The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1889-07-19
THE SITUATION IN VIRGINIA.
Malone Has Not Hulldsd up the Republi-
n Party Ia the Mother State,

Ahl Nv IlhulNlAa
Malone Has Not Hullded up tho Republi.
can Party Ia the Mother state,
~ Republican" n Philadelphia Pres.
have just this minute finished read.
ing your editorial headed "Mahone and
Virginia" which appears in the Press OF
to-day, and must drop you a line or
two to show you how very misleading
are the figures which you use, aud
which, because they are so misleading,
are faYorite ones with those who insist
upon asCriblng TO General Mahone's
management our increased vote, instead
OF admitting what all intelligent men in
this part OF the country know, viz:
That the increase Is due In most part to
two causes, First, to the repeal Of the
poll tax as q prerequisite to voting; and
second, to the great growth OF the
sentiment in favor OF Protection since
attention has been called to our
vast mineral resources, and their do.
VeIopment has begun to take place.
Now let US look ut the figures again
and SEQ which party has actually in
creased its vote most rapidly under Gen
eral Mahone's boosted management. !
must premise by saying that 10 compare
the Republican vote cast for President
IN 1880 with that cast In 1884 and In 1888
would never be thought OF by any man
who was at all informed on the condition
OF affairs which existed in Virginia in
1880. In that year the Democrats had
split upon the question OF the readjust.
ment OF the State debt and three cleo.
toral tickets were In the ileld-two
ostensibly for Hancock and one for Gar.
field.
BY some juggle or hocus-pocus Gem
eral Malone succeeded In convincing
tho Republican National Committee
that the Garfield ticket had no chance
Of winning and that the best course for
the Republicans To pursue would be to
support General Mahone's Hancock
ticket. Agents were sent to this State
by the committee to try to induce the
Republicans to abandon their Garfield
electoral ticket and vote the Malone.
Hancock electoral ticket. Circulars and
letters signed by prominent Republic
cans were sent broadcast over the State
advising this inexpliCable course, and,
rs the result showed, they succeeded In
carrying off many thousand Republican
votes, thus reducing Garield's vote to
$500, and running the Democratic
Hancock vote up to 1890. You will
therefore see that the S3,630 votes cast
for Garfield did not represent the full
Republican strength, as the Readjnster-
Hancock ticket got many Republican
votes. AS m overwhelming proof OF
this | give you the fact that ten years
before this timo the Republicans had
cast nearly TO-, 1000 votes for General Ii,
Il. Wells, the Republican nominee for
Governor, and that, too, when he was
handicapped by having n colored man
OH the ticket with him as a candidate for
Lieutenant Governor.
Now you will admit, as all must adj
init, that the figures OF 1880 arc OF no
account in estimating the increase In
tho Republican vote under General
Mahone's leadership.
Let us now turn 10 1881, when Cover
nor Cameron, Republican, was elected
governor over Major John W. Daniel,
one OF the present Democratic United
States Senators from Virginia. In that
year Cameron received lll,473 votes and
Daniel 0O,757, leaving nearly 10000 Re.
publican majority. In the last election
Cleveland received in Virginia 15l, 977
and Harrison, 160,43S. Thus 1t will be
seen that the Democrats have increased
their vote since 1881 by PiPrY.Two THOU.
SAND TWO HUNDRED AND TWENTY, Hhik
The Republicans have only increased theirs BY
Miriy.ninc thousand nine hundred and
siriy:fre. This does not speak well
for General Mahone's leader.
ship, even II these figures were
to be considered without regard to the
effect which the repeal Of the poll tax as
a prerequisite To voting had in increas.
ing the vote. But when we consider
that IN amendment to our State consti.
tuition requiring tho prepayment Of the
poll tax ia order TO enable q man 10 vote,
and when we consider that this amend.
ment had been placed in our Constitu.
ton by Democrats avowedly to reduce
the colored Republican vote, and when
We also remember that this payment OF
the poll or capitation tax as a prerequi.
site to voting was repealed by the Re.
publican Legislature which was elected
In 1881, and the time Cameron was elect.
cd Governor, We can easily estimate that
General Malone, by his arbitrary
methods, must have driven of thous.
sands and thousands Of those who voted
with US In 1881.
This is rs plain as a nose On q mans
face when we reflect that the repeal Of
the poll tax as n prerequisite 10 voting
must have increased the colored Repub.
liCan vote about 10000 and the white
Republican vote by 1t least 10000, while
the Democratic vote was In all probable.
ity not increased 10 the extent OF over
5000. Thus II we add to the Republi.
can vote OF lll,473 In 1881 the increase
OF $4,000 set free by change In the poll
tax arrangement, together with the
natural increase In population In nine
years, VIC ought 10 have largely over
lB9, 1000 Republican voters, while the
Democrats, giving them the 10000
added by the change In poll tax law and
natural Increase Of population ought not
10 have much over 10000 votes.
But, al seen above, the Democrats cast
In this State, 8 1871 votes for Cleveland,
an increase Of 1920 since 1881, while
tho Republicans cast 160,42S, only an In.
crease OF 3a,0G6, AtthiB rate OF increase,
how long will II take the Republicans oil
Virginia to carry the tho state for pros
General MahOnei Is arbitrary and dicta.
torial In his methods. His plan Of or.
gNniSation IL one which Is altogether
RulocratiC and un.RepubliCan, and
which would not be submitted 10 by The
Republicans Of any State In the Union
But II ls seli.perpetuAtinR, for under 4
his county chairman virtually appoinI
the delegates 10 all conventions, and al
these c[altmen arc appointed and re
moved At his pleasure,
, No delegated ate admitted 10 this con
yentiOn unless their credentials al