Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-10-11
FRIDAY MORNING, OCT. II. 1895.

FRIDAY MORNING, OCT. II. 1895.
DEATH OF GEN. WIN. MAHONE.
Gen. Malone passed away in Washing
ION on Tuesday. It was the passing that
he and most men, would have chosen. SUD
don unconsciousness, little lingering, and
then the end. He was not great man In
the worlds acceptance Of the term, but
most remarkab le-almost unique man.
His nature was aggressive. his pluck IN
domitable and his nerve immovable. for
nearly twenty years after the smoke OF his
onns blew from Virginia battlefelds he
made the State herself the field OF his au-
dacious political and railroad raids. Leg
islative halls and convention halls as well
were his fields of battle. His daring break
ING nm of the Radical convention in the Old
African church at Petersburg in 1869, his
fight against Wells the Military Governor,
in his support Of GilbertC. Walker, his great
railroad fights in the legislature against the
other Virginia roads and the great Tenn
svlyania Central road, his struggle for the
gubernatorial nomination in the old Rlcn
mond theatre against Daniel in when
both were defeated, his organization OF the
Readjuster party, his long and hnally
victorious fight with the Democratic par
ty, and his final struggle for the Governor
ship in 1889 which ended in the destfuc
ton Of his political power. were all Won
ders in their way. He lacked that HIST
element of greatness the power to conGroi
himself. and it's lack caused him to
estrange most of the men in his own
party who had aided him in bis fights. He
was without sentiment OF scruple in poll
tics, It was not what a man had done for
his party, it was what he still had the
power to do that attracted Mahone TO
HIM. Had he been able to rule himself and
wait. there is little doubt that if he had
remained in the Democratic party its con-
troll would have fallen into his hands,
though his power would have doubtless
been as short lived as it was in the RepuD'
Hcan party. AS an organizer he never had
a superior in this State, and in tie matter
of organization he had a stomach OF
great strength that would tolerate all
methods and materials no matter what
they were-indeed in that matter he seemed
to have no scruples at all. Wheel
at last he had captured the whole pow
Ell of the State, executive, Judicial and
legislative, it was thought that he was in
for long period of success, but he was
not the man to enjoy success in peace, be
was a chronic war maker. He tackled the
Hon. John E. Massey, Of all men in Vlr-
Qinia the worst for him, for he was his
equal in brains and courage, and his
superior in adroitness. Mr.. Massey or
Ganized what was called the big Four
in the Senate Newberry of Bland, Hale OF
Grayson, Lybrook of Patrick, and Will
liams of Nottoway, brought the Ma
hone legislative machine to a halt in the
high tide of it's power. and defeated legisla
ton which Malone long head had devised
and which, if gotten through, would have
made his power in Virginia almost irwin
chile. That was practically the beginning
OF the end with Malone. When defeat
came in 1883 under Mr.. Barbour he was so
astonished that he could not understand it.
He was like Napoleon after Waterloo,
dashing over France with this division
hither and that corps thither, unable to
realize that his power had received mortal
blow. He sent out to the nation Cry of
fraud, he dragged the State of Virginia
before Senatorial investigating commit
tee-it was months before he could under
stand that his power had gone forever.
He had brought many brilliant young
men forward in the brief life of Republi
raffisnf and Read jus teTisfi he be had little
use for old men. OF the list who WHO
remained faithful to him to the end we
can only recall Paul. Allen and Craig
Those who had left him did not wait for
the days Of his adversely to desert, for
Riddleberger, Cameron and men like them
left him when he was still power in the
State: they had quarreled with him on the
ground that most men did, that they could
not stand bis rule. His rule, that autocrat-
ic. merciIess rule that he used with his
own party as well as with his political op
ponents, so that for years the standing and
successful threat of Democratic leaders to
keep their constituents in line was MA
hone will get YOU" 1t was threat that
leader. Outside of politics and railroad
scheming there was another Malone, a
brave and skilful soldier, a warm and gen
erous friend, a friend to young men, a
model husband and father, a man with a
keen sense of honor about obligations of all
sorts, and it is this Malone who will be re-
GREETED by all who knew him well.
There has been much discussion in Dem
OcraJic papers about the probable success
sor Of Gen. Malone in his leadership of the
Republican party, and with curious lack
of memory about the man, they seem to
have centered on Gen. James A. Walker.
It would have been hard to pick man less
fitted for the leadership of party. He
possesses as little Of policy as any polite
ian We ever saw, and largely aided in
wrecking the Democratic party in Read
juster campaigns, though he was honestly
advocating its cause. His famous an
nouncement that REIMBURSEMENT was high
way robbery gave the Readjusters pow
erful weapon with the people, the mass of
whom believed that reimbursement was a
public policy and not highway robbery.
His utterance was quoted on every stump
in the State with infinite damage to Demo
cratic success. The Republicans may cen.
ter on some leader no better than Gen.
Walker, but his record for lack of prudence
and caution is too well Known to admit of