New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-12
ELECTION FRA I'D IN VIRGINIA.
AN EXAMPLE, OF DEMOCRATIC kNA' Ehi'
,rc1srR,r1ox BOOKS sroLEN-FLICIIr OF AN

| Tho members OF the NlrGlnla u'cs'"""
ot Republican National Headquarters lew u .,
~ ~, h.roro tho committee a large quantity OF
| ,s,eucc relating 10 corrupt and crooked "o'n y,
\ a.. Democrats In that State. The aihoaVts pc"
| IN the keeping OF the committee bear ahP'c -
g., ,be badness with which the ballotbox Is che''eu "
| Virginia .,,. %, e,ec
! g., the lid Virginia District, told no"
90 RenubIlcan voters in Warwick County were
oui.tlv disfranchiscd and the county maze 10 STU"
| democratic majority in 1891
| 1T is inst a sample Mr.. Keenan, saio' Oh 'ie
methcsis they will employ toward CARRYING ''e D"'
Gov Cleveland this fall. and the miserable registration
| ~, ,,o a. eosv for them TO do these things we
,us, toke time by the forelock Now let me give you
| the history. oo, nro ros
| q On the fourth Thursday in May, 1884, there was
m .,action for county officers throughout the Sta'c'
There Is no annual registration in virginia Us aei.
Is in other States, but registry book IS ioIu''eo
| "a q prcreUudte to voting. Election Dis'rc. Nv
- Newport News Is II strong Republican distrc.' ~
has n Republican majority which 0uctuates Del"oe''
zoo and COO SO tho Democrats picked II out Us .''
Mace for operations. 1t will be htte haru io' ""
Northern voter to appreciate the suocro CHI 0"'s
which marked tho proceeding OF those Ne"poI' ''I"
| Democrats At midnight, before eiecuoh u'' w
registration books disappeared, and nave never ma
tcrialiZed. Not even chehic"i u"'o Vi WV"
found. ,,a,. oud NJ
p.puLucans around the polls In tho lila Nc"po''
News District that election morning. Ihey uiou "
vote md couldn't. How could theyf Ihere WIZ
No registration books as required by law. Inc Deno
cratic election officers refused therefore, 70 accept ~
haIIo,s so the 800 or COO majority In the liiu
n,s,rct which would have made the county saeiJ
n.,uhcan was thrown out, in cold blood Lackhs
that vote the Democratic officers were uooi"i."
elected By the county canvassers. no" 'n"' ."e
,r,c, worked once so well the Democrats chhcKied
md stayed in Office ana made up their minus ti'e ."'
fraud was a good to pcrpctuate and cAtehu. i"o
law requires that In cases where the Tesisua"o',
hooks have been stolen the county electoral o@ir"
hail make proylslon for a registration oi inc
,o,,rs I'm that precinct. The Warwick County Deho
Gratis did not comply with this law 30 INC hepu"
,lcans began a contest based on the loss OF t'o es'
trotlon books hut while 1t was pending uic Lesi'
lature came In and Joined the game III chacteu III"
IN amply In Warwick County and In all other counties
NJ the state where frauds upon tho Repubncas h"u
hcen ncr,trated The law provided that In contested
election cases In Virginia the judge OF the county
court was empowered In all vacancies OF county oces
10 nppoint persons to hold such on'ces curing ,e
whole term Before this vacancies had been hu'u
temporarily or until election could he heu Chur
the new law the appontce would serve out the er'
II WAS n discouragng situation. and the Republicans
IN the county contests throughout the state maze no
effort 10 press their claims, mindful OF the nct tat
evcn II thew we're successful the Judge OF the court
might appont whomsocvcr he pleased for tho iuil term
OF four SIX years
"Tho only thing left TO do TO olamor for new
set OF registration books. Tie Democrats sun per
sisted In ignoring the law which required these Doo'
and IL was plain TO the Republican leaders that unless
IL could be enforced. the large Republican vote OF
the district would be lost % the electoral uckct
The Republican electors 1ed petition before Judge
BcnJnmin T. Guntcr, Of tho Circuit Court settlhe
forth the facts In the case and asking for man
damus TO compel the electoral board 70 PROVIDE
new registration in the district
Enoch Clayton had been the Republican candidate
for sheriff In 1891, and when the petition was filed
his was one Of the andavits submitted In support
Of H. Tho only knowledge he had that the books
had been stolen was what the registrar told him
when he went to deposit his vote, and what he
CLEANED from two documents which he put In evil
dencc These documents follows:
Newport News Va. April TO- 1891.
We the members Of the Democratic party and the
friends q G lame !" n ana ior nron Co o nav % W
Robinson 500 live hundred dolalsl for services 10
SECTION. which Is to come in May OF this year 1891,
and do further agree to stand by him In his pro-
posspIc favor lis money to be paid by the following
ins,nlmens 5000 down, sl00 In ten days to The
election; and 800 the day after the election. signed
and sealed { { { / / / Il F III
Newport News, 5ol.
wright and EGT mes 20? f Kno% ' Look out for
book aud We shall look out ,r i you n nN"{s mo Mr
le the pa - word. Yours you know j. H. C.
But the simple submission Of those exhibits TO
the court was sufficient In law. They were backed
M by aiidnviis made b,fOre Notary James A. Fields
signed BY Charles u. Mnxson (whItc), T. ID. Todd
(whlre) and Frank J. Samson. the constable at New
port News Identifying the signatures TO the contract
as prominent Democratic politicians.
"They made as clear a case altogether, MS anybouy
could cali for II tells the story OF Democratic
methods In the South. You see how they rob ana
| drbarch voters The Democrats n Is proven by
the letter and contract and by these aifdavis, SIM
y contracted for the theft OF the registration books
certain county officers agreed o stand by the th'cf
They were parties who were Afterwards declared py
law tho Commonwealth ATTORNEY ana sheriff OF ,ns
county. The Judge issued a mandamuS order, wlch
was served upon th, Electoral Board ou August ID:
ieD2 The boarl issued an order to the fchSlrar Oh
district TO hold a new registration. The law ~
gnir.s that sixty days notice shall be given OF thai
registration Sufficient time had been allowed By the
petitioners for legal delays ana legal nou n mn
The Judge directed that the board should act promptly.
Te en he rcsisirar the man whose duty II to
execute the laws Of mandate. Disappeared They saw
whnt II was coming to- They were between the deVl
and the deep sea, and the registrar packed mp his
sntche and lc the county on III" very day on when
August -. and the only word he left that he
didn't intend to ;Tn n hs 9G s%r nI par, wo 81 pr se
scrbd The limit for the serving OF notices for the
new registration.
when the rtglSlrT inHS Eot U'yunH NV T"'"
Of wrYs md notices. leaving his party friends In on
joyrnent Of the booty council for the petitioners went
10 the Electoral Board. which at last WIS In some
sort of check by reason OF the judges order and
declaring tina, they didn't becye that the registrar
would be back In time 10 execute tho duty that law
and order demanded OF him. secured upon demand the
nupointmcnt OF n rev registrar, who IL nj work
uion new registration. Now. unless new
Robinson ar~t, maybe the Newport News Repub-
lIcunS will have chance to vote they all want TO
for Harrison and Reid
pREsBYTEgTly CHURCHES United