Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-09-27
Increasing the Majority.
rNow York Journal o., Commerce.

The case of John VI. LangstOn and F.. G.
Veuable, concerning which the protracted
dispute has occurred. was not one about
which any Honest man, not an extreme
partisan, need entertain any dOubt. The
Fourth congressional district Of Virginia
Is usually Republican. The regular Re
publican candidate for the seat at the last
election duly nominated at the party con-
vention was r. ". Arnold. The negroes
were dissatisfied, and John u. Lang
ston. q leader of the race IN that
district. started 70 run IN opposition 10
Arnold as an Independent candidate. The
Republican vote was thus divided. Lang
ston receiving but II .G57 and Arnold only
3.2O7. while Venable. the Democratic nlmi-
nee. ohtaired 1927 and was declared duly
elected. received his certificate, and for
nine months has been occupying his seat in
the House. OF course the Republicans
chafed at the fact that division in their
ranks should have elected a Democrat in q
Republican district. and they announced
their determination 10 unseat Nenable and
give the place to their cOlOred brother.
We have gone over the testimony and
there is nothing IN Il TO warrant such
a change. The action was taken solely on
the ground that the Fourth Virginia dis
trict is one in which the Republicans.
when united. have majority, and that no
Democrat has a right to represent it, even
If he did receive the most votes. Had the
regular Republican nominee been seated.
although Nenable was elected. there
would have been at least the excuse for it
that the former ought to have been elect
ed. and would have been chosen if the ne
eroes had not bolted. But 10 put in the
irregular negro candidate, through whose
trickery the Republicans were divided, is
not even to do poetIcal justice to the oc-
casiOn.
We have said that the Democrats ought
TO have stood in their places and voted for
the right, even in the face Of Speaker
Reeds arbitrary rulings. We do not be-
lieye in "flibustering," even TO prevent
injustice. All that is required of any man
in withstanding the wrong is TO face II, de-
nounce It, and If oyerborne by num-
bers, fall defeated in his place. But
the Democrats determined that they
would not stay in the assembly
room to be counted to make quo
rum" as the new arbitrary and uncOnsti-
tutional rule provides. and would force the
majority to gather together their absent
members, and 10 perpetrate this piece of
pure partianship solely by a quorum they
had already elected or seated. This was
done and Mr. Nenable was turned out, and
Mr.. Langston was sworn in and took his
seat. He bad really no more legal title to
IL than any other negro in Virginia
Having Just enough members of their
own faith present TO make quorum the
majority went further and disgraced them
selves still more by taking up the contest
for membership from the Seventh district
of South Carolina. This was done at the
instance Of one member who called out.
Give them another" or, "a a Republican
journal reports 1t. Call up another case"
One paper excuses this on the ground that
some of the members who had been called
TO Washington were going To leave at
once, and speedy action was therefore i'm
peratiye. Another explains that it was
done TO punish the Democrats for their
action in delaying the Nenable case and
compelling the attendance of Republican
quorum. But even the party papers aud
speakers admit that it was without pre-
cedent in the history of the country. and
even as a novelty was not conducted with
ordinary decency.
The certified returns of this election
gave Elliott S.303 votes and Miller his Re
publican opponent. 1908. There were 81, =
1913 blacks IN that district according to the
last census. and the assumption is that
enough of these ought 20 have voted to
elect Miller, and would have done so if
they bad not been prevented by some un-
derhand or illegal means. At any rate, the
Republicans hold that it is a district that
ought to nave sent member of their party
to Congress. and If they did not
do it 1t was easy for the majority,
having just at that moment a quorum
of like-minded men duly gathered, TO seat
a Republican and thus remedy the omis-
Sion of the dusky residents who failed to
vote. But in order 10 do this with show
of decency it should have been regularly
brought before the House for considera-
ton. This was not done. Mr.. Kerr. of
Iowa. a prominent Republican. protested
against the proposed action. but his voice
was drowned amid the clamor of his fell
ont and S;Iier COMING in witbon, os r no,nS
as a show of reason for it. The only eX-
cuse We have heard was in the remark of a
Republican member as the vote was an
nounced, Zone more for our quorumin