New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-01-18

! Tor the purpose of uprootng Mahoneism.
Inc policy of borrowing money in aid Of works
u ihe'hal improvement was adopted in Vir-
! gina as early as 1920 The principal amounted
| on January |, 1861 to s3s.7lOS57 on which inter-
! est was paid at the rate Of per cent At the
close Of the war the State. Remembered and
! Impoverished. was confronted with the principal
and accumulated interest. The first LEGISLATURE
| elected after the provided for the refundlng
OF the accumulated interest in state bonds and
for the payment Of two-thirds of the interest on
the entire debt pending a settlement of accounts
! with West Virginia This legislation was not in
the direction Of population. but expressed the
! conviction that Virginia ought to pay two
| thirds of the debt and West Virginia the other
third In 1871, when the debt with its overdue
interest amounted to $7ooo0ox Legislature
elected under reconstruction Jaws enacted
statute for refunding the debt on the same
theory OF responsibility for two-thirds Of IT, In
the new bond the amount was two-thirds of the
original bond with interest AT 6 per cent and a
| certificate that the other third would be provided
| for after settlement with West Virginia The
interest promises were il the form of coupons
receivable In payment of all taxes debts and
demands due the State. Funding under this act
began at cnce and proceeded rapidly. BY March.
| 1872. the holders OF $50 600 900 In old bonds re-
ceived in their stead $20000.000 of the new issue
with tax-receivable coupons attached. The reve-
nues being insufficient. the State defaulted in
| interest payments on the bonds. yet the
| coupons continued to he received for several
years for taxes. but redeemed at the ex-
| pense Of other interests. and especially of the
| free schools
General Malone. after serving with distinction
| in the Confederate army and employing his
| ergies president OF railway consoidat ted from
| three corporations. published manifesto declar-
| ing that the coupons were consuming State
| enues to the prejudice Of the schools and advo-
| eating the compulsory REIMBURSEMENT Of the debt.
| AS this policy would force the creditors 10 give
| UP their coupons and take new State bonds
bearing less interest. II was practically a move
ment for reputation General Malone failed in
| 1875 to receive the Democratic nomination for
Governor the reimbursement issue. but by tire
! less energy and organizing power and through
| his influence Confederate soldiers he size
ceeded In 1879 in electing Legislature favorable
to his views. He not only divided the Democratic
| party. but carried the negro vote with him. ON
the platform OF forclble read1ustment he had or
ganized a political party which was TO take pos
session of the State in all Its departments. gs-
| lative judicial and executive. and To NIL every
| Office with men who would destroy the coupon
! as a taxpaying instrument. Victorious with the
negro vote. he carried out this policy iilled all
the offices in the State with his personal fol-
! lowers enacted his series OF readtustmcnt acts
| and coupon-kers. and demoralized the judiciary
! with partisan appointments. Up TO this time ne
! had been a Readjuster Democrat. but after en-
dea voring for a while to run with the hare and
! hold. with the hounds. he joined the Repuoicans
| in the United States Senate and secured control
of the Federal patronage His measures were
upheld by the United States supreme I 'urt. IL
! is true and the final compromise with the cred
| itors based upon them. but his whole admin
istration Of State affairs was demoraiz'ng ana
| fraught with evil. The Democracy finally bought
I'D the State against him and defeated h! m when
ne ran for Governor by employing against him
| the registry and election laws which are now III
| force
| Mahoneism was originally a form ~ demagogue
! Democracy similar To Tlllmanism In SCUM caro-
| lima, and its leader. like Captain Tillman was
! man Of rema rkable power as an organizer ana
| tremendous force OF will His political metho1S
were very much the same including the c"nVer-
int IN n = 4 H.
attaching men TO him and the degrada.i1n ot me
bench by unfit appointments The TACT thtt Ma,
| hone was defeated by corruption ana I'dnn aau
! that election triclery has been going IN ever
since does not alter the case that the negroes
| were massed under Readjuster leaders for very
| bad purposes and that true Republication has
received In Virginia "A decided setbaek from lts
Identification with the movement.
While General Malone remains the leader OF
the Republican party In Virginia. 1t VIII be I'M
practicable for II TO gain recruits among 'ne pe.-
ter classes Of white voters on National issues
No other leader take his place without ms
voluntary abdicaion. so powerful ~ me as
cendancy which he established over ms i'"au-
| iuster followers Judge Waddill Colonel Lamb
and his other lieutenants are all intensely loEal
TO him. and contend that there Is no other man
capable Of leading the party. IT n" were 10 r.
| tire from politics and to name his successor. he
would render a great service TO the parry ana
enable 1t TO grow ant prosper. ms Ieau'I ZIP ZIP
serves to Identify IL with "A State issue which hdS
aroused intense bitterness Of feeling and party
rancor and which continues 10 prejudice men
| against II. a reorganization or ln' parry WIN
| out reference 10 the debt question or to any OF
| the old state issues would unquestlonaDiy m
| crease its resources and membership. WIN
| Populism. a farmers movement without intelli-
gent direction and with Republicanisfn r"ninls-
| cence Of Mahoneism. the Democracy has d.
| yded opposition which l. easily defeats Win
| the aid OF election frauds: but so corrupt are
| its methods and so despotic Is the rule OF the
| bosses that honest Democrats are everywhere
breaking away from IT, The time Is surely COM
ing when there will be something in virginia
nolitics besides 1.-THE Niger and the debt queS-
lions and when the Republican party VIII stand
there as everywhere for honest elections. re-
form administration. protection for nome lndus-
tries and conservative finance.
For when the history or Manonelsin IL explored
IN the end the conclusion is drawn that the
negro vote has only been formidable since Re-
construction days in Virginia when 1t has h""n
oroanized and directed by white leaders IKE
General Malone Negro domination there was
none while he was in power. lie used the negro
as a voting machine ana never lost coh'I"' 81
n don't know that any one VIII venture 10
co.,. Thai this was a more immoral practice than
cheating the negro out or his vote or counting
bic vote on the wrong side. But IN any event
The negroes followed the Malone leaders IKE
0ock ~ sheep and did not organize thclr own
,novemert Indeed the black race since cinanci-
ra,ion has been signally deficient IN ORGANIZING
p II has always been easily controlled by
white leaders and has shown as h'tie .dPn,'y
for lighting for its political rights as TOT l.s IapoI
rights A trades union or Iapor o.shi!,N''io '
anonp negroes Is almost unknown ie' tle .ty
- .neoro domination has been raised ana thc
nioper question is In politics. wheh 'Nprii.l,
as an organizer and how lhsu"o'I r.
hack upon white leadership. "
MT