Democratic Sentinel, Volume 5, Number 33, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1881 — The Repudiators in Virginia. [ARTICLE]

The Repudiators in Virginia.

Just before the attack on the President’s life, he was visited by Gen. Wickham and a delegation of the best Republicans in Virginia, who had given to the party a character and standing which it does not enjoy in any other Southern State. They protested iu the strongest terms against the corrupt coalition which Republican ofTicehoiders like Lewis, Brady and Rives had formed, as ruinous to the parly, wnd destined, if successful, to strike a serious blow at the public credit. On that occasion the President answered the address by saying: “ No Republican should'touch any party tainted with repudiation.” Subsequently the Republican Convention met at Lynchburg, and, being controlled by the ring of officeholders, it ivas sold out deliberately to the Malione repudiators, who had previously put a ticket of their own in nomination. A more disgraceful bargain in politics was never before witnessed. A faction of 31,000 mongrels, calling themselves Readjusters, absorbed tlie distinct Republican organization, which had given Garfield 84,000 votes last November. This foul transaction rested solely upon the bargain and sale by which the Republicans had obtained Mahone’s vote in the Senate, and had thereby procured control of the Senate committees for the time being. Messrs. Hoar and Dawes and other Republican Senators attempted to justify this infamous business 1 y pretending that they were favoring a movement to regenerate the South, when they were only striving to secure preferment for themselves and their political associates by the aid of Mali one. They allowed him to dictate the nominations for Secretary and Sergeant-at-Arms of the Senate, upon condition that he in return for that bribe would give them the committees. This contract was fully revealed in the debates at the extra session.

The canvass in Virginia is now in active progress. All the disguises of ‘ * free elections, fair count and public schools,” which Dawes, Hoar and others rang the changes upon in the 'Senate, are thrown off by the coalition candidates. The only issue they discuss is the Rieddleberger bill by which $13,000,000 of honest debt, incurred by civil war and expended for public improvements, are openly and undisguisedly repudiated out and out, while no trustworthy provision is made for the remainder of the admitted debt, nor for the payment of interest upon it. If the Mahone ticket should succeed, with the Legislature in the hands of the Repudiators and a venal Court of Appeals to do their bidding, the debt of the State would become a great job. Indeed, that is one of the strongest elements of the campaign on -Mahone’s side, for success means addition, division and silence between a gang of brokers, who would negotiate the arrangement, and the Mahone ring, who would dictate the terms and packet fortunes. While the President is lying at death’s door, advantage is taken of his infirmity to dishonor the declaration that “no Republican should touch any party tainted with repudiation.” The large power of the Postoffice Department is turned over to Mahone. Honorable Republicans, white and black, faithful to all their trusty have been turned out of office, for no other reason than that they refused to support the coalition organized by Marshal Lewis, and Brady and Rives, Collectors of Internal Revenue, the conspicuous managers of the Lynchburg surrender. The patronage of the Treasury and of the Interior Department has been turned over in the same way, so that Mahone goes before the pebple of Virginia substantially with the support of the Cabinet. Superadded to this influence he is backed by the powerful Chesapeake and Ohio railroad corporation, of which Huntington, of the Pacific Central monopoly, is the directing mind. Mr. Huntington wants votes in the Senate, and Mahone belongs to the combination, of which the former may be properly called the representative man. He it was who knew how to* conquer the prejudices of French, late Auditor of Railroad Accounts, and thus to save the Central Pacific millions justly due the Government, at least until the Supreme Court shall decide against him, if the treachery of French should be finally reversed. The administration stands before the public in this Virginia contest as openly supporting repudiation and corporate monopoly, both of which are distinctly represented in the person of the jobber Mahone. And it will be held to account for this shameful interference in a local election. —New 1 ork Sun. In New Zealand a railroad extending from the city of Christchureh and Littleton has been constructed through a tunnel 2,620 meters in length. This tunnel pierces through the Avails of a volcanic cone, and thus has laid bare its structure of successive streams of lava pnd beds] of scoriae, ashes and turfie, again intersected by dykes of YQleafiic rocks, Thig is, perftpps, the first volcano through which a railway has been qonsu«cted.