Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1892-09-22
THE VIRGINIA HOODOO.
HARRlSoN'S. TWO LAUNDERING DIS
POSITIONS OF MALONE.

How the Nonentity Politicians Leadership
Has Annihilated the Republican Ranks
In virginia-The Passing of the Leader.
II appears that General Malone still
holds absolute control Of the Republican
machine in the state of Virginia. and
there Is at present no certainty whatever
that he will use the machine for the
benefit Of the Republican candidate. His
professed position is curious enough. II
is one of practical surrender to the Third
party movement so far as nominations
for congress are concerned, and possibly
so far as concerns the Electoral ticket
also He pretends to think that in this
way the Democrats can be so badly divided
that they cannot carry the Electoral vote
of the state for Cleveland, while they
would lose more'seats in Congress than
by direct opposition from the Republi-
cans
The rivals Of Mr.. Malone in Vir-
! ginia, who. as it happens are all Fed.
eral Office holders, deride this position.
daclare that it is treacherous, that
Malone has only one purpose in the
campaign-to defeat Mr. Harrison-and
| yet confess that they are powerless to
do anything that Malone definitely op-
poses. The result apparently is that the
Republican party in Virginia is para
| lyzed, and that the hopes entertained by
the leaders in the national organization
of carrying the state this year are now
in vain
These hopes would certainly not
be unreasonable were it not for
Malone. In 1888, on a total vote -of
1874, 600, the Democratic majority was
only 1000, and though the party is
probably stronger now than IL was then
1t would not have been so but for
Mahone's untoward and malign influence.
II will be remembered in the fall of 1899
Malone was beaten for Cover
nors Office by over $4,000 ma
! jorities-a tremendous revolution in
"A twelvemonth. How did it come about?
That is the question, the answer to which
is Of great national interest at the pres
ent moment. 1t was simply the result
of the revolt of the party against the cor
rupt use of the appointing power by Mr..
Harrison and his then chosen agent and
intimate counsellor, Malone The
president had at that time the notion
that he could build up white Republi-
can party in the South, without losing
the negro vote or if he lost a part of it
that he could more than make it up
among the whites. He began his expert
\ ment in Virginia with Malone as chief
manager.
AS neither Mr.. Harrison nor Ma
hone has any conception of increasing
the strength Of party except by hiring
men by public offices to work for it, the
Federal patronage in Virginia was
turned over to Malone en- bloc. He was
allowed to do with it practically
whatever he chose and he exercised his
power with the same arbitrary disregard
to the rights and feelings Of others that
has been shown in this state by Mr..
Platt, who is, in some ways, very like
the little Virginian boss Malone. re-
stored TO the control Of the patronage of
which he had been deprived for four
years, persuaded the president that the
good OF the party would be served by the
personal leadership, as candidate foI
governor, of the man who had the hand.
ling of the Offices He accordingly nOmi.
mated himself for governor, and was
tremendously beaten. We do not know
that this was due to any popular insight
into the low character Of the self named
candidate Il was probably due, more
than to any one other cause, to the
resentment of disappointed office-seelters
He who had taken the sword persisted by
the sword. The man who had relied OF
the greed of Office for his power was
crushed by those whose greed he would
not, and probably could not, satisfy.
After his defeat, Mr.. Harrison dropped
Malone, as he had dropped Quay il
Pennsylvania and Dudley in Indiana anC
Platt in New York, his gratitude polite
! ally being literally a lively sense o
favOrs TO be conferred. In the express
i've phrase of the South, Mr.. Harrison
had mo use" for Malone. His faitl
in building up Southern Repub
lican party was sadly shaken, and h
transferred his favors-that is to say tn
peoples Oflices-to others who as
knowledged no allegiance TO the Readjus
ter boss. And he is gathering the fruits o
his policy. His betrayal Of the trust in
volved in the appointing power, when h
B farmed out the Federal offices TO Malone
brought him only disappointment an
humiliation. His second and continues
betrayal of that trust when he turne
over the offices to the rivals and enemie
Of Mahone has cost him what hope Their
was of carrying Virginia. But there
, no reason to suppose that he will lay tn
lesson to heart. Probably he will neve
really comprehend il until he has an OF
F, portunity to study it IN retrospect in tn
/, dignifed leisure of private life of an ea
: president. New York Times.