The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-10-17
Now and Then.

In his Abingdon speech Gen. Malone
gave out the following lofty sentiment
with which he has no practical acquain-
tanee, as his whole political life has been
implicated with just the reverse of what
he here affects to inculcate. 1t is like
the ''devil quoting scriptures for him
to say, ''let us teach them that it is no
less crime to stuff ballot box or to
falsify return than to pick the pocket
of the voter or to despoil our neighbor
of his property Here is the para
graph in full
"If we would preserve our civilization, let us
return to honest methods at the polls-let US
teach the young men and the young women OF
our country that anything is not right that may
be doneto beat this or that candidate for pub
lie office Let US teach them that it is no less a
than topick the pocket of the voter, or to de-
spoil our neighbor Of his property Let us teach
them it Is to take from another that which is
his property when by such means the choice OF
the people is defrauded"
Col, SAINT T. Coleman, of Cumber-
land county, well and favorabiy known
in STANTON and throughout the State,
as a gentleman of the highest character,
is reported by the correspondent of the
Dispatch, at Fluvanna Court House, on
the 23d, as follows:
The sneaker then boldly contrasted the char
acters OF the two candidates for Governor, and
said he personally knew that Malone was
the author and distributor of the tissue ballot;
the man who in the Senate of the United States
denounced the people Of Virginia for using
them
1t was by the use of the tissue ballot
that Tilden's vote in 1876 was run to
$4,000 over Hayes. The Republicans
carried the State for Grant in 1872, be-
fore the tissue ballot was invented and
known to the public. 1t was determined
by the Democrats, to whom Malone
was the leading and masterful light, that
it should not be again done. Hence the
increased Democratic and diminished
Republican vote in comparison, in 1876.
If there were any evidence that Ma
hone had honestly repented.of his part
in introducing the tissue ballot, in the
years in which he was a central and con
trolling figure in Democratic councils,
and that the sentiment Of his Abingdon
speech, as quoted above, was seriously
entertained, then it would be but fair to
give him credit for such repentance. But
the same spirit moves him yet The
power he has under his party machinery
he directs to the suppression Of Repub-
lican votes whenever they may conflict
with his policies and purposes. He APP
plies similar policy to the Republicans
within the party, while claiming to be a
Republican, that he applied to Republi-
cans as Democrat when he was the rul-
ing spirit in that party.
And yet the Republicans of Virginia
are asked to vote for him for Governor
and place under his control all the affairs
of this great Commonwealth. to use the
power thus conferred to accomplish his
selfish ends 1t would be the wonder of
the nineteenth century should Malone,
by any accident or combination of fate
full circumstances, succeed 1t would
endorse methods and fasten a system of
politics upon the Republican party that
it could not carry. 1t would, as certain
as effect follows cause, effect Republican
defeat in 1892, and again invite the Dem
ocratic party to the management of the
national government The Republicans
of this country will never submit 70 one
man rule-to an intense and eesipotic
boss-ship, that respects and recog nizes
no rights of the people and perverts the
functions of government into an engine
to Cypress and humiliate the masses.