National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1874-06-17
POLITICAL PROSPECTS IN VIR.
GINA.


The states are being made up in Virgin Ia
now preparatory to the meeting of the
nominating conventions, and it may be
truthfully said that the canvass has virtually
begun. The Conservative State Central Com
mittee has held its initial meeting for the cam
paign, and has pronounced, in most positive
terms, its plans. Boilers from the regular
party nominations are to be treated as 'tRad-
icals" and otherwise roughly used, If not
both politically and socially ostracised, and
the most rigid discipline is to be enforced in
the party ranks. No doubt all this stuff
and fustian is intended to frighten timid and
doubling partisans, as well as to overwhelm
the Republicans with q demonstration of
determination and strength at the out
set of the canvass; but it was not needed
for the latter purpose. The Republicans
know to their sorrow that they are in the
power Of most INSCRIPTIONS opponents;
and they know, also. that if they win in
any of the elections, or even maintain their
former strength, they will be compelled to
work earnestly and with extraordinary
vigilance. The law providing for the ap-
pointment Of election judges is SO con.
structed as to give to the Conservative
party the sole control The consequence
has been. and now is, that only Conserva-
tives have been appointed 70 those posi-
tons. This fact alone is worth, under
their INSCRIPTIONS management, any re-
qaired amount of votes for tina party. The
recent municipal election at Petersburg
furnishes an instance of what we mean. The
ballot-boxes in the different precincts of that
city were deliberately stuffed in such way
as to secure the withdrawal only of Repub-
lican votes when one of the judges was
blindfolded for the purpose of drawing out
the surplus ballots. This feat is not so diff
cult of accomplishment as it may seem to
be at first glance, because the Democratic
ballots stuffed" into the boxes were printed
on small strips of paper and closely folded
together, while the Republican ballots were
printed on uniformity larger strips. The
result is evident, that when the blindfolded
judge placed his hands into box for the
purpose Of Withdrawing the surplus, he
invariably selected the largest-sized ballots.
In this way the legitimate votes of hundreds
and thousands of Republicans were thrown
out, and fraudulent Democratic votes of an
equal number counted instead.
But the boldest declaration of the Con-
serVatiSes thus far is that the Petersburg
plan" is to be carried out throughout the
entire State. In other words, the ballot
boxes al over the Commonwealth are to be
stuffed, as they were In Petersburg. A
more barefaced and rascally piece of politi-
cal treachery was never attempted before
m this country, not even by the wretches
who rule the Water.street precincts Of New
York or the lower wards Of Philadelphia.
Yet the announcement Of it is made by
men who claim to be gentlemen, to belong
to the "gentleman,s party" He must
have heart of stone indeed who does not
pity the utter decentralization and lack of
moral uprightness which this really crimi-
nal assertion indicates, and yet it is made
bv people who claim to be,of the Glover
of the chivalry, {" who claim to love the
blacks, to cherish no political or social
hatred against partisan opponents, and who
assert that they alone possess all of the
inspiration of civilized fair-play in the State