Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1888-06-01
VIRGINIA IN THE CHICAGO CON-
VENTI0N.

VIRGINIA IN THE CHICAGO CON-
VENTI0N.
From the New York Tribune.
The State Committee appointed
by the Republicans who withdrew
from the recent convention IN Vir-
ginia and formed a separate organ
ization is preparing to issue an adj
dress. THIS will undoubtedly be
the basis of its appeal to the Chi
cagO Convention. This cOntrOver.
sy Is the most serious one, as re-
CARDS the right to seats in that
body, that will engage the atten-
ton Of the convention. There are
few others, if any. 1t is remark
able proof Of the harmony prevail
ing in the party that the elections
of delegates throughout the cOun-
try have been singularly free from
bitter contests.
1t is important that the differ.
ences between the factions in Vir-
GINA should be clearly understood
in order that no mistake shall he
made in Chicago. The questions
presented are of intrinsic import.
ance to the whole party. In the
first place, it should be shown what
sort of an organization General Ma
hone has built mp. All power over
the state organization is lodged in
an Executive Committee Of three,
who are virtually chosen by the
chairman, he being one Of them.
He is practically dictator, and the
chairman, it is hardly necessary to
say, is General Malone himself
The Republicans of a county can
not elect their own county chair
man. They have only the right 20
recommend, and General Malone
accepts the recommendation or not,
as he sees fit. This places the Sc.
lection of the local leaders all over
the state absolutely in his hands,
But the singular subsection of in.
dividual Republicans to the cen
trail authority goes still further
When delegates are elected to
State Convention, the officers of
the meeting electing them may GER
tify the credentials, but these are
absolutely void unless counter
signed by the county chairman
This is the perfection of BOsssm.
Under this system General Malone
has absolute EJwer to decide who
shall represent any district in the
State Convention, because if he
cannot control the county chair
man, he can remove him at any
time and put one Of his own tools
in the place.
The practical workings of this
system were shown in the election
of delegates to the recent cOnven.
ton from Senator Riddleberger's
county, Shenandoah. According
to the Valley Virginiaa, Mr.. Kel.
Ter, who had been county chairman
for three years, called mass meet |
ing of the Republicans of the cOun-
ty to elect delegates to Petersburg,
giving three weeks notice. Three |
DAYS prior to the date fixed for the |
meeting Malone removed Keller,
without consulting the Republi.
cans of the county, and appointed !
to succeed him r. j. Walker, who |
last fall defeated Republican NOM
iuee. Walker called a meeting for |
the same day with that already |
called. Both meetings were held,
about 400 Republicans coming to.
gether IN response to Keller's call,
while Walker, 1t is alleged, gath
cred less than a dozen men. several
of whom were Democrats. The del
egation elected by this latter meet
ing was admitted to the State Con-
yenlOn by General Malone to rep
resent the county! 1t is charged
that this Is bus one illustration OF
his methods. Whenever his chair
men could not control the meet
ings, bogus delegations were ar
ranged and admitted to the cOnven-
ton. In this way, 1t Is claimed,
112 legally elected delegates were
denied admission TO the floor of tho
convention. In all cases of con-
tests, except that of Richmond, the
Malone delegation was placed Oh
the roll of the convention and the
opposition were consigned to the
gallery or left TO walk the streets.
Even uncOntested opponents OF Ma
hone were refused admittance, The
Hon. Jacob Yost, a member Of Con-
gress, was elected both by the Ma
hone and anti-Mahone factions of
his county, but after the meeting
his name was stricken from the
Malone list by the Malone chair
man, and without the knowledge
or consent of the people who claim
ed to have selected the ticket. He
also held an uncOntested proxy tor
Highland county, and was even
then shut out until the convention
saw the absurdity of such situa-
ton and admitted him. The Incl.
dent is worth mentioning to show
the despotic character of General
Mahone's rule.
1t is not necessary to multiply
details. The decisions of the con-
vention upon contests were on this
line, and many delegates withdrew.
There is every reason TO believe
that, as regards a number OF the
Virginia districts the will OF the
masses Of the party was nulllhed
by General Malone. The Chicago
must weigh all the EVIL
denoe, and decide in which of them
this has been done. The antl-Ma-
hone party claim that they are on
titled to the delegates from six out
of the ten districts. Under the
Republican system of popular rep
resentation, the convention deals
with each district, except
as regards the delegates at large.
The practices by which General
Malone maintains his power have