Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-08-23
4 POINT FOR DEMOCRATIC CAN
WASHERS IN VIRGINIA..

FASSERS IN VIRGINIA..
In the last two public utterances of U. S.
District Attorney w. E. Craig-one when
his fellow citizens, without regard to party,
serenaded him at his appointment to his
present Office, and again last Saturday in
the Republican county cOnvention-he has
repeated the old charge of fraud by the
Democrats in elections. Fraud in elections
seems to be a nightmare with him. Let us
call his attention to a remarkable feat of
Republican County Chairman seven years
ago, and get his legal opinion Oh it's status
in law and morals. In 1882 Charles T.
O'Ferrall ran against John Paul, the incum-
bent, for seat in congress for the 18th con-
gressional district, of which Augusta was
then part. 1t was believed, and after
wards shown in testimony before the con-
gressional committee, that there had been
a good deal of illegal voting for Mr.. Paul,
and quite enough to do away with the slen
der majority of 1872, which was all that he
OF his friends 1.-THE Republicans had control
Of the election machinery in Virginia that
year, claimed. The Democrats were urging
O'Ferrall, both privately and in the press,
to make a contest for the seat and have this
matter of illegal votes proven OF disproven.
Before Mr.. O'Ferrall had taken any steps
for contest OF announced his intention of
making one-that is to say in six days after
the election took place, MI. VIM. E. Craig,
Republican County Chairman of Augusta,
went before the Republican Canvassing
Board of the county-all the CONTRASTING
boards were Republican that year-and
presented a most remarkable paper signed
by himself in his official capacity. He pc
titioned the Board to the effect that "the
entire poll of the uote for augusta c0atn-
ty (outside of the city of Staunton) cast on
November 18th, 1882, was not done according
to law, the voters not having been legally
qualified, and that your Board will so regard
it and declare that the same shall not be
counted" The audacity of this petition
to throw out 1882 votes of county
and wipe out a Democratic majority
of l ,04S will be appreciated when we recite
some OF the grounds of the proJo-
sition-prefacing our recital by saying
that the petition expressly disclaimed any
imputatiOn of fraud in the casting of the
ballots it sought to have thrown out. For
twelve years prior to that election, it had
been the custom in Augusta to have one
registrar for district instead of one for
each of the precincts. The custom had
been followed by both political parties in
ignorance of the law, and the registrars for
the districts in 1882 had been appointed by
the Republican County Judge. On that
oversight, and on that exclusively, without
shadow of a faint of fraud, the then Re
publican County Chairman and present
Republican U. S. District Attorney pro-
posed to disfranchise 1852 voters. The
proposition was so amazing that even the
Republican Canvassing Board could not
swallow it. Nor would it grant Chairman
Craig's request to ''endorse the facts set
fOrth' and forward it to the State Board of
Canvassers. 1t simply adopted resolution
to forward it to the State Board of Can
vassers and expressly stating, that 1--WE for
bear passing on the facts set forth.0 1t will
be well to remember that Mr.. O'Ferrall had
not as yet given any notice of contest and
that this step to disfranchise nearly 5000
voters, by throwing their ballots out, was
taken in case there should be contest. Our
District Attorney who loses no opportunity
to talk about Democratic frauds in cleo
lions, is a good lawyer, and we should like
his opinion on question of legal and moral
rights-Which is the worse: to put ballots
in ballot boxes, Oh to grab 1852 out of
ballot bo1es For that is Just what it
was; the Republican Canvassing Board of
Augusta so regarded it, and the Republican
State Board of Canvassers took the same
view Of it when it got to them, and de-
clined TO aid in the grab. We trust Dem
ocratic canvassers will call MI. Craig's at
tention to these facts when they meet him
on the stump this fall. 1t is matter Of
official record.