Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1885-10-02
COUNTING OUT FI1Z LEE-nHE
IMPORTANCE OF THE
LEGISLATURE.

We wonder if the Democrats of Virginia
really comprehend the Importance of car
rying a majority of the legislature ? Per-
haps if we explain to them how the legis
lature may carry the whole State govern
ment with it, they will see the vital ne
cessjty of electing Democratic Senators
and Delegates. The State CanvasSing
Board which is Democratic, and on which
the Democrats of the State rely so conf
IDENTIFY for fair count, has nothing to do
with counting the vote for Governor and
1t. Governor. 1t counts the vote for
members of the legislature and Attorney
General, but does not touch that for Lee
and Massey or Wise and Wood The con-
stitution of Virginia provides that tie
returns of the vote for Governor and Lit
Governor shall be kept separate; that their
seals shall not be broken; that they shall
be deposited with the Secretary of the
Commonwealth; that on the meeting aud
organization of the legislature the Secre-
tary Of the Commonwealth shall hand
them, with the seals nnbroken, to the
Speaker elected by the House, and that
within ten days after the session COM
mences the Speaker be- fore a joint session
of the Senate and House, shall open the
envelopes, 1.-THE vote shall then be count
ed" and the candidates found to have le-
ceived majority OF the votes cast shall be
When any Democrat calls to mind the
seating of Frazier and Lady, the audaci0us
retention Of r. R. Farr, in 1882, and
other acts of that Coalition legislature;
when he sees how persistently. and with
out apparent reason, in this campaign is
being repeated the charge of ballot box
stuffiEg, intimidation and murder as the
method by which the Democratic VIC
tory of 1888 was WOn-cau he doubt,
with majority in the legislature, and that
legislature under the advice and control
of Malone, that the vote of county after
county will be rejected until the re-
mainder give majority for Wise and
Wood? But even that outrage is not
needed to ensure the otJect. The Consti-
tuition provides that in the case of a con-
tested Governors election the notice and
reasons OF contest shall be served, a repli-
cation made thereto, and the contest then
decided bV the joint vote of the tayo Houses Of
the legislature. Has any Democrat any
doutt that, in the case of the election of
sufficient Republicans to give majority
on joint ballot, Fitz Lee will never bs
nearer the Governor 8 seat than he is now?
This knowledge ought to spur every Dem
Lcrat to see that every Democratic vote
in his county IS brought out for the egis |
lative ticket. This knowledge ought to
warn every Democrat against entering
into any combination with Republicans
by which his county ticket may be defeat |
eli.
Ii we lose the legislature, we lose Gov |
ernor, 1t. Governor, U. S. Senator, the i
State officers, the judges-everythinq ex- !
cept Attorney General. though we may |
Doll large majority of the votes casti in the !
State. The fact that the Democrats carry |
the Senate will not alter this state OF !
Affairs in the matter of deciding who are |
Governor and Lit. Governor-a j)int vote |
where a. Republ House overbaances |
tie Senatorial Democratic majority can !
do the work. It the Democrats have one |
majority in the Senate and the Republi- |
cans have but two majority in the House, |
away goes the whole Democratic State |
government Let our Democratic friends |
think over these possibilities and vote SOL |
idly for their regular Democratic legisla-
tive tickets. and not only that but, 10 the |
face of such peril, treat with the indig- |
nation it deserves any attamnt to draw