The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-05-31

Dear sir,-I enclose you herewith a printed
copy of letter lately addressed TO irien hY an
siuce concluded to lay the views that letter
contained before you and others of our friends.
| hands. 'ii ~ " stsiS 20 a that YOU do
1t is committed to your confidence.
| Yours truly. MALONE.
| personal. AND CoNFIDENTIAL.l
| PETERSBURG. VA. January, 1888.
| Dear Sir-So much does the future of our
| Republican party and the progress and welfare
| of the State depend on the Delegation we shall
| send to The National Convention at Chicago
and the candidate there elected for the Presi-
dency, that feel constrained by sense of per-
sonal and political duty to invite your thought
| following:
Remember that it was Mr. Blaine who bar
gained with the Democrats when entered the
Senate in Isl. to do nothing to help as here in VI.
| gini0 in consideration that The Democrats
would help the ad ministratlon to defeat Mr..
Conkling and up to the day of his, Garfield's
death, his administration did nothing for us
| During Mr.. Garfield's life President, / could
not get a Democratic petty postmaster or
route agent removed. Mr.. Blaine had bargained
with the Democrats that nothing should be
done to help us in Virginia, to promote the lib
| eral movement we had inaugnrated-the eIec-
| ton of our state ticket in 81
| In 1881. when Mr., Blaine was candidate for
| the Presidential nomination, 1t was he who got
| up that Straght-out delegation to Chicago.
headed bv Wit khan, Parsons Il Co., and on
he turned his back At Chicago he
[siastic will of the Convention. Until then Mr..
Blaine and his personal partizans We're out
spoken in favor of the admission of the Wick
ham Strai ght-Out delegation.
| Mr.. Blaine had said before the Convention
met, that there aDas nothing a0o'th fighting for IN
| IlrginiG except the taoe,lfy-tour delegates to the
| Contention. That was then and is now the
OF ms eoneefn Tor u.s. MS sympathy f9f
was that we had no help ana no recognition at
| the ands of his National Committee in '8l.
Virginia, and the state was given the GO by and
! the cold shoulder, Mr.. Blaine himself refusing
/ to come inside the state. when he was rs near
J as West Virginia.
| In November. 1887, (6) when we had just car
ried the state by 2O.UOO and elected seven %
| members of Congress, there appeared in the
Tribune of the 18th November, communica-
! ton signed Republican OF the Valley" attack
| ing me and the organization. This communi
| cotton was written in the Fifth Avenue Hotel,
New York, by IL. q Parsons and at the lnstlga-
| ton of Mr. Blaine, as | have reason to believe
The idea was then and there conveyed that the
defeat of my self and friends in the election in
November last. was necessary to make it pos
| sible for Mr. Blaine to get the delegates which
we are shortly to appoint for Chicago In that
canvass OF last fall we see the hands of Mr..
| Blaine's henchmen in and ont side of the State,
| actively conspiring Tor the defeat of our party
| and it's Legislative candidates. The Northern
| newspapers 1aNoring his nomination had
| good word for all during the canvass, while
| his pretended friends in Virginia were out
! spoken. and the most of them openly active in
| their efforts to defeat our candidates for the
| Legislature. If anywhere pretending to sup
port our candidates, all the same doing their
| utmost to defeat them elsewhere.
Mr.. Blaine knew that our success and my
| election to the Senate would lessen the posi-
bility of a delegate for him to Chicago, because
| he felt that knew he was no friend of the
party in Virginia, and that ne had no concern
| Tor Republican development in any southern
! that was familiar with his hostility to us-his
trade with the Democratic leaders in 81
| whereby he agreed TO crush us out that he
might unhorse Conkling He knew that If
| got back to the Senate and he should be elected
e be a
| in Virginia, and protect our party. against the
Vaccinations of kickers.
What, then, will be our situation and fate If
| he should be the nominee at Chicago in June
next? The National Committee. the members
who will conduct the campaign, Will be, as is
| always the case, designated by the candidate.
! AS Mr.. Blaine holds that there Is nothing In
/ Virginia worth fighting for but the delegation
| to the convention, what Republican, honestly
desiring the success of The party in Virginia
can be SO blind as to believe that we will
ceive any help or recognition at the hands of
| the National Committee if he should De the
nominee? What is it to us, as a party. if Mr..
! and are sacrificed? What hope is there for
those who have built up the party. in Virginia,
opment and power, under the leadership of the
kicherS. to whom MIR. Blaine would listen as to
all Virginia matters?
None of Mr.. Blaine's friends or newspapers
speak noaO of Virginia even possible Re-
publican State at the election next November.
BY all of these she is set down in the Southern
column of certain Democratic States. All who
speak for him now make his election depend
ent upon Northern and Western states. Vir.
ginia is not mentioned as possible State-not
one for which any effort is to be made-in case
he is the candidate Is that what honest Re
publicanS of the party here desire? In my
Judgment. no! and yet we are foretold that
such will be the result if Mr.. Blaine is the can
didate. No merely possible State will be fought
for unless the candidate desires and directs
that II be.
Mr.. Blaine in 'S4 had only to say to the Ma
tional Committee. night for Virginia, help the
Republicans in their brave struggle there, and
it would have been done. But Mr.. Blaine had
! said their was nothing in Virginia worth fight
ing for but the delegation to the National Con-
vention, and that is manifestly his opinion and
his policy now.
If he be nominated now 70 one should doubt
that we shall be given the cold shoulder as in
'84-that we shall be absolutely Abandoned
given neither help. recognition nor encourage
ment, Unless by the very Sodily and manly
department. of our delegation at Chicago we
compel these considerations. This we may do.
if we go there unit, and it is our only safety
in the event of his nomination and election.
do not believe Mr.. Blaine will receive the
nomination. and there are but fewwho believe
that he can be elected Even among his de-
elected, and hence we hear SO much about his
indicisiOn-that he will not accept unless ten
dered the nomination with decided unanimity.
When such prominent leaders of the party as
ex Governor -, CT Ohio. says, as he said to
me lately in New York, II aoold rather Mr..
Blaine president than a,ay other man in the cou,s-
try but zoe cannot elect him ana Ohio is solid for
Sherman he is oar man. we may well under
stand what is the sober underlying thought Of
crackers will not control in this supreme mo-
ment of party concern 1t was allowed to have
the party and the great interests of the country
mean now to assert themselves and give the
party q candidate with which 1t can win.
Mr.. Blaine will not get majority of the del
egat1On from New Ork, have good reason to
believe. and will not carry that State If nomi-
didate Will. Mr. Blaine. of all men. cannot
carry Indiana, while any other Republican can
and will. Indiana and Virginia. Independent
of New York will elect our ticket. and for these
two States and West Virginia the fight ought
~ rnon 10
My judgment is that Mr.. Sherman can be
nominated and now stands the best chance of
thoroughly equipped for the high duties of the
Presidency in all our great country. He is
nav waV through and if elected viii give us
high toned, pure Republican administration.
He has been our friend from the start sympa-
1hizes with efforts and believes in our ulti-
mate triumph. Ii he is nominated. Virginia
Will be fearlessly and earnestly fought for
The National Committee will be told TO help
and sustain u.s. If he is elected, and he GER
tainly will be If nominated, Virginia will have
1t his hands the most cordial recognition, and
every help will be given us to regain suprem
acy in the cont oil of State affairs.
Who should hesitate as to our Republican and
party duty in this matter? Not you or or he
who would do that which is manifestly wisest
for the party, its future, the State and the ma.
In 1889 we are to have State election, COM !
prising state officers, full House of Delegates
and p members Of the Senate. The Legisla-
the State for representation in the General AS |
sembly but apportions it for constitutional |
convention, If Constitutional Convention |
shall be ordered at the election in November |
next as most likely will be. If we lose in that |
fight, the party here goes down forever. II we |
win, as we may, with Mr.. Sherman as Presi. |
dent, we shall regain control of every depart
ment of The State Government, and can hold it,
We can only hope to win in that paramount |
contest, when we have an administration at
Washington that will heartily stand by us and
give us its powerful aid, actively and earnestly.
All this we would, l am sure have at the hands
of Mr.. Sherman and most likely at the hands
Of any other man in the Presidency. except Mr..
Blaine.
1t is.the great stake to be fought for in that
political field of 1889. that gives me greatest
consern p the campaign this year. If there is
no feture for the party here in Virginia, and
there is nOne unless we can win in 1888. IL is Of
little matter what becomes Of the result In
November. beyond the beggary loayes and
fishes that fall to the lot of a Rottenboropgh,
and these should concern no man who is Re-
publican in the honest belief that the policies
tf that party best subsefye the welfare Of this
State and the country. The Republicans, so,
called, like the kickers, who are for revenue
only. have no sympathy with these views, and
prefer Mr., Blaine for the very reasons l have
given why we should not They aim to rele-
gate the party to that dilapidated and power
n W hjch fOun0 t.. |