Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1889-10-19
FOR the Dispatch.l
Am nncn Letter 10 GeneraI NIahone.

General William Malone:
Dear Sir,-In your speech made at Abing-
don, Va, and published in the Richmond
Dispaica Of September oath, you thought
proper to introduce both Senator Daniel
and myself under the head of The Color
Line, and you have quoted Senator Daniel
as saying before Lynchburg audience
(when holding two prominent colored men
by the hands, that when the best men OF
both races unite in q cause ii must win" "
Now, this sentiment must be approved Of
by all good citizens. and trust will be fully
endorsed by you, since all the signs OF the
times seem TO be tending in that direction:
In the same connection you also stated
that when in the House of Delegates
for the session 1879 so the Hon. Mr.. Rowe,
a leading member of the Democratic party.
said 10 the cOlored members of the body !:
If YOU had gone with US and given us the
control of the Legislature we would have
given each of YOU for your counties
colored man for county judge" This state
ment dixie many others made during the
present canvass is misleading and untrue
and would have been denounced as such
when first made, but before doing so de
sired TO have copy of my address at hand,
and having just succeeded in getting one;
/ propose to incorporate IN this letter all
that was said by me in the Legislature IN
regard TO this question, and hope that my
unavoidable delay in refutlng the state
ment as made Will be excused.
The Legislature of lS79lSs0 was COM
posed of two factions OF the Democratic
party, divided by the debt question, and a
few white Republicans, also divided, and
OF fourteen colored members that were
elected as Republicans. who held the bal-
ance of power, and ct the meeting OF the
Legislature it was uncertain with which
side of the divided Democratic party those
members would unite and give the con-
troll OF the Legislature" The Democrats
proper desired to have q conference, but
seemed TO have had no leader-and oh !.
for Barbour then. You seemed to be the
Readjuster Democrats, then called the
Liberal party, and your reputation as a
party organizer did not suffer then as now:
for room WAS secured aud the colored
members were invited tot conference there,
and feast was spread with open doors,
and their aid secured to your party, and
by their votes you were elected 10 the
United States Senate and prOfessed 10
be "a better Democrat than Ben. Hill
II was now lead on master and l will fol-
low thee" for by the united vote of the
colored members you were enabled TO place
party judges IN every county in the State,
and regardless OF all except party qnalit-
cations, but some 0. The caucus-made
judges (when Their names were brought be-
fore the House and their characters fully
yentilated) were found 50 lacking in
honesty and sobriety that they were thrown
aside and less offensive ones substituted.
and In many instances whom the proper
material could not be found in the party,
the legal requirements Ito be well quail
fed and learned in the law were wholly
ignored and ignorant judges that had mover
read page OF law were forced upon some
Of the largest and richest counties In the
State. though an earnest protest was made,
and they were publicly denounced when