Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-05-22
VIRGINIA is RIPE,
General Malone Thinks, for a Politi-
cal Revolution.
TIRED OF STEALING ELECTIONS
He Will Not Be a Candidate for
Governor.
STEALING ELECTIONS
NEXT FALLS ELECTION

Gen. William Malone believes that the
day is ripe for political revolution in Vir-
ginia.
II think that Virginia, along with the
rest of the country, is about tired Of hav-
ing elections stolen" said Gen. Malone to
a Star reporter today. ut did all well
enough to steal elections for while, but
that sort Of thing gets monotonous. and I
am sure that it has reached that stage in
the old dominion. On Friday an election
is held in Virginia for county officers. which
means nothing except to the fellows who
want to get office. Next fall, however.
we elect the entire legislature. one hum
bred members, and one-half of the state
senate, twenty members. That election, in
my judgment, will prove a great turning
point for Virginia, and 1t will be fought on
lines altogether different from former con-
tests in Virginia. The great issue will be
an honest election, and everything else will
be subordinate to that. l believe the re-
publicans will VIM
His Fight for the Governorship.
The chart cteristics of the little general"
who was one of the nerviest and most
fearless officers of the confederacy, are
well known to every one. 1t was a great
surprise to Gen. Ma homes friends when he
left the democratic party and adopted re-
publicanism. AS United States Senator
Gen. Malone took the country by surprise
by breaking through the bar of senatorial
custom and making In the Senate chamber
a most vigorous speech during the first
days CT his occupancy Of seat there. The
generals great effort to turn the old do
minion from democratic stronghold to a
republican state was made in 1889, when
he ran for governor and was defeated, ac-
cording to the official counts, by about
10000 majority. That was one Of the most
heated contests in the history of the state.
and 1t was a contest in which the colored
people were almost lost sight Of except as
voters. The republican convention, which
met at Norfolk to nominate a man for gov
ernor. was made up almost entirely of
white men. There were SO few colored peo-
pie in that great gathering that 1t was al
from the stage of the hall in which the
convention was held. The colored people
| themselves sent up cry against what
they termed a white mans republican par
the Same. That election eliminated in
rather a dramatic way, Gen. Mahone's
house being visited at about II o'clock.
midnight. after the returns had gotten in.
by group Of enthusiastic young demo-
Gratis, who wanted to show him how great
| ly they rcjoiced in their victory.
They carried numbers of Roman candles.
which they fired off, some of them pointed
toward the generals house. This dem
onstration looked like an attack on the gen.
erals home. which was quickly resented
by the general himself. who appeared on
his front steps with a shotgun in hand and
announced to the party that he would pro-
tect his property and that 1t would be well
for them to seek another portion of the
town. In some way. which was never
very clearly understood: one of the demo-
cratic visitors was shot In the leg, and
although the time had reached the small
hours of the night. Gen. Malone was ar
Tod oh haf fhn nf
Petersburg. tried. and finally allowed to re-
turn to his home.
Since that exciting period there has been
no exceedingly great effort on the part
of the republicans to wrest Virginia from
the hands of their political opponents. At
least there have been no such exciting
ran for the governorship. Speaking of this
election today. Gen. Malone said:
Stealing Elections.
after the election of 1889 I received in
formation from all over the state Of vir-
ginia. That information placed In my
hands the names of 1900 republican vot-
ers which had been stricken from the rolls
without justification. Also conclusive evil
dence that 1900 republican votes had
been thrown out. AS I have said. this sort
of thing cannot last. The country is tired
Of 1t and Virginia is tired of 1t. It's all
very nice to steal other peoples property
for awhile. for that is what stealing an
election means, but 1t cannot last. The
camePs back in Virginia was broken when
these methods defeated Lee for the sena-
torship. 1t did all very well so long as
democrats stole republican votes. but when
it came to operating in the same manner
within their own party the case took on
altogether another phase.
what I believe Virginia will make a
tremendous fight for next fall is to have
an honest election law. The election law
in Virginia now is as good as no law at
oil 10 a mil q la m mr.
democratic organization to steal republic
can votes. When the democrats come for
ward with declarations that they too are
ready to give us an honest election law,
the republicans will simply reply that they
would prefer having the child nursed by
its mother than one who has been known
to be its enemy. The democrats have fall
ed in their attempt to call a constitutional
convention.
'If they had succeeded in that and had
placed their iniquitous election law in the
constitution, it would have been there
firmly established and beyond the power of
the people to overcome for very many
years. l am glad they made the effort to
call that convention. We will use it against
them in the campaign. constitutional
convention can only be called by the legis-
| lature, and. as have said, think the re-
suit of the campaign next fall will be to
give the republicans a majority in that
body"
do you expect to lead the republican
forces in Virginia in the contest for the
governorship which comes off In orr The
Star reporter asked.
Will Not lie Il Candidate.
mot at ALL I have had enough OF pol.
itics. and don't intend to run again for
any political office. So far as taking part
in this political fight is concerned. 1 have
said that the great question at issue will
be an honest election, and any man can
talk on that. Senator Daniels has advised
Virginians to vote as they shot, but that
sort of thing can't last much longer. Vir-
ginia is ready for revolution. Money has
been scarce and times have been hard, and
these always conditions favorable to
such uprisings. The people of Virginia
will see that they have been fooled by the
democratic party. Why, do you know
that the voter who lives on his little farm.
attends to running his pillow and generally
cultivating the soil, without opportuni-