The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1880-12-05


II our contemporaries Of the northern
press will take the trouble TO read what ap.
peared 10 the DispdicA Of yesterday and The
day before concerning the prosecution Of
several Virginia election officers, they VIII
ne sblc to understand why there Is a - solid
South" Three election officers were ar.
rsicnea before United states commits.
sjouer because they refused to allow per-
sons 20 vote upon the bogus tax.cerliica,es
which are described In Mr.. CoeBuL's article
in another column Of this days issue OF The
Dispatch. There Is no pretence that these
officers did not act 10 good faith and accord
ing 70 their best judgment. Not only die
thes do this, but they bad before them Q
writer opinion from the Judge OF the uus
ppgs Court OF Manchester informing them
that !, wss their duty to reject all such
votes as those which they did reject. In
no country In the world except these
United States would such prosecution be
tolerated; and in no other part OF the Unite
States than in one OF the southern States.
Even the Czsr Of Russia would not tolerate
such prosecution for one moment.
The northern papers will read thus far
with absolute iucAedality, (supposlng OF
course that they should condescend 10 read
what we have said at ali.) They will say
that these statements arc mere "rebel''
exaggerations. We beg them, therefore, to
read on. We reproduce here what the
United States district attorney said on the
subject, promising, however, that they
must not take that official TO be monster,
hut must read what he says as the utter
ance OF a highly respectable Virginia law
yer who has been blinded by the virus Of
Repub.csnism. District.Attorney LEWIS
said:
Now, lay down this proposition right
here: that In prosecution for Illegally
neglec;iug TO perform their duties as judges
OF election II is not incumbent upon the
United States 10 show fraud or corruption
on the, part OF these defendants. or even
molG fdeS. II, therefore, the receipts pro-
ducsG bv the rejected voters were genuine.
and we're sufficient evidence of The pay ment
OF their capitaiion.iax Qbeir right TO vote
in other respects being conceded), the fact
votes establishes the ease for the prosecu-
tion."
Whoever will take the trouble TO read
what Mr.. COGHILI, q lawyer far superior TO
Mr.. LEWIS, says on this subject ia an arti|
Gle which we print today, will learn that
these election-ofiicers are prosecuted for not
receiving illegal tax-receipe. But this is
not the point we are now making. We de-
sire 70 call attention here only to the dis
triet attorneys distinct and uuequiv0cal
ayowal that he demanded II punishment
OF three OF Virginia's election-officers for
an error Of Judgment. He claimed that it
was not necessary to show even that they
had acted in bad faith, much less 10 show
fraud or corruption on their part. They
NAV have done their duty rs they under
stood IT,, and they certainly did do it as 1t
wss explained to them by the Judge OF the
court TO which they owed their appoint.
ment IS electiOu-offcers; yet he demanded
their punishment.
Is i, any wonder that the white people OF
Virginia hate the very name OF the Repub-
lican partyy Would it be strange If they
were somewhat lacking in devotion 10
Government which authorizes such out
RACES and pays for their commission with
money collected from the poor people thus
harlssed!
p. s. Another set OF election officers have
been arrested and held TO bail. Who says
this is not the best Government The world
ever saw?