The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-05-03

and incapable of doing for themselves as
well as he could do for them. The dan
gers from low ambitions are not the only
ones surrounding parties. and white dem
agogues and professional politicians are
not by any means confined to the lower
strata of politics.
deny the position he takes that a more I'D
eral plan of organization is advised or urged by
our enemies. They delight in the present plan
which makes our party simply synonymous
with the name of its chairman. They tremDle
at this moment lest in our wisdom we shall
so amend and Iiberalize our plan of party gov
eminent as to make Republican principles
more prominent and put in The background
personal issue on which they rely as worth
thousands of votes to them. If the wisdom of
our convention mot the cOmmlttee) shall de-
termine to leave our present plan Intact no
one will bow more obediently to the decision
than myself / desire to avoid no RESPONSE
bility for the present plan prior to my asSa1l-
ing it. am not aware ofhavhg attacked the
administration, and to the extent l may have
profited by it was fully appreciative until so
often reminded.
General Mahone parades figures with an evil
dent purpose of showing that when l was at
the head of our ticket in 1882 and 1885 we fell off
from our vote of the previous and succeeding
years, If this, like the remainder OF his state
ment had not been ngeniously framed to
prejudice me- he might have explained that
our vote OF 900 in 1881 fell off in 1882 to 600
because 1881 was gubernatorial election and
1889 was an off year, and because, also, his quar-
rel with Massey had caused us a loss OF several
Thousand. he ml5nb also nave mentioned lnaU
in 1882 the law requiring pay ment of q poll
lax as d prerequisite to voting was abolished,
whereby the vote OF both parties IN 1888 was
largely increased.
When ne stated our vote of 144 900 in 1881 and
coupled mention of my candidacy in 1885 with
the smaller vote OF l36 IVY, he tailed to mention
that the election of 1881 was a presidential
election, which always brings out the largest
vote, or that in 1855 he was as prominent an
Issue as candidate for Senator as was
didate for Governor. He must bear his share
of the responsibility. l cannot think 1t was
my appropriately that caused the falling off. for
WREN in 1887 he forced himself as the only issue
and was unembarrassed by any candidacy of
mine, the vote fell away to $4,000. although he
wrote and published a DO ,k TO prove that he
had done everything in Congress, and that
neither his Democratic opponents nor Repub-
lican colleagues had been able to accomplish
anything.
deny his charge that am seeking to have
the majority sacrificed to cry-baby minority.
favor majority rule. have seen too much
minority rule n our f party Wnen at was ann ,d
six congressman and saw that senator appro-
pirate the whole Federal patronage to himself
absolutely ignoring and denying the right OF
his six colleagues to any recognition; even CD
jecting to their nomination of petty postmas-
ter in their own districts without his sanction
and approval. Every office, in every Depart
ment, from the pettiest clerBship upwards,
was boarded to himself as jealously as miser
boards his gold, and any interference brought
on q tempest of protest and indignation. We
yielded to it not because there was any right in
it; not because 1t exemplihed the Generals
love of majority rule. In fact l 90 not know
why, unless it was in pursuance OF tne gfand-
motherly policy which subjects and suoordl-
mates everything and everybody 10 the cry
baby"
The figures relied upon by General Mahone TO
show our growing strength from year TO year
only prove an increasing aggrega.e ol popaia
ton What is the purport of our Increase II
the Democratic vote increases more rapioiy
than our own? One would fancy reading gen
Maiione's statement that had charged post de-
feats to the defective plan of our organlZaIlon
alone / did nothing Of the sort. | know how
much we are handappted by and ibe dther
things which he quotes me concerning: Al
that did was to suggest an amendment 10 our
present plan which will add to our stfengGn u'
| he Jut,,re, in my Judgment. Such absurd argu-
ment is apace with his other claim OF q giofl-
GUS victory in 1886, as if he was to any extent
| Instrumental In achieving it. In what district
did he operate that year? challenge MN 70
show it unless, perhaps, in BoWdens alsIrlct'
| piled in that election. 1t was currently re-
| ported that Gen. Malone had gone 10 EUROPE
or to the Pacific slope he d1a ht' Tbe or neonIe
themselves took hold OF their af1alfs anu won u
| victory surprising to General Manone as IL
was to them. 1t was only after the victory WIS rs
| won that we b card this telk OF what we dlu. IL
| was very aoee. indeed, as far as the plan OF Or
ganigation or the work OF the Seace orsa nmha
| ton was concerned. Let any one who DOUBTS
this ask the present congressman now nuCn
! the state organization helped them TO thelr
| seats.
| His long statement about my "unfortunate
| interference' in the Third district has been
! promptly denied by my own constituents III
is part of his studied effort at my injury. Iney
have denied his statements of facts and told
| him that his conclusions were UNJUST ana IN
| generous. may well leave him TO their lnolg-
| nant protesy. The whole of that story IS that
| some time in the spring of 1856 Gen. Malone
| dragged our State Committee out OF the State
to Washington, for his own convenience. MAJ I
| District Committee attended. l refer 10 Gna6
distinguished patriot and statesman the Hon;
| b. Taylor McCue. exactly what Mahone anu
| McCue in convention assembled beneath
| the dome of the National Capitol, deter
mined to do with the 10000 Republican voters
| ofthis district never has been ascertained, but
| the public announcement was that tne ques-
| ton Of nominating congressman in TINS as
trict was left open for future decision. In time
! it was claimed by Mr.. Mullen and his friends
| that it was not left open at all. but that the
| three Ms had an understanding that Dig M tolu
| m to permit little an to run for Congress ana
make no Republican nomination ,.,
| In due time Mullen came out for Congress
| nation as to the Nj. M. M. arrangement. grew
FESTIVE, especially as Mullen opened his cam
| vass without any conference with Our repre-
| sentative men, and denounced all such who
were likely to be competitors as tricky poiitl-
clans. While this was going on was IN MIN IN
verge of open revolt against Mullen's cand1-
dacy. Sheriff Southward of Henrico, openly
proclaimed that unless we held district con-
vention he would announce himself an inde.
pendent candidate, and that unless Mullen was
endorsed by Republican convention he would
| not support him. Hundreds of as true Repu6-
| licans as we had openly denounced the coward
ice of holding no convention, and SAID they
would not support Mullen under any circun-
| stances. l saw no reason to support Mullen.
although would have done so if he had been
endorsed by our convention, and advocated
calling a convention. Mullen realized that to
succeed he must be endorsed, and himself
asked Messrs. Waddill, McCue. and Harris, the
distuct committeeman. to call convention,
hoping to get its endorsement. 1t met refused
to endorse him, nominated Judge Waddill, and
Qimited) went into liquidation. When Gen.
Malone carps at that action he strikes his
friends McCue. Waddill, Mullen, and Harris.
Of the calling of this convention Gen. Mahone
was fully advised and subsequently,, as chair
man, fully recognized the nominee. Our peo-
pie know pretty well what General Malone
wanted. but they knew also what they wanted
themselves. and they nominated Republican.
After the convention General Malone did
nothing for our canvass. raised every dollar
of our campaign fund, and he instead of lend.
ing any helping hand, permitted Mullen and
his friends to hold interviews and imparlances
with him, lhus countenancing in them the
hope that Waddil1 might Withdraw In their
favor; Encouraged by such hope ofrecognition
they hung together until the Democrats made
a deal with them, whereas if they had been left
alone they would have fallen to pieces and
many would have come into our ranks. We
worked up a larger vote for Waddil here than
was cast in the gubernatorial election. and
might have won if General Malone had not
volunteered to know more about our own bus
mess than we did ourselves.
just this sort of interference by him in all
party fncalenlably. His messengers and in
structions and Sc Gret circulars and what not
worry out the people ana are inc source OF
more bitterness, dissent1on, and loss OF votes
than anything know.
am speaking plainly, but not more so than
he has done in his criticisms of myself.
When | remember the devoted labor | be-
slowed here last fall in the effort to elect four
delegates pledged to him for senator, and then
when | read the thanks he gives me in his pub
lished statement, / confess | feel disguised.
Time and again might I have pledged those
candidates 10 myself They objected to Ma
hone, and urged me to permit them to support
me. I refused to listen to such suggestions: [
told them it mortified me to think they be-
lieved me capable of DESERVING my friend. Day
anu night, in season and out of season. instant
friend. After full conference between the Re-
formers and Republicans 1t was determined
| that in order to secure the Republican vote a
statement of the terms of our coalition was
and the Republicans having been disappointed
by them after supporting them in prior cam
paign, needed the assurance that they were
| this time actually pledged. At a formal meet
ing, and after full discussion, was directed 10
make known the pledge. 1t as that they had
Legislature and in the election of senator. Gen.
Malone now states that my making this known
defeated us here. Well, that strikes me as a
naive confession from him. knew that we lost
never expected him to confess that his unpopu-
| larity was such as to beat the ticket when the
| fact became known that 1t was to support him.
Re must mean that, for that is all l told. He
| vas not the cause of our defesn Bribery of
| some voters and suppression of the coored
| vote in Jackson Ward by an organized band OF
fuiiiaps were the causes of our defeat. But be
Mahones charge that I, VINO toiled so long and
| loyalty to save his eleetion--who worked up d
| vote 1900 larger than the year before and re-
duced'the Democratic majority lower than it