers are entitled to re-
spect.
But General Malone urges that the
democratic party is jast as dishonest
since Its return TO DO ~er in the State of
virginia az 1t WAS before the Rsadjus-
ters came into power and made provi-l
sion Tor paying lust and equitaolel
snare OF the deot. He shows most con
clusively that the most fagrant dis |
honest measures in the whole history
OF reputation were those enacted by |
the legislature last year, which the Su-
preme Court has recently declared IN |
constitutional. He urges that the whole |
course OF the Democratic party before
1873 and sine 1888 proves that it never
intends To pay neither debt nor interest
nor TO support the public schools.
Those who have kept them selves in
formed in regard TO the question must
see that Mahoue and his party honestly
made arrangements for paying two
thirds OF the debt of the State anyhow.
The Tribune is At last ailling to admit
that 1t has done Senator Malone an in
justice and says his letter present. the
case very strongly and however men
may dissent, some sentences OF Mr..
Mahone's letter cannot fail to find re-
sepect, aud com mand approval, and it
mas no hesitation in saying that in the
night OF the facts thus set forth, that
Mahons and his people are infinitely
more entitled TO respect than the repu-
dating Democrats who once claimed to