Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1888-03-26
Signed


Very truly yours,
Signed
RICHMOND, VA, March 10, 1883.
Mv Dear Sir: l received your letter oil
the 18th inst, and have noted its contents
ca !efully. l thank you most sincerely Tor
writing to me about the matter. 1t is one
in which oil of us must have deepinterest,
and | want to hear particularly the views
of thoss who disagree with me:
am not welded 10 any feature OF the
plan l suggested, except to the feature that
all power in all sections of the State shall got
be placed in the hands of | he chairman OF the
party. I DO not contend for this through
anv personal feeling against General Ma
hone. and every body must know that. 90
not believe there is man in this State who
feels towards General Malone as do or
would make the same sacrifices for him that
will; but know that the absolute power
which the present plan gives our chairman
has alienated thousands OF people from our
party in every section of the State. The
argument suggested by you that Chairman
and committees must in the nature OF the
case be appointed in your section OF the
State and not left to the popular election
was the only thing upon which the pres
ont plan was adopted. 1t has no other
recommendation and is obnoxious to the
notions of the people everywhere. In lis
practical workings the present plan oil or
oanization has been failure everywhere;
it has produced no good results In the
black belt, and with the best chairmen
aud committees We have had appointed by
the State chairman we have been run over
like flock Of sheep in Inc back belt. See
the counties of Southampton, Isle OF Wight,
Charlotte, Halifax, Lunenbnsg. Thus, while
no good results have come 10 ia in the sec
ton for which the plan was devised, it has
lost us thousands of votes in the valley, 10
the southwest, where it WAS unnecessary,
from feeling on the part of the people that
ours was not party Of the people, but u
sort Of military organization where tho peo-
ple had no rights or voice As question
Of fact we have never won victory under
the present plan of organization.
Now it seems to me a very unfortunate
thing that State chairman should be so
situated IA that tbs duties OF his office mix
him ND with every little local controversy
in the State. The result is bound to be that
the best chairman in the world will 10 few
wears have accumulated on his head thous.
and iealousies and heart burnings which viii
cripple his usefulness and destroy his power
20 rally the party unitedly. Gen. Malone
is suffering to-day from that very thing. No
matter how wisely he has acted in thous.
and disputes which he has had to dispose Of
under the present plan OF organization. each
one has left ita sling with somebody, and
all those sentiments have gone to mako up
the sum Of the feeling against him. To
leave the plan of organization 80 it is now ia
unjust to our chairman az we'll as being nn-
wise and impoIitic. Lat us take away from
the State chairman this thankless and in
furious prerogative. Let us place the power
to appoint county chairmen and committees
primarily in the hands of the people, but let
us further provide q power In the district
committee to remove county chairmen if
they are ignorant. corrupt or inefficient and
put good men in their places. This tends
to secure good county chairmen appointed
by people who are better able to know who
are the good and Influential men in their
own locality than a State chairman can pos.
sibly be; and, moreover, the appoint
ment OF these county chairmen by me mem
bers OF the district committee IL made ny
those directly responsible to the people for
whom they appontthese chairmen and who
are therefore less likely to appoint chairmtn
for their own personal purpose in dlregard
of the wishes OF the neiehborhood. Then
to secure good county aud city commit.
tees let us provide that county chairmen
whenever committeem Oh are ignorant, cor
rupt or inefficient in any precinct, may re-
move them and appoint others in their place
to act until, say, so many voters OF pre-
cinct ehal complain in writing TO the county
chairman that the committeeman from their
precinct is not satisfactory to them and call
upon him to let the people OF the precinct
choose acceptable committeeman.
You say that the unpurchasable negroes
and the whites will not attend the noisy
and disgusting precinct meetings / must
think that in this you are mistaken but
my dear friend, if the character of those
who make up republican precinct meetings
is as bad as you say it il, 1t seems TO me,
that in trying to put people they do not
want on the committees to represent them
you are losing sight of the idea of popular
government in the desire to do missionary
work and trying to make silk purse out OF
q sow's ear. Every argument which you
use fer appointing representatives of these
people on the committee against their will
and without consulting them is the argument
upon which every despotism aud tyrany in the
world is based, to wit: That the ignorant
aud vicious people do not know what they
want and some kind despot must provide it
for them in his superior wisdom. That may
be good government but it is bad freedom.
Ii may be wise discipline. hut it is very un-
wise democracy. say that it is better for
he party throughout the State TO let the
people select their OWN representatives.,
sven in some counties they act unwisely
,r corruptly. II the result of letting the
people manage for themselves in that one
party is 80 unfortunate as to put ignoraI |
md corrupt men in control OF lis affairs, II Q !
emedy for that is for tho Intelligent ami
lonest people there to fight the corrupt par
Z. If the class of people you describe
hou.d temporarily get control of the repub