Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-10
MASKED ATTACK ON DEMOCRACY.
The Richmond Times on O'FerraIl and the
Anderson Nc Cor.nick Election-Law.
PULASKI, Va. December 1. 1898.
To the Editor Of the Dispatch:


PULASKI, Va. December |. 1898.
| To the Editor OF the Dispatch:
1t does seem indeed that the Democracy
| of the Richmond Times has been obscured,
| if not temporarily eclipsed. by Its too
| close and familiar contact with the radl-
caIlsm of the Virginia Sun.
| Its attacks now upon GOyernOr-elect
| O'Ferrall and his supporters for the uoml-
nation for Governor IS but thinly-masked
attack upon the Democratic party in Viz
| GINA. a. IS its strange and untlmely attack
| upon the Anderson Mccormick law aud
the integrity OF the recent election in Vlr-
| giDia, which gave the magnificent Demo
cratic majority of $4,000. Strange, pass
| ing strange, that Democratic paper-a
| Virginia Democratic paper-Should thus
| ha ten TO JOIN the McKinleyItes and
| Weaverites IN robbing the "Old Domin-
| ion" of this crown of glory.
| If there was any ground for this hue
| and cry, the Richmond Times. as a faith
| tul sentinel upon the Democratic watch
towers. should have erred aloud and
spared not . BEFORE O'Ferrsll was fraud
ulently forced upon the Democracy OF Viz
| glnia." Perhaps If the Times had thus
| faithfully done its duty. assistep by ITS
strange (quasD political bed-fel ow, the
| Virginia Sun, the ears and eyes OF The Viz
GINA Democrats might have been opened
BEFORE the election and this great fraud
and calamity averted. But alas a.as the
| Radical Virginia sun was left 70 slime
| alone, while the Richmond Times SUM
| bered and slept" upon its Democratic post
| and old Virginia was defrauded and dis
| graced! and now, AFTER the elfclOn, the
Times wakes up and never tires of re-
| preaching the old lads with her shame
Isn't it too badY Well. If 1t be true that
the fraud is a fact, that the crime mas been
consummated, and the old lady thus
| disgraced, is it not equally true that
the Richmond Times has proven itself to
DE an unfalthful sentinel, factor IN the
fraud, particeps criminis. and now, when
1t persists IN thus blowing, should not the
| Old 9dy take 1t bv the nape OF the neck
and give it decent spanking, telling 1t TO
| keep cviet and behave itself and hide ito
dlminilLed head" beneath the greater
light OF the Virginia Sun?
In the name of conscience. OF patriot
ism, and OF freedom. we cry aloud IN our
! agony, Why, Oh why did not the Rich
mond Times speak gu, in meeting in
the great Democratic meetlng-befOre the
nomination and election, and thus spare
us all the deep damnat;on of this dead
ly disgrace
"of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these, 1T might have boom v
.TnE CHOICE OF TIE PEOPLE.
But, seriously, tho Times is NOT guilty
as il would seem insanely To try TO prove
itself: tor there is no fraud, no cOnspira-
cv and this hue and cry is al false clamor
O'Ferrsll was the choice OF the Virginia
| Democracy for Governor. and they nomi-
mated and elected hic. Just as he was the
choice of his Democratic fellow-congress-
men when they chose him to be the Lone
Star of Democracy in the House OF Re-
| presep tatiyes in the dark days or Gar
Reed and the force bill.
Now, a. to the charge of cheating in
Virginia under the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
election law IN the recent election. For
one. | say give us fair. honest ballots and
| counts in Virginia in all elections at all
| hazards. and il the Anderson Mccormick
election law does not do this, then try one
that will" But the false cry of fraud by
our enemies is an old dodge and should
| deceive none. IL is the old SANDER of
| Rad,calism and Mahoneism. and the 'spe-
| cIfcatons of the charge as given by
the Richmond Times are no speci-
| 6cations at all. but simply re-
hash of Radicalism and Mahoneism. For
instance. one specification" is that
there was very large--an increased-De-
mocratic vote in the Black Second Dis
trict-consequently fraud Malone or
| Thad Stevens could not beat this when
they claimed that the Radical party had
| bought all the niggers Oy freeing them,
and that wherever they were in a majority
| the vote must be counted for the Radi-
| Gals. Rather late in the day. Mr. Times,
| TO resurrect this rotten. bloody-shirt ar
| gument $50 called. Another 'specifca-
| ton" is that in Portsmouth there were
| only FIVE votes counted for Cooke. there
| fore there was plainly fraud Ia the cleo
| ton and count Wonderful logic this!
| Has a great Democratic metropolitan
newspaper yet 10 learn this old trick Of the
enemy? Why, even We poor hayseed Ig-
noramuses know this.
ONLY EIGHT VOTES.
Why, at Snowville. in Pulaski county,
| there is the Snowville District, which is
overwhelmingly Republican. and in the
| recent election there were only eight yoses
| for Cooke. and yet no one here is so green
as not to know how IL was. All admit
Democrats. Republicans, aad Populists--
| that everything was perfectly far, and
| only eight votes were cast or offered for
| Cooke. The Democrats voted tor O'Fer-
rail-; the Republicans did not wish 10 vote
| for Cooke lwho here called himself Popu-
list, not Republican,, and they did not
vote at all. and that good Democratic pa
| per. the Times. could no more count them
| Tor Cooke than II could torce them to vote
| Tor him against their wishes This is SINH
| lar to the Portsmouth case. and. unless the
Tines cen prove fraud there. answers Its
charge ns to that city.
| Again. sppe one IN the Tines says there
| v0 frau&Ht ms preciaCt because they mar