Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-07-31

thew will uphold II as much as they do any
~ tho other Federal lava. You never hear
The election bill mentioned in business
circles. but the instant you drop into Q
barroom or cigar store where political
heelers congregate you begin to hear the
most absurd stories OF its objects"
JACKSON WARD.
Tho present chief supervisor OF elections
for tbis dstrict-there are but two dis
tricts in Virginia--is Hon. NJ. +. Peasants.
He IL a Kentuckian by birth. When asked
for his views Of the Lodge bill in the light
of his experience. MIR. Pieasants raid: -
don't think that any force that can be
exerted will deter white Democrats from
nreventing black Republicans from voting
II NJ can be helped. Our jackson
Ward here presents fair sample Of the
methods employed. About one third of
the vote in this ward, which is the centre Of
the colored population and almost exclu-
siyely Republican, is lost at every election.
There are four precincts in the ward and
by constant challenges and asking irrele-
want questions the process of polling the col
ored vote is DELAYED until shutdown finds
hundreds Of colored mon in line with no
hope of getting near the window. That
the full vote can be polled IN ample time
was demonstrated when the question OF
liquor or no liquor vas before the people
jackson Ward the entire vote was polled
by 3 o'clock in the afternoon. Yet. ut the
election last fall the polls closed with from
700 to 500 voters in line who had been
standing there the greater part OF the day.
THE BILL soRELY NEEDED.
"There Is no question as to the need OF
the Lodge bill or a similar measure. Un-
der the Mccormick law IN this State three
election Judges are chosen, two of whom
are to be of one party. If practicable: As
result. 1t is not often practicable to have a
Republican on the board, or if there is one
he is usually some drunken yagabond from
the poorhouse. as was the case some
time ago. or an ignorant negro,
selected by the other two Judges.
/ am not one of those Republicans
who believe that everything the Repub-
licans do is right. and for that reason j dc
not Ike the clause in the Lodge bill pro-
viding for two Republican inspectors. II
opens the way 10 temptations on their side
to do as the Democrats now do. And yet
under the present Federal law 1t is practi-
cally impossible to secure convictions.
Notwithstanding all the fraud at elections
in this district in the past nineteen years
believe that there has been only one con:
yiction, and then the methods employed
were so notorious that the Democrats fur
nished the testimony TO convict the cul-
prit. An election-law should not include
q jury-law, and this il what the Lodge bill
contemplates. The jury should be re-
moved from politics"
JUDGE ATKINS.
Ex-Judge Thomas Atkins IS at present in
charge of the revenue department here.
Judge Atkins said that there was no doubt
rs to the necessity of some measure that
would secure political equality. One
thing to be considered, however, was the
methods by which State laws could inter.
fere with the Federal law. He had not bad
time TO read the Lodge bill closely, but he
did not see what would interfere with the
State local authorities making election dis
tricts in black States so large that II would
be practically impossible TO poll the full
vote, no matter how expeditiOusly the
voting was done, This matter should re-
ceive attention. as 1t was of vital impor
lance. G. N. McC.