The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1888-04-19


o determine the matter. The National
acting under instructions from
he National Convention of 1884, provided
he only legal way in which district dele
gates can be elected. 1t was not, there
fore, in the power of the State Committee,
Or of the District Committee, to modify
the terms Of the rule as laid down by the
National Committee, and to attempt to do
so is usurpation ard will be pronounced
null and void by the National Convention.
if the question should be raised before it
in June next.
Of.course there is motive for this high
handed action of the State Committee and
the District Committee. Thai motive
was disclosed in the Infamous secret cir
cular issued by the chairman. 1t was to
have chosen twenty-four delegates from
Virginia to be cast as a unit for Hon. Jno.
Sherman as the Republican Presidential
nominee. regardless of the will OF the
people and in defiance of the supreme law
of the party.
left for Mr.. Frazier to do but to cali a dis
trict convention to appoint two delegates
to the National Convention in conformity
to the rule prescribed by the National
Committee, and this he has done, as will
be observed in another column. The dele
gates so appointed Will be admitted to seats
in the Convention, as the only ones legally
chosen, whatever may be the action of the
State Convention and the delegates to that
body, when they meet in Petersburg on
the 18th of May.
Why is this disregard of the party law
and the interests of the party manifested
at this particular time? Why did the
Chairman of the State Committee and
those acting under his orders, prefer to
openly defy the National Committee and
the law it has laid down? 1t is because OF
purpose to pack delegation to Chicago
TO be under the control of the chairman.
to be cast for John Sherman for President,
in disregard of the choice of four lifths of
the Republicans of the State. They know
that delegation could not be packed. by
each district electing its own delegates, as
the rule of the party requires They know
that John Sherman is not the choice of
the Republicans of Virginia, and no solid
delegation could be gotten from Virginia
for him, if the Republicans of the several
districts were consulted. They know that
the unit rule would not be authorized by
the district conventions, and that the plot
to cast the vote of Virginia as unit fol
Mr., Sherman would not carry. This is
the true inwardness of the usurpation
and the reason why the chairman and those
who obey his orders, nave kicked out OF
the national organization.
Reckless Statements.
| Gen. Malone, in his reply to Capt
Wise. repeats the charge he made in his
sc ;ret circular, that Col. H. G. Parsons
had written a certain communication il
1886, published in the New York Tribune
id that it was written in the Fifth Ave
me Hotel, New ok, at the instance OF
Mr.. Blaine. He says, Notwithstanding the
denial of the Tribune, he can establish the
charge before any impartial tribunal This
reckless assertion corresponds with moS'
of the statements of that infamous per
sonal and confidential" paper. The author
of the Tribune article was in the VIR-
GINIAN Office a week or ten days ago, anC
| in conversation with gentleman who wa;
under the impression that Malone had de
manded the authors name. hut it was re
| fused by the Tribune, said that he ha(
written it, and that the Tribune had never
| been requested to withhold the name
Further than that, Gen. Malone coult
have the name whenever he wanted il
that he had nothing to modify or palliatt
that was said in it, because it was true
and had no regrets to express for having
written it. And the gentleman was moi
| Col Parsons, nor was the article writer
in the Fifth Avenue Hotel at the sugges
tion of Mr.. Blaine, but was written in The
Valley of Virginia, at the authors Sug
gestion, and not that of any one else.
The wholesale ISLANDERS of Mr.. Blaine
contained in that secret circular. were also
re-af1irmed by Gen. Malone in his reply t(
| Capt. Wise. yet they bear as little relation
Ito the truth as his remarks about the Tri
bune article. The statements were made tt
prejudice Republicans against Mr.. Blaine
and to help Mr.. Sherman. but the effect
| has been just the reverse. Mr.. Sherman
has been infinitely more damaged thar
benefited, and Gen. Malone has gained
neither in sagacity, franlness nor fair
ness, but has augmented his stock of du
plicity and recklessness to a degree that
will not be useful in the future.
Since the above was in type, we find in
the New Y ork Tribune, of the 18th, the
following in teresting editorial article:
wANTED-GENERAL MALONE.
| In his now famous secret circular against
| Blaine Gen. Malone charged that certain
| letter from Virginia which had appeared in the
| Tribune, and Which he affected to regard as
aimed at himself with deadly intent, was really
| written in this city, at the Fifth Avenue Hotel
| at Mr.. Blaine's instigation, and by ID. Z. Par
| sons, of Virginia. TO this The Tribune res pond
| ed that the letter was not written at the Fifth
| Avenue Hotel. nor in this city. but in Virginia
| as it purported to be, and not by ID. q. Parsons
at all, but by gentleman whose name we have
| in our confidential records, and not at Mr.
| Blane's inst'gation. But Gen. Malone is o.
| the opinion that a lie well stuck to is as gooG
as the truth. and in a recent answer 10 capt
| John s. Wise, he says, speaking OF the secret
| circular:
mo rational human being can read that let
| ter without being fully convinced that, if its
| allegations of fact be true, it points out the
only manly course, the only self-respectins
| course for Virginia Republicans to pursue, and
| I undertake TO prove before any tribunal OF
umpire that all these allegations are true. ever
| including that which charges the authorship o
| certain letter which appeared in the Neu
| York Tribune to the inspiration of a Presiden-
tial aspirant, and TO the pen of one of his
nenchmen."
| TO this Mr., Parsons made a prompt and ade.
quate response as follows
NATURAL BRIDGE VA,sApril 8, 1883.
| Hon. Vim. fdltone:
Dear General,-I deny both the inspiration
and the authorship of the letter referred to in
| your recent public address. l accept youl
| challenge. name Hon. John Sherman as the
umpire, and demand an early hearing and your
| evidence. Yours respectfully.
| This makes issue which Gen. Malone
/ must meet, or be the laughing stock of the pol
| iticians. He cannot complain of the umpire
| for he is Gen. MahOne's own candidate Tor the
Presidency. SO far as We know, the Genera
| has lain low since receiving this letter. We
| publish it in the hope of getting him to show
| himself. Come General where are you?
Death of Roscoe Conkling.
Roscoe Conkling died at the Hoffman
House, New York, Wednesday morning, the