Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1880-08-27

It is rather remarkable that the election
In this district for member of the Ma
tional Congress should be made to turn on
mere local State question, but such is
the logical sequence of Capt. Paul,'s posi-
ton on the capitation tax question. That
position may be found clearly stated in a
resolution adopted by Republican meet
ing in Albemarle on Monday, the End
inst. It is this:
Resolved, That the thanks of the Re-
publicans of Albemafle be rendered to
Hon. John Paul for his bold and manly
course OF advocating the repeal of the I'M
just and unconstitutional capitatlon tax
law as prerequisite to voting.
Capt. Paul in this advocacy is frying
out the principles of his party, and Of
those principles the paper that speaks
most by authority in this State is the
Richmond ssWhig." That journal, in its
issue of last Friday, holds, of this pro-
vision of the constitution which Capt.
Paul is seeking to repeal, that 1t violates
the spirit if not the letter of the Constitu-
ton of the United States, which prohibits
the States from 'abrldging" the right of
suffrage, and brings down upon Virginia
the loss of representatives in proportion to
such abridgement. It puts its reasoning
in figures this way:
By the figures we have given ab',ve, it
will be seen that the whole number OF
males over 81 years of age will then be
more than 294 748, and the number OF
those DISTINGUISHED by The tax more than
| II ,421; and as the right of suffrage has
| been thus curtailed about 25 per cent,
Virginia will lose Is per cent. or more OF
| her representation to which she would
| otherwise be entitled in the new appor-
tionment Thus, if the representation Of
| Virginia under the general reduction
should be eight, then, in the case supposed
| Virginia, being locked two. would have
only SIX represen tatlves. If, under th''
general reduction, she should be entitled
| to seven, the number which she would
actually get might be no more than five.
| And in that proportion, to that extent, ii
not farther, will she be stripped of her
power and influence in the National Con-
gress for the next ten years.
This being the view of the Readjuster
party, if the people of the seventh. district
vote for Capt. Paul for Congr 8 they ca t
their ballot for gentleman, the logic of
whose position is that he should vote with
the Republicans in Congress to cut down
the representation of Virginia. If he is a
true Readiuster he must, for the "Whig'
thus lays down the Readjuster platform on
that subject:
With all these facts and deductions,
which they think are legltimately drawn
from the Constitution, the Readjusters do
affirm and hold that the capiJation tax as
restriction upon The right o. a citizen to
vote, is in bad faith and unconstitutional.
This is very grave position in which
to come before the Democrats of Virginia
and ask for votes to send a candidate to
congress. What Democrat will vote for a
candidate whose mission to Washington,
if he carries out the reasoning of his party,
is to vote to cut down the representation
| of his Stat D. 1t is well known that the
Republicans, if they have majority in
| congress, will on this line of req soning
which, blythe bye, originated with them,
attempt to cut down our representation
Capt. Paul's party logic places him along
side of them and he should clear his posi-
ton up.