Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1888-04-06
FRIDAY MORNING. APRIL 6. 1888.
THE COMING DISRUPTION OF
THE VIRGINIA REPUBLICANS.

IL Is lDpOSSlUl6 uOt W SyuP1tnlZS WILL
the movement in the Republican party for
nearer approach to form of organiza-
ton that will give its members some voice
in the political results it essays. Any effort
to loosen up and purify hlde-bound and
opinion-stified party. which, on one pre-
tense or another, manages to secure the
suffrages of goodly number of voters
every year, must have the sympathy Of
those who wish we'll to Virginia. Even
so great is our sympathy that we are dis
posed to overlook the volleys of abuse dis
charged at the Democratic press Of the
State, when they charged the very things,
and almost in the same words, against the
Virginia Republican organization, which
the Republican opponents of Gen. Malone
are charging to-day. But our sympathy
should not blind our judgment. The pres
ent antagonism to Gen. Malone will
result in no party benefit to Republicans
in Virginia-we use the term party bene-
fit because we believe it will result in
public benefit-the disruption Of the organ
lzation for it will not dismount Gen.
Malone, except by splitting the party in
twain-which is his specific for all the op-
position he meets with.
Let us for a moment go over the history
of the dissatisfaction, as it was called
until it broke out into open antagoism,
which has existed in the Republican party
The first and very bitter dissatisfaction
was when the party was captured by a d.
vision of the Democratic party under
Malone, known as Readjusters. The
changes of leadership which followed were
met by the most violent protests, and from
prominent men whose prominence made
them dangerous foes-as dangerous as
those now in array against the Boss.
Think for moment of what has become
of those foes, what has become of Rives,
Bolts. Wickham, Dezendorf, Jorgerson
and the rest-all turned out of the Repub-
iican party. Others saved themselves by
surrender. Is there any reason to believe
that Cameron, BLAIR. YOst, Wise, Lewis,
and Brady of this dey will meet a different
fate? Those men Aought Malone with
the advantage Of catching him before he
had soliditied the new Republican party
These men fight him when he has the
party we'll cemented together and at his
back. So we see that a rebellion
against Malone even when led by infuen-
tial men. is not obliged to succeed simply
because it is influentlally led.
Now LOOK at the organization with which
Malone begins the fight. The fight was
brought to practical issue a few DAYS
ago by tangible proposition made by
Hon. John S. Wise. He advocated the
election of the district delegates to the
Chicago Convention by district conven-
tions, and opposed the unit rule for the
Virginia representatives at Chicago
Within week after the publication of
Mr.. Wise's letter, the Republican State
Central Committee meets at Gen. Ma
homes residence in Petersburg. There
were twenty seven members present. Gen.
Malone presented to it his call for State
Convention. 1t provides that the people
of the congressional districts s'or their
delegations" shall decide at the State Con-
UeYataon whether the district delegates to
chosen there or at district conYen-
tions to be held at another time
This plan was opposed with vigor
by Mr.. James A. Frazier of Rockbridge,
who advocated the selection of the district
delegates to Chicago by district conven-
tions, and letter from Chairman B. f.
Jones of the National Republican Com
mittee to Hon. Jacob Yost, enforcing this
view, was read to sustain Mr.. Fraziers pc
sition. And yet when Gen. Mahone's
plan came to be voted on, it was adopted
with only three voices-FraZier of Rock
bridge, Burke of Alexandria, and Libby
of Hampton, opposing it. So, one may
say, the General has the party machinery
pretty solid against the klckers.
But the war is to be continued. say the
kickers, Mr.. Frazier of Rockbridge being
their spokesman. According to him, the
NRepublican people, will, in defiance of
Gen. Malone, call District conventions.
which shall meet before the state conven-
tion. elect delegates to Chicago. and send
their names TO National Chairman Jones to
put on the roll of delegates. If this is done
it means the presence OF contesting dele
cations at Chicago for VIrginia-that is,
in every Virginia district the opponents
of Malone will meet and elect Chicago
delegates and when the state convention
meets at Petersburg, May 18th, Gen. Ma
hone will haYe new batch of his own
choosing elected for each district-as was
done last month at the Iowa Republican
State convention. All hands will 90
to Chicago where Mahone's Sherman del
egates will be admitted. There is
but one ending to such dilemma
as this-disruptlon. And when it comes
how will the party divide There is little
doubt about that. The bulk of the party,
the colored element almost in body, will
adhere to Malone. What do they know
OR care about the higher plane to which
the kickers are trying to bring the man
agement and methods of the party What
are Cameron, or Y ost, or Lewis, or Wise
to them, except that they now know and
recognize them as enemies Of Gen. Malone,
engaged, from their point of view in try
ing te break down the Republican party,
which to them means General Malone.
What is Mahone's bosssm anyhow to
the mass of the Republican party? They
have lost nothing that they know of by it.
Liberty, voicing the popular will, free
thought ? What are these things to them?
To them there has been no mismanage-
ment of the party; its victories have been
won by Malone, its defeats inflicted by
the hated Democrats. The fact is, Malone
is fit, suitable, and popular leader for
the yroat paacc of fha y,orfu in Uirripio.