The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-10-24
AUGUSTA COUNTY.
"Mahone's White Mans Party.

1t is given out, in snatches here and
there, by newspaper correspondents and
editors friendly to Malone, that he is
taking the initial step to build up
white mans Republican party in Vir-
ginia and the South. 1t is possible that
Col H. G.. Parsons is in the secret of
this movement, as his name was con-
nected with similar suggestion some
time ago, in correspondence with Mr..
Sedden, of Alabama. 1t may be that
this is the explanation of that most ex-
traordinary letter from Col. Parsons. III
which he declares for Malone, and as
signs as one of the potential reasons for
so doing an occurrence which took place
in Richmond twenty-five years ago in
the contest for the mayorality of that
city between Cahoon and Ellyson. There
must have been some forceful occult
influence in operation to have evoked d
public expression from Col. Parsons III
favor of Malone. The devil and holy
water have not heretofore been farther
apart or more irreconcileable than Par
sons and Malone. Parsons opinion of
Malone and Mahone's opinion OF Par
sons up to this time have partaken OF
the sulphurous, and have been expressed
in such lurid terms as to do full justice
to the most perverse liver that ever re-
fused normal action in "A human anat
omy Certainly there must be some
peculiar JUNCTION in this movement of
M ahone, when it can result in the one
ness of Craig and Parsons and Russell
and Nah one, and, as a band of broth
er5, inspire them to move forward in the
work of eliminating the negro from the
Republican party. 1t certainly was "A
novel experience to witness Craig fiaunt-
ing Parsons letter before public an
dience assembled to hear Malone. and
appealing to the upturned faces to re-
member that Parsons was the bosom
friend of Jas. G. Blaine. If Judge Wheel
er's stereopticon could have flashed out at
the moment Mahone's secret circular
in which he sought to assassinate not
only Mr.. Blaine's reputation, but the
Republican party in Virginia. it would
terest. as it would have illustrated the
purifying and transforming influence
that could have caused Craig and Ma
hone to appeal through Parsons for
Blaine's benediction. What could have
induced Col. Parsons to write a letter in
favor of Malone, and what could have
induced Craig to read the letter and aE-
peal to the friends of Mr.. Blaine to sup
port Malone, we cannot well determir e
in the light of past relations between
these gentlemen. 1t must have been
some abnormal affinity, moving in mag
netic currents, that could have effected
such felicitous results. For if there is
any man living for whom Mr.. Blaine
holds supreme contempt and disdain,
it is Malone, and if there are any two
men in Virginia who have little use for
each other, they are Parsons and Craig.
But the emergencies of the case may
have brought about this mingling of red
spirits and gray" like IN the witches
of Macbeth. and the commingling
of antagOnisms into a harmonious
mans party could be assured in an
audience composed of one-fourth
black men. After all it may have been
one of those inventions for stage effect
of Craig's versatile genius and a
prelude to the eliminating comedy of
Elf and the boquets-illustrating how
purchased votes and purchased flowers
could be brought in to exemplify the
virtues of free born patriotism and the
sanctifying smiles and benedictions OF
the tender sex.
But the novel feature of this initial
step to the formation of a white mans
party was that free tickets were pro
vided for all colored voters in the Val
ley and other counties, with a quarter
thrown in for dinner, who would attend
the Inauguration of Mahones white
mans party here in Staunton. 1t is
true, all to whom tickets were given
were not present, as some of them pre-
ferred to sell them for cash in hand to
being used to magnify the boom, to the
getting up of which such unusual eX
Boiled down it means that the negro
vote is desirable, but when it comes to
any other recognition he must stand
aside for Mahone's pets-his fare
would be paid to swell the crowd and
make an inspiring demonstration. and
then to be marched to the polls TO vote
for the Boss after which his presence
and his usefulness ended.
But surely there was never more
perfect farce and fraud than this pre-
tense of Malone, to build up n white
mans party 1t is known 10 every in
telligent white man in the State that he
drives out two white men for every one
that comes in-that he has not only
driven away from his support large
proportion of the white element, but
that he has Disguised even the more in
telligent of the colored voters. 1t is ev-
ident that he can neither build up a white
mans nor a black mans party. He can
keep together, by the influence Of Fed
eral patronage, a following comparative
ly respectable in numbers, but deprived
of that he could not command $4,000
votes in the State. He is not only the
object of almost universal. distrust
and hostility from white men, but is alb
solutely despised by colored men, who
take the trouble to think a little, and
study the selfishness, the treachery and
the tyranny of the little despot. He can
no longer fool the people. He is known.
He has been weighed in the balance and
found wanting, and will be overwhelmed
with such an avalanche of ballots on
the 9Th of November next. as to be for
ever disposed of as the greatest political
fraud that ever for time bewidered
and dellded a people. Malone can
build up neither white mans nor IA
black mans party. So long as he has
offices to dispense he can command a
mereenary brigade, but when the admin
istration discovers that both white men
and black men have repudiated him he
and his lieutenants will be left to drift
into ''inocuous desuetude,r with nc ne so
poor as to do them reverence.
nop Groon r Ra11r1