Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1888-06-23
A wEhT VIRGINIA PRIMARY.
A Big ThinG-speaAer RoWan DO
feated for Reaontuatien-Fu

feated for RenOmtuatien-Fun
Correspondence OF the Richmond Dispatch.l
MONROE, ". Va, June l9, 1883.
] want to tel you about a primary the
Democrats had IN this county last Satur-
dav. which Vas so different from any
thing [ have ever seen III Virginia that l
think it will interest you.
An election Is 10 be held in West Nlr-
GINA il November for members OF the
Legislature and county officers, and It
was to decide which Of twenty-five candi-
dates should be the party nominees that
this primary was held. For two months
past the candidates have rode the large
county over and drummed their friends
and courted their enemies until tee
whole county, which Is over forty miles
long, got interested.
Finally tho decisive day came, and
with ii thirteen hundred Democrats and
two or three hundred interested Repub-
licans crowded all the roads leading into
Union. the county-seat; for the tual Of
strength was to be at that single voting
place. and every man had 10 cast his
ballot in person. Never before was
there seen such "a gathering of Democrats
in Union. nor perhaps IN any other town
OF its size IN the State or in ours,
either. for that matter. Banners were
plentiful aud they were all bandanss,
each bearing on one side the name Of a
Sistrict. There are SIX districts, with
three or four times as many voting
places in each district. 30 house IN
the town could hold half the crowd,
so they met on the lawn Of a
large building for organization
about IL O'Clock, elected their
chairman and secretary, who took up
their position on the portlco OF the
house, and from that underground
directed the opposing forces Each dis
trict had its headquarters with its chair
man and secretary IN different pars Of
| toe tOwn-one IN a vacant lot, one IN a
grove, another IN the courthouse, and
60 on, and the marshalling OF
their respective forces began. There
was fun as the cries would call,
This way, you Red-Sulphur men, "
"Ihis way, you Peterstown voters,
" Here's your place, you Union voters,
&C., &c, till at last the voters found their
places and tho balloting began. Every
man marched up and dropped his ballot
in the bat of the district secretary till all
in the district had voted. Then the
votes were counted at each district head
quarters, and when the count was COM
pleted the counters marched to
the county headquarters, followed
by the crowd from their respective dis
tricts. where the vote was gwen in, the
whole summed up, and the result an
nounced by the chairman from the
portico to the reassemblsd crowd IN the
! yard. Then followed the cheers of the
victors and the waving OF banners and
bandanas. Now the lowest candidate was
! dropped and the crowd all scattered
again, and again repaired to their
voting places, aud 80 1t went on all
day long and into the night.
The largest vote cast was for sheriff,
when Neel got 693 votes and Shsnklin
5s7, a total of 1880, Neel being nomi-
mated by 1876 majority. Then there was
cheering and clappiDg for Neel. The
next ballot decided that Logan was the
| lOl atVOAAAN y
over Houston. On the third ballot John
p. Shsnklin, the defeated candidate for
sheriff, was pitted in the legisla-
tive contest against Colonel John
N. Rowan, the present Speaker
Of the House, and was nominated
by 400 majority. So Colonel Rowan re-
tires from public life unless he is elected
State Treasurer, to which, it is said, he
aspires. There were ten candidates for
| Commissioner of the Revenue, and here
was the long and tedious tug of war.
They balloted and dropped the lowest
and balloted again until it got too
dark to see how to ballot, and
then the voters gathered around
the candidate of their choice and
they counted men instead of bal
lots till at last about 10 o'clock it was
decided. the whole ticket was an
nounoed. The convention adjourned and
half the voters did not get home until
Sunday morning. That was q primary
for you, one that Monroe will never
cease to speak of as this great Demo
craft primary OF 1888. and which came
SO near having with it q tragic episode
from the lightning which struck In the
crowd, OF which advised you last
night, aud from which it is still hoped
| no aarion. resnlts will follow. VOx.