The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1889-11-21
STTART. VA. Noy- @ 1880
Tuilcu IiyaiAiQM:

VALLEY Jirgiaion:
| wish to call the attention Of the pub
tic to the tricks of the Democratic man
ayers in the last election in the % Sena-
tOflal District, composed OF the counties
of Henry and Patrick. The Republican
candidate for Senator was A. t. Pedigo
| Democratic. III. G. Peters The returns
from all the precincts in the two coun-
ties gave Pediio clear majority of forty
one votes Now to get rid Of this ma
| jority, a lot of Democratic ATTORNEYS
We're employed to be present at the
counting of the vote before the board of
commissioners OF election at the Court
| House OF each county on last Monday.
In Patrick county, precinct known as
Akers Cross Hoads. which went forty
three Republican majority, was thrown
out by the board simply because the
judges OF election did not certify they
had been properly sworn. The precinct
at Gates Store, which went thirty two
Republican majority, was thrown out
by the board simply because the judges
failed to fill the blank certifying the ag-
gregate vote AT that precinct. but they
did certify properly the votes cast for
each OF the candidates. The officers
were summoned under the statute to
correct the technical errors according to
real facts. and the board refused to allow
them to do SO. | would call attention to
Section 1874 of the Code These two pre-
cincts aggregated seventy-fve votes Re
publican majority. Now, Nettle Ridge
precinct, where the Democratic ma iority
was twenty-seven; Springs Depot. fifty
five; Kings Store, forty, aggregating
one hundred and twenty-five Demo-
cratic ajority, and these precincts had
defects and irregularities also. and were
allowed by the board to stand.
1t is true that to the counting of these
last Democratic precincts no objections
were raised by the Republicans, because
they were advised that notwithstanding
these informalities in the Democratic
precincts, that the votes would be hon
estly counted.
In Henry county the Leatherwood
precinct, which gave a Republican ma
jority of thirty-eight, was thrown out
by the commissioners upon the same
ground to-wit that the judges did not
certify that they were duly sworn.
Now, | have this to state that a
greater usurpation of power never has
been practieed i'll Virginia, not even by
Malone. himself in the height of his
power Bad as he is, l think he would
have hesitated to have had such an out
rage as this committed. These commits
sioners did not have a shadow OF au-
thority to do what they did. The law
makes them mere calculators of the re-
turns. They have no right TO look into
any Irregularities except to allow the
officers of election to correct such irreg-
ularities but instead of that they
usurped and exercised a jurisdiction
which by the constitution and the laws
of Virginia, is vested solely and eXclu-
sively in the Senate. | rejoice with you
as with many others, at Mahone's utter
defeat, but | must say in all fairness,
that this transaction upon the part OF
the Democrats in this district surpasses
anything Malone ever did in the way of
political outrage and tyranny. Notwith-
standing Mahone's appropriately, so
deeply impressed are these people up
here with the principles of Republican
ism that McCinneys majority i'll this
county was only sixty-one, while that of
Cleveland in 1884 was two hundred and
ninety two; in 1888, two hundred and
nineteen. This shows you what the
sentiment of the people is up here, not
withstanding all the drawbacks and dis
advantages they labored under in this
last election | will state further that
these commissioners did not act blindly
and without information, for before they
decided, they were informed fully of the
decisions of the State and Federal Con-
gross on these very questions, any one
of which was to the effect that technical
defects and omissions should not defraud
the people from having their honest
votes counted. | will further state that
the votes were not canvassed until last
Monday, because the officers of election
were summoned to come to the Court
House and correct the returns, and did
come, every one of them, and were not
allowed by the board to correct the re-
turns. Respectfully,
M IvPROOI.