The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-11-28
Outside Republican Opinion

During the campaign just closed in
Virginia the Northern Republican Press
were comparatively silent in regard to
it, with the exception of the Cincinnati
Commercial Gazette. Very few OF the
prominent journals and Republicans of
that section endorsed the methods of
Gen. Malone. But after he had nomi-
mated himself for Governor, they re-
Trained from criticism, favorable or un-
favorable. Now that the contest is over,
and the Democratic papers are trying to
shoulder the responsibility of the crush
ing defeat the Virginia BOSS" received,
upon the administration, the Republi
can Press is speaking out. The Phila-
delphia Press of the 21st, under the cap
ton of 1.-The Real Facts of Virginia, y
has the following well timed and truth
full reflections:
General Malone claims that his defeat In Vir-
ginia was due wholly to fraud. Is this true
There is no doubt that shameful frauds and out
RACES were perpetrated in some sections of the
State. This is matter of public history and OF
undisputed record. The names of thousands of
cOlored voters were boldly and brazenly struck
from the registration. Hundreds of others were
excluded from the polls on election day. How
much false counting done is matter of
conjecture. The fact of fraud is clear and I'M
denable.
But this alone does not explain the large ma
jority of 1900 against General Malone. How
does it happen that he ran far behind the egiti-
mate Republican strength in localities where
there is allegation of wrong doing? The
I fra udS were committed AGAINST thp dafapcalacc
blacks. But why was it that there were large
losses in the white sections? Take the county
of Rockingham with its six thousand voters of
whom only five hundred are colOred. The Spirit
Of the VALLEY, a staunch Republican paper pub
lished within the county, shows that Malone
lost more than thousand votes as compared
with the vote for Harrison and Morton last year.
The same thing is true of the surrounding coun-
ties. In that Congressional district the majority
against Harrison was about 5000, while against
Malone it rose to nearly 1000,
This change was not fraud-it was the revolt
against Malone. Had he been defeated by eight
to ten thousand there would have been good
ground for saying that he had been cheated out
of the election: but when the majority mounts
to 1900 it is too big for any such claim: There
is no use in deluding ourselves. Malone was
beaten because thousands Of Republicans re-
fused to accept him. There was ample warn
ing. The breadth and depth of the opposition
were measured by all intelligent observers.
Those who had the best interests of the party
and the country at heart earnestly desired that
some man should be nominated who could unite
| all Republicans But Malone forced his own
nomination in defiance of the protests of the
! best Republicans of Virginia and in disregard
! of the well-nigh unanimous judgment Of the
Republicans of the nation. When the die had
beea cast and he had become the candidate, Re
hublicans outside of the State withheld further
1 criticism and gave him every chance, but his
overwhelming defeat indicated their objec-
| lions. Ills madness brought his overthrow and
baffied the most hopeful opportunity Of break
1 ing the solid South
1t has been asserted that the Administration
was identified with General Mahone and defeat
I'D with him. We do not so understand it. We
| spprehend that the attitude of the Adminstra-
tion was precisely that of the mass of Republi-
| cans of the North 1t deprecated Mahone's
nomination, but after his nomination hoped for
his success. The mistake the Administration
made was when it brought about nominal set
temenb in Virginia if did MOI enfarce a real set
Element and true union. A peace which left
an autocrat was no peace. 1t was an error to
INSIST or to expect that such Republicans as Ex-
/ Congressman Yost would ask for their rights at
| Washington through Malone. The result is a
sufficient commentary.