The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-11-27
PEOPLE AND POLITICS.
(By An Observer

| the most stupid and ignorant negroes
I Morally they embrace the holy minister
and upright man OF business as well as
| the most cunning trickesters that sat al
the feet Of Malone In the palmy days OF
lizard judges. Physically. they represent
a few thousand white men encircied oy
( hundreds OF acres OF the sons Of Ham.
I IL would be interesting TO turn geolog-
| list loose on the Republican strata ip--s-
State and see just how these political
formations grew and solidihed into one
| congomerate mass First there. are the
| old line Republicans who are born Nir-
/ ginians. men who opposed secession and
/ were stoutly loyal TO the Union Ike the
| Lewises and who as soon as reconstruc-
ton was over, formed the Republican
party of Virginia and nominated Judge
Robert W Hughes for Governor. They
were in q hopeless minority. but they
occupied the basic ground work upon
which q Republican party was formed In
this State. Thereupon. Immediately there
ranged themselves under their banners
the whole enfranchsed body or virginia
| negroes. and 70 this good day, these
without shadow Of turning. make up the
chief voting force of the Republican parry
in Virginia. The negro Is primarily Ike
publican because he is grateful 20 the
Republican party for his freedom You
may prove 10 him that a majority OF the
Union soldiers who won his freedom are
to-day voting the Democratic ticket, but
IL makes no difference 20 him' you may
prove that. but for outside interference
i'm their affairs. decades before the war
the Southern people would have set MN
free quite as soon as AppomattoN dln'
but il cannot shake his gratitude TO those
who followed old John Brown. You may
prove to him that he had the pest mas
ters i'm the world VINO attended MI"
when sick taught him ana caIeu lot
him civilized and Christianized him, MADE
him work and lifted him out OF the low
est sink of barbarism. but this cannot GET
through his head He forgets all special
blessings of this kind. and continues 10
vote the Republican ticket You show 20
him that he would now starve but for MS
Democratic friends. and even let MIN
have a slight pinch Of hunger as test
but he begins al once TO steal 10 make
M the deficiency and continues TO wore
tho Republican ticket. True. there are
some few negroes I'm whom grauluoe 10
certain individuals eNcels gratitude TO
parties. and these vote the Democratic
ticket along with their friends ana en-
ployers: but these are few ana iar ne
tween and are generally turned out OF
their fellows The negro IS a Republican
and he occupies in the Republican party
very much the position of the great gram
ito stratum IN the geological world.
We come next TO a newer formation
which embraces the great class known as
the Malone Republicans. They are white
men and came from the Democratic foid,
and are known by the name OF a CON
federate brigadier The story Of how
they got into the Republican party IS sthl
fresh but not sweet. The separation be
Gan in a fiscal question No state ever
had such an internecine strife as the
Virginians had over their state ueo''
General Malone. with such leuienhhts
as Cameron Fulkerson. Massie wise
and others. presented different estimates
from those OF other Democrats as 10 how
much we owed and a. 10 how much wa
right and proper for MS 10 pay; and so the
political battle began. A great deal ot
bad blood and worse prejudice was en-
gcndered The men styling themselves
tho regular Democrats were guilty OF
great deal Of unwise conduct. and rec
sorted 10 base vituperation when II was
entirely a question of figures and facts
Malone won with the aid Of his black
cohorts. and the regular Democrats iin-
ally adopted his figures and finally the
state or virginia made even more fa'of-
able terms with her bond-holders Ma
hone had grand opportunity. He would
have had the lasting fame Of saving the
State millions OF dollars and been irwin
chile with the masses. but ne sold his
birthright FOR a mess OF pottage. presi-
dent Arthur bought him with the Federal
patronage Of the State. lie agreed 10 de-
liver into the Republican party 90 many
thousand followers Then there was q
scattering Of HIS clan. Still Malone
would have succeeded and made Virginia
a Republican State but for his vindic-
tive. sinister tyrpnical personal char
acteristics There has not been I'm our
day holder move on the chess board
OF politics than Mahone's attempt 10 Re-
puolicanize Virginia. II has left a great
manly men I'm the Republican party OF
Virginia who would not have been there
but for this attempt shrduloHocgeabd s.
out FOR this incident IN our state Doll.
tics Many Of them are good men and
love their country.
We now come 90 another stratum. n
consists Of those mon r.bo mon. - ID, ,