Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-03-30
UNDER THE DOME.
TIVE MATTER OF THE VIRGINIA CON-
TEsTep-ELECTION CASES.
waddiil Against Wise-some foints
that Are Very Inter-
esting.
,r,u IN, poeu,sr Correspondent

WASHINGTON. March 29.-Tho majority OF
a. Uorea Committee on Elections have
made one new departure IN the Virginia
contest OF waddill rs. Wise that will give
the Democrats q better opportunity than
they have had this session 10 draw up the
,o;nyoritv report. In all the other cases so
Cav d;snosed of in committee the Republi-
cans when they reached a conclusion, have
GONE ahead and drawn up the majority re-
mort without giving the Democrats on
Tho committee chance to know what
thew would saw to the House, but
in Inc Waddill-Wise case they will allow
tbe Democrats to see the points made, and
the latter will not have to shoot III the
dark, as IL were.
In recommending that the seat should be
declared vacant aud that q new election
should be ordered the Democrats have
according TO tho prevailing opinion here
done about the best thing possible un-
der the circumstances, although az TINS
writing it is hard to say whether
ANYTHING will really be gained by the plan
adopted. Without an exception the
Republicans on the floor of the House have
60 far this session sustained the findings OF
the Committee on Elections, and every
man that the committee said should go mas
been ousted from his seat. But 1t must De
remembered that in each case, also, the
Democrats have made minority report IL
which they have declared that the con-
testants were not elected, and the first
votes on each case in the House have been
on substitute motions made by Democrats.
PARTY LINES.
Party lines have been rather strictly
drawn and the issues have been such That
il was hard for any member TO cut loose
from his party associates, but IN the Wad-
dill. Wise case the question will be put IN
different shape, so as TO give fair and
reasonable excuse TO any Republican
who may not be able to reconcile
it with his conscience TO sustain
the findings of the majority of the
committee. In effect the Democrats
will say to the Republicans both in the
minority and in the speeches on the floor
of the House 1.-THE face OF the returns
does not show that Judge Waddill was
elected. The committee in the decision
rendered acted on the assumption that
Judge Waddill would have been elected II
the Republican voters in jackson Ward
which, he alleges, were prevented from
voting. had been allowed by the Judges OF
election and the Democratic challengerst TO
cast their votes. Judicial decisions and le-
gIslative precedents are ample to show that
II is both unjust and dangerous TO assume
to count votes that were never cast, no
matter what the alleged intention Of the
voters NAV have been. You claim that
our peoplc purposely delayed the voting
by not only reading the law slowly to
ignorant voters, but that challengers were
at the polls in Jackson Ward and that they
threw all sorts of obstacles in the way OF
negro voters TO prevent their ballots from
getting into the boxes, aud that when the
polls closed MANY were in line who had
been standing there for hours without any
show 20 deposit their ballots. We insist
that there was warrant not only In the Con-
stitution of Virginia for having an eX-
pression of thevoters on the amendments,
but that this question was also ordered TO
be voted upon at that election, by the
statute of 1888. We are willing TO have the
seat declared vacant and send the whole
question back TO the voters OF the Third
district, and IL can be determined
who is the stronger man before the people
Mr. Wise or Judge Waddill, There Will be
clear field and fair shake, with no con-
stitutional amendments TO be voted upon
and no other names on the ticket except
those of the congressional candidates: We
certainly know that Judge Waddill was
not elected, and you have not even claim
ed that he was on the face of the
the voting was slow and several
hundred men were left in line o.!
who did not get in votes for WaddIll should
have been for him. whether they were OF
not. There's no fairness in such posi-
ton, and if Won are disposed to do the
RIGHT thing surely you cannot refuse &c
send this case back to the people"
This ought to be fetching" argument,
If the Republicans have not made up then
minds in advance TO take the seat, IRON
Mr.. Wise. The latteris apopular and e1pe
| rienced member, and it may be that enough
| Republicans will refuse to enter into th'
| scheme of the majority Of the election:
| committee. Much of the testimony sub
mitted by the contestant is rotten. i
/ could not stand in any court of law. II
will be thoroughly riddled on the floor o.
| the House 10y Democratic members of th'
committee, including Representatiy'
| O'Ferrall, of Virginia, who has already
| rendered sucn signal and able assistance L
| the Democrats whose rights have
| been attacked. He has battled man
fully for the cause of DemocTac!
! IN this House. and he will speak on thu
case of Waddill Us. Wise. Being a contes
| from his own State Colonel O'Ferrall vii
| naturally throw more zeal into his effort
| He will have an abundance of facts OF
| which to work, and his forthcoming speech
| will doubtless be read with general lnteres
| throughout the State
IN HIS OWN DEFENCE.
Mr.. Wise will alec speak in his own de
fence. He is a lorcibe speaker and ha
made many speeches on the floor OF tn
House during his career in Congress. III
is loaded with facts. too, and the chance
are that the proceedings when this matte
! comes up will be of n more lively and Ill
teresting character than in any election
case that has been considered this session
The trouble is to get the Republicans t.
listen to the arguments. They do not re
main in the hall, but during the argument
90 off to the departments to attend to othe
! business, and get back just in time only t
vote. If they will weigh the argument
carefully that will be made in this case /
is possible that within few weeks Judg
Waddill. instead of being member o
! Congress, will have to make another rae