Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1849-06-12

"a such tricks 10 help Flonrroy; ana, alas! they |
nave lost him after all their double wlTe-work-
inss These are facts, and public taels, which
can be established. The Reverend Editor mace
q great clamor about The shabby sneep, Inc ~ !,
Thai voted .or Flournoy; and out OF III, ihey
,sn, made ou Two who they suppose are mol
shabty. and styled them DR.. -, MT. ..
fri understand correctly who these wo gentlemen
are would say that they both have voted 'he
Wing ticket before.
A TRur BELIEVER IN HALrAx DEMOCRACY.
For the Enquirer.
ro THE MEMBERS OF THE GENERAL ASSEM-
BLY, OF VIRGINIA.
BY The newspaper reports q your proceeunS
Il few days age, ~ revising Inc eiec'ion :"
.aem, hat a small majority u The House o Del
eoates voted 10 abolish the provisions for keeping
he polls open three days, IL case Of ram, o'9h
wafer or oher causes preventing ful vote al
any courthouse Or precinct. The House was
ysrv min the majority, Think only tour and
mere is reason 10 nope that this vote Will De re-
versed before the completion OF The new Code.
will moi auempt to trace The history oil the
nroyisiops sought 10 be abolished -sufnce II 10
say. that they have been in operation many
wears. and although, now and then, we nave
heard complaints from defeated candidates al me
result OF three days voting, the voting communi-
stand-at least III 50 far as they give authority,
IN certain cases 10 continue the election three
tay,. Why, then, make This change in our "
vi code7 Rahel Than abolish The provisions III
| onas,ion is lhcre &c. need oi nufe risld en-
larcement OF lheml Rain Of high water, pre-
venting the voters from se'une 10 inc poiis' mas
i haen admitted on all hans 10 be Sufrtent ca .se
lar continuing an election. The only disagree
| mont has been, whether these causes have exist
cd 10 a sufficient extent 10 proven: iulI vote :
/ commissioners generally refuse 10 keep open me
Mile when The vote is as large as usua', even al.
| ,honph the fac, may be known 10 them, that ma
NJ voters are absent from bad weather anu az
| though the candidates demand me continuance
81 the election upon that ground. Now, IN SUCH
cases the obligation 10 keep 'he po'is open uuSh'
10 be imperative. Candidates and ihe.I ifiehts,
=, acen,e have RICH, 10 dsmani d. The rights
20 Inc mainriy demand il. The righs o. the
asf.aa l.ar 'nhf'" " ~ W.
The Commissioners may safely Ur entrusted
wnh he discretion u continuing he election Tor
o.hrr causes Any nrishburhuod Calamity nolo-
| riously preventing ull volc, ought 10 ne con.
sidcred as iusliyns them in doing So. Ffeshels.
although not such as 10 keep the voters from
their precincts may be such as 10 sweep away
wateT-eates, wash away fences, and leave crops
| in danger OF being destroyed by one days neg
lecl But il is useless 10 enlarge upon such de-
tails Suffice il 10 say, that the objections 10
keeping The polls open three DAYS for such causes
| as are here stated and referred TO- proceed from
discnn,ened and ambitious minoriles, whose
| only hope is in their vote, ~ from lazy and luke
warm majorilcs who have allowed themselves
| To be beaten by The jealous exenIons al these
! VINO have taken deeper interest IN The results
Of a canvass Thar cases may Ne cite in which
- IN, Oh
| influences and appliances have been welded,
in getting The blind the lame and The halt 10 The
| polls in blasting The minds Of uniformed voters
| by ISLANDERS and misrepresentation in elections
| continued three days, is undtnable. But it is
equally undeniabe that The same may be truly
said in regard 10 all Of our elections. No man
would have The iemerty 10 propose 10 abolish po-
puar elections on that account
The turmoil and excitement OF three DAYS
election, may be Objectionable in some aspects
but upon the whole they exert wholesome nfu.
cnces--i in spirrne up he lazy-in waking up The
Indifferent, and in impTessing upon all he truth
of the maxim, that eternal vigilance Is The price
Of liberty"
That our election laws need some amend
menls, is UNREASONABLE. They ought L. ope.
rae fairly and equally in practice they
DO MOI. For instance, il is Inc custom IN
some III The towns and their vicinities 10 open
the polls Al sun-r.Sc, and keep them open IN
iii sun down for the exclusive benefit Of those
prof,ng by double, triple and quadruplo voting
This custom ought not 10 be tolerated for the
plain reason that il operates partially and I'M
equally, and cannot DO made to operate general.
Iy and fairly. In sparsely populated counties
and districts, indeed in The country generally
some of The officers Of elections ride from twelve
to TWENTY-FIVE miles from their homes to their
places Of elections No law could be enforced
that would require them 10 ride such distances
before SUNRISE stay al their precincts until sun.
down and return home IN the night. The Gus.
tom ought 10 be abolished. The hour for open.
ing tho polls ought 10 be fixed aud certain and
such as would suit The couniry people generally
without wrongiDg any body. So too, ought t.
be the hour of closing the polls. Commission
ers ought 10 be required 10 keep them open 10 a
certain hour earlier than sunset, but might be
safely entrusted with the discretion of keeping
them open until the latter hour, if deemed by
them necessary and proper Blu; you, gentle
men of The General Assembly, ought TO be in
formed Of the fact, tina, in The large counties
there is generally an Impotence 10 get the 70
turns from The border precincts 10 the Court
Houses on the evening OF the election that the
commissioners often declare the polls closed
early 10 tho afternoon and The planter who has
q crop OF tobacco in danger Of sporting for yeant
Of immediate attenton-others VITO are pre-
vented from leaving home early by other
causes-agcd and infirm people. who lear the
cold and damp Of the morning, often reach their
precincts by three or four O'Clock in The after
noon AMI are not allowed TO vote, because "ihe
pills haps been declared closed.'
The writer deems il unnecessary 10 use far |
Their arguments. His purpose is TO call your al
tention to The practical operation of the present
laws, being well assured that upon due consde-
ration, you will raise your voices against rash |
and uncalled for innovations, whilst you will |
not hesitate 10 amend, where amendments are /
clearly Necessary. COUNTRY VOTER
OLD VIRGINIA. The official returns from
the Accomac District in Virginia give 10 Gene.
raj Bayly democrat, majority Of 729 votes
over Mallory, his Wing competitor The same
district gave General Taylor large majority =
The Democrats Of that district and he Demo.
Gratis everywhere never dreamed that General
Taylor would have thrown himself into The
arms OF such men as Collamer, Ewing, Mere
ditb, Fiz Henry Warren, with their abolition
Propensiies bursting for qualification. Who
could be made TO believe, before the election,
that General Taylor would sacrifice or permit
his subordinates to sacrifice old soldiers, whose
bodies are covered with the scars Of honorable
wounds received in the last war with England,
Or under his own eye in the campaign of Rio
5rande, 10 make way for individuals who pray.
ID for the disgrace of our arms in both those
wars I Surely no one could suppose that Gene.
al Taylor would reward brave men who were
hot down before bis eyes while engaged with
be enemy at Buena Vista with an gnomnious