The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1883-03-15
Colonel O'Ferrall.


II has been suggested that the state Ex-
rcutive Committee might decide whether
mr. M, n candidate Cor the House OF Repre-
...rtativcs shall he run In the Rocking
ham district this spring. sut members OF
The state Executive Committee and the
p.ate Central Comnittce have vivid re-
.o,lect;on az the manner IN which last year
their interference In the Norfolk district
was received, and win hardly be willing to
take the risk Of like trcatment this year.
We have several times expressed the
on;uiou chat Colonel O'FEaRaLL ought TO
run again. We lexrn that whilst he docs
not desirc 10 do 90. and has not been in
enneA 10 consider II the best policy either
for hic,self or the Democratic party that nc
should again take the field, yet he Is entirely
willing To be governed In the matter 10y the
wishes Of his party-friends.
We said weeks ago that the House OF
Representatives would not allow Mr.. PAUL
N resign Colonel O'FERRALL's seat. We
have seen no reason to change this opinion.
Our attention has been called, however, to
The report Of the minority OF the Commit
tee on Elections in the contested-elect'on
case OF Mackey rs. O'Connor to the last
House Of Representatives. OCoNNoR had
died: and new election had taken place,
md a Mr.. DIBBLE claimed the seat under
The new election. MACEEY contested the
election as against pCoNNoR. The report
In question took the ground that MAcKEf
~ouH not stand upon his contest with
yCoNyoR, but must make DIBBLE party
and begin his proceedings de nora.
Well. we are not certain but this
Ia most OF il tenable ground. DIBBLE
was the real contestant. But we do not
agree that MAcKEY was obliged to begin
his contest or proceedings dc noco. ~
seems TO us that the very case he had made
out rs against O'CoNNOR was the very case
which he was entitled to present as against
D,BBiE. In a word, all he had 10 do, ana
all that any fair or reasonable House OF
Representatives could ask him TO do with
out being guilty OF injustice to him. was to
show that he had been elected when he
ran against O'COSNOR. There is 10 good
reason that We know Of why DIBBLE
should not thus have been made party 10
NACKEY's contest, and thus had both con-
tests decided at once. But II the commit
tees doctrine be true, then Colonel OFFER
RAIL-. would have to begin his contest de
nopo should anybody else be returned from
his district this spring. The person who
shaIi be returned as elected next May
will be seated in the House OF Representa-
tfves upon the certificate OF the state Elec-
ton Board. Colonel O'FERRALL has no
credentials. II the Democrats decide not
to run a candidate this spring he will have
10 unseat. let us say Mr.. Brown ALLEN.
IL seems reasonable, therefore, not to say
indispensable, that Mr.. O'FERRALL should
make Mr.. ALLEN a party to his contest.
The STYLE of the case will be O'FerrdN rs.
Allen. PAUL no longer claims the seat.
ALIENS title to it must come through
PAUL, however. II PAUL had none, ALLEN
can acquire none.
II looks as il there might be n muddle in
this case. We do not see any better way Of
preventing such result than for Colonel
O'FERRAIL to beat ALLEN at the ballot
box. To run again viii be 10 take two
chances. The House OF Representatives il
made up almost entirely OF lawyers; and
we cannot believe that they will consider
his second race as affecting I'm any degree
the title which he acquired in his first race.
We must think, therefore, that it would be
better for himself and for the Democratic
party that Colonel O'FERRALL should again
Z" try bis luck" At the same time we shall
have no word OF censure for him il he
shall decide differently.