Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-09-12
THE VIRGINIA NIGHTMARE.


the Coming Struggle Between Malone
ism and Common Decency.
The unanimous nomination of Ma
hone for Governor OF Virginia makes
a sharply -defned issue between Ma
honeism and decency, and the cam
paign will be q hot one. The nomina-
ton removes all doubts of Democratic
solidarity. The Democrats who, be-
ing engaged in the tobacco business.
think the first reduction of Federal
taxes should be on tobacco, will forget
their differences with those who aavo-
cate immediate reduction of tariff
taxes. No man alive can bring more
straight Democratic votes to the polls
in Virginia than Mr.. Malone His
nomination of himself under such cir
cumstances is characteristic of the
man. He is as pugnacious as he is
dictatoriaL By nominating himself
he humiliates his enemies in his own
party and infuriates the Democrats.
It is not probable that he expects cleo
ton. but the fight will give him the
keenest enjoyment
The platform on which he was
nominated il such a studied and
elaborate tumble of incompatible ideas
that it is more suggestive of night
mare than of any thing else 1t glor-
ifies Virginia and calls for Federal
interference in its politics; it indorses
the Confederacy and supports the
Union; it denounced the Democrats
for giving Office to ''ex-cavalry brig
odi 81
farmers, while General Malone and
his brigadlers were waiting to be
nominated on it; it is in favor of every
thing every body wants, from the free
coinage of silver to exemption from
working the roads; it is bitterly OPP
posed to every thing every body does
not like to do, from paying incon-
venient debts to getting the worst of q
bargain. 1t is for high taxes and low
taxes. 1t wants Federal tariff taxes
kept up and Virginia State taxes kept
down. and if there is any thing else it
has failed to favor or oppose, whether
it is free school books and fostering
care" for the oyster beds on the one
hard, or bad roads and immortality on
the other, it must have been omitted
only because the platform committee
was too drunk to think of it.
Or, if we reject this charitable view,
we must account for the platform as a
piece of pure Mahoneism; an attempt
to appeal at the same time to ex-Con-
federates and negroes. This makes it
ludicrous--a very Shark o; plat
form, to unravel which is an attempt
attended by the same difficulties de-
scribed by the doggerel bard in writ
ing of his encounter with that incon-
sequen tial creature of indigestion:
Every night after dark
I engage with the Shark
In . dreamy. delirious fight;
And I serve him with greens
In those shadowy scenes,
And use him for striking light.
This suggests but does not limit the
possibilities of this creation of Ma
honeism--the Virginia nightmare. 1t
will cut no figure in the fight, for the
issue is Malone, and the Virginia
Democrats lose all sense of humor
when the question is for or against
Malone. They will undoubtedly de-
feat him by majority that ought to
dispose of him finally.
Ia the meantime the demand is
made for 1.-The full recognition of the
civil and political equality of this (Ma-
honey party, its organization and its
constitutions by the National party
and Administration" which must
mean that President Harrison must
send Tanner and Blocks-of-Five Dud-
ley down to assist in making good the
platform guarantees of ''full sympa-
thy and succor for the disabled Con-
federate, or the widow or orphan of
dead Confederate soldiers. st. Louis
Republic.