Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-08-21

| nossib,e IN extend Il over "A sparsely-set-
| tied country. rs the failure OF the League
| of Achaia plainly demonstrated. Neither
! Greeks nor Romans had any ciear con-
| ception OF representative government
| THOR IDEAS extended no further than the
representation they were able 70 get py
| n nersonaI participation in the govern
| mont The failure OF the Roman republic
| Ca mo time OF Julius Caesar is attributed.
| hv the rrofoundcst writer on the subject,
| 20 tts lack OF a representative constitution.
| REPRESENTATION rEGINs.
| A soon as We leave the primary. the
| principl, Of representation begins. The
voters elect the committee, and the COM
mlttee. so chosen. makes the party rules
| and regulations The simplest way To
| get the real will ~ the voters f. by
fairly conducted primary. where all mem
hers Of the dominant party freely partici-
pate. and have their votes honestly count
Cd The greatest curse OF this country
has been the once popular viva voce sys-
TEN OF voting. II has proved n complete
failure. II enabled any powerful man
70 force timid persons into supporting
him or his measures. This individual could
have HIS representative At each precinct
and keep list Of all the persons who
dared oppose him, which enabled him,
after the election was over 10 take his
petty revenge But above all else. IT en-
c0uragod those whiskey-soaked tramps
who used 10 infcst the precincts on cleo
tIon-day and hold tickets for the unfortu-
nate candidates who were compelled TO
| employ them. That the Australian-ballor
system has deprived thes. worthless OF
their calling was demonstrated by the
| primary election held I'm the city OF Rich
| n1ond on the 9th Of April. 1884.
The idea Of primary elections Is that
nominations for office must come directly
! from members Of the party rather than
| from central power within the party.
| 4 banket-ballot. secret voting, and
| vote Of membership Of the party in city
| elections. All conluce to This end But
| TO arrange the prclimnaries AMI details
| Of such elections a more or less ornament
! central body Is required The Richmond
| CITY Democratic Committee is composed
| Of thirty members each OF the six wards
| into which the city is divided sending
| FIVE representatives, 10 serve upon II.
| I'ntn the election. held in April Of this
| year. members Of the committee had al
| ways been chosen In waTd-meetings, held
| blcnnlallv. in the month OF June previous
| 10 each congressional election. Its officers
ore q chairman. vice-chairman. secretary,
| treasurer. ana sergeant at-arms. the lat
Ter not a member of the committee. The
| committee. so constituted fills all Vacan-
ci.s caused by death. resignation, or re-
moval The rules by which it s governed
| have for years been the rules Of the
House of Delegates Of Virginia so far as
they are applicable. 1t may be Of inter
c.t 10 state that for more than half
century the manner Of counting "A quo
rum ly these rules has been Identical with
tic famous plan pursued By ex-Speaker
Reed. Of the United States Congress.
CAMPAIGN or 1se2
Immediately after the organization of
The committee in July, 1882. the work OF
The presidential campaign began. There
WIS no sure way Of getting at the real
strength II the party. as Up to that time
there had never been a regis tratiOn OF rs
members Tho committee made a house %
house canvass OF the whole city. The
,anyasscrs were required TO ascertain the
color Of every voter, his residence and
to what party he owed allegiance when
the returns came into headquarters they
were gone over very carefully, ana the
party managers were fully advised as 70
who was properly registered and how
many votes could be counted upon weeks
before the election The detail work Of
The committee was tremendous. The
organization If the dominant party was
far more thorough than that of It's OPP
uonent. and the result was unprecedented
ln the history Of Richmond. The tho
rouchness Of the political victory thus
ralnei Was entirely due 10 the way tho
successful party was handled. and there
was no question as to the object which
that party proposed TO itself-viz.. to
assert then and for all time the neces-
sity Of white supremacy
PECULIAR CONDITIONS.
However hard the committee worked in
$50 thy had onerous duties TO perform
The next year, which kept them con-
aunt.y occupied from May To November
That year O. Governor Of Virginia had
To- b.. nominated and seven members OF
the State General Assembly. owing to
very peculiar conditions, public interest
Immediately centcred upon the nomina-
tion for the legislature. Every one un-
d,rstood that these seven representatives,
would participate in the election or Il
United States senator. There were Il
great many other officers TO be filled also,
bu, tn interest felt by the public in the
struggle for this gltterins prize over
Swallowed everything else. Many names
were mentioned. but in reality there were
| but two candidates. one OF them. a
man with hosts Of friends, brilliant
record in the civil war, and Family
name famous all over America, regarded
victory as certain. He had been Cover
nor of Virginia. and was deserI edly very
| ropular Many Of his most ardent sup
rortcrs never stopped 10 think of any
oppoeiiion. but looked upon his election
,s \ for.goue conclusion. His opponent
| "a great faVorite with the young men,
had fought at the famous battle oil New
Market as a member of the cadet corps
Of The Virginia Military Institute, mac
uracticed law with great ability ana sue
cess. and been a member OF The Sta't
Democratic committee for years, ana an
active ANA d.teTmincd party-wOrkcr II,
had never held any public Office nor beel
"A candidate for any, except tha' oi
United States senator. when vacancy
occurred by the death of Hon. Johh >
H.rbour IL was known that two thiru-
of mn. members OF the Legislature h'H
i'm existence. had recommended MN ~
the Governor as a proper man 10 sue
coed Nlr. Barbour. The public had nc
other means OF Judging Of his strength
uut the supporters Of the other cdhpl
| date attached no sort OF lhIoi any
This action Of the Legislature, ana eN
uectcd 10 elect their man easily.
AN EXCITING CANVASS.
The canvass was an exciting one Ih'
uroniuout candidate spoke every "hvi u
but his opponent never OPEN" ne ~
| Turing the canvass. nor has ne ever y''
NGdr.seed Il political meeting or written
a uu. on politics for publication, n"'
ons other man had ever fought ms way
~ fame in Virginia without speaNlhB 81
v-riting on political issues. mat ""S
Thomas jefferson. ,...
This senatorial contest had r'Inthu Ir-'.
.o.,t ON the city Democratic SoinIn'F
,.n II had been the custom mol' 'c'
| o,entlv than otherwise to nominate ca
6,8ates for the Legislature 10y III ans ~
| a. rartv convention. A majority OIL III.
c,.n,r,ttte. were supporters OF the popu'd'
c,u.fd1te and at first favored hohl"l''
lions by this means, because the rep
...ntatiycs so chosen could De lhsV y. ~, ~,
hv the contention 10 Noie IoI IN
ct.i,. for United States senator. P""
fc discussion Of the question was Mp
~. an IN. summer, but in September III,
| cnr,mitt4r. knowing it TO be the "'Sn o'
h. rub,ic. decided To have pfiih'i
| Is result was that the loss-khoWh MAJ" ..
! ,,ren he was made senator received W.
votes from the city of Richmond WI,
! ,.,s regarded az his opponent Suons'
! b.td The lattcr's managers lost pcc"ue'
/ thev failed to recognize the oNeIW MN .l..
! ,,., nonular demand for primary an
| he whole affair is n striking PROOF " 't a.,
/ efficiency of4 that system OF ell'.o t,ht,
! riviu,, representation to minoii'! "i''''
| a dominan, party. oao ~
/ 1, Id rr,bable that no other Wouc VI