Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-08-23

The Virginia republicans completed in con
vention yesterday the work laid out for them
by General Malone. They placed the Genera
himself at the head Of their ticket and adopted
splstform as long and as exhaustive as the
moral law. 1t has one advantage over the
democratic platform. however, in advocating
only measures with which the party in its fed
eraI and state organizations is identified, and
In advocating them without reservation. The
tobacco and fruit brandy feature is thrown well
to the front, indicating that the taxation issue
Is the one selected by the chief magnate
to fight over this fall. II is a
part of a well-developed program to force
the democrats into a false position on the
tariff. The democratic and republican demands
for the abolition of the tobacco and brandy
taxes are equally loud; but the republicans
will claim that the democrats are insincere in
their professions because the tariff and internal
revenue systems are antagonistic, and the
democrats in the nation at large have COM
mitted themselves irrevocably to the reduction
of the tariff and the maintenance of internal
taxation. That such is the plan now laid
out is further indicated by the stress laid on
the advantage to farmers of utilization with the
republican party. 1t must be borne in mind
are at odds on this matter of internal revenue
taxation. The manufacturers, as long as the
taxes continue high, have trade all in their
own hands; for they are capitalists, while the
growers are farming people, who, in order to
avoid taxes which they cannot afford to pay,
make no attempt to do business on their own
account but carry all their products to the
factories and distilleries. OF course the farm
ing element in an agricultural state like
Virginia far outnumber the whole force under
command Of the manufacturing element, and
their capture is thing greatly to be desired
by any party.
The state debt question comes next, perhaps
in order Of tactical importance in Gen. Ma
homes program, and is pretty closely inter
woven with the question of popular education.
The conjunction Of ideas in the platform sug-
gests that the arrangement of a satisfactory
compromise for the debt may involve turning
the product of the state tax system into the
debt fund in lump, instead Of diverting SO
large part of 1t as formerly to school pur-
poses-the federal government being looked to
for the support Of education in the meanwhile.
In this respect the republicans seem to have a
clearer notion of what they are aiming at than
the democrats, who were naturally .hampered
by the principles and precedents of their ma
tional party.
p The important issue, outside of the platforms,
is that which turns upon appeals to race preju-
dices. The democrats will urge the danger of
negro predominance in case of republican SUI
cess; the Mahonites will point to the nominal
ton of a ticket composed of confederate Off
GERS as q guarantee of the absence of such
danger.
Both organizations have now indicated what
they wish the dear people to consider and the
lines upon which they propose to advance to
battle. The campaign is fairly opened and the
active, practical hustling for votes will soon
begin.