The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1894-02-20

his party authorities amendments OF IL
procedure under state Of facts Tx
those without laying himself cpen to
charge OF treason TO his party IS 10 de
mand n submissiveness to party RUE
which we believe no Independent and IN
tellgcnt man will sanction. We saS
! ! with confidence, therefore. that an un
biased public Judgment Will pronounce
the most emphatic condemnation upon
the Dispatch for charging us with trea'
son to our party upon this ground.
III.
But the Times objectionable offence
was its charge that the people OF Nir-
ginia have understood that the Ander-
Mccormick law was passed TO be-
come "a shelter and protection TO frauds
in elections Now we take this TO be the
real gist OF this whole matter. All the
rest is mere leather and prunella, ana
that brings us down to this question.
II a member OF a party knows that what
took place at Smithcr's precinct IS oc-
curing i'm every election in many parts
Of the State If when 1t occurs he knows
that IL does so with the connivance Of
all the election officers at the voting pre-
cnct If. therefore. the member sincerely
believes that our election system provides
these election officers in order that these
very things shall take place, is it treason
to his party for him to appeal TO his
party to take such precautions as will
make il impossible for us TO have any more
experiences like that at Smithers? There
is the case. and. the whole case. We say
that common sense can condemn such
action as Reasonable upon one OF two
grounds only: Either, first, that member
OF a party is bound to surrender his in
dividuality OF opinion and ratfy and
approve OF whatever his party authori-
ties command, however horrible that
nay be TO his conscience, or.
second, that it is right 10
cheat in elections We don't
know upon which horn Of this dilemma
the Dispatch viii locate itself. but we
do know publ, judgment and common
sense will seat it upon one or the other.
".
The fourth particular is The Times
statement that the whites in the black
districts receive double as much repre-
sentation as those in the white districts.
This is the third charge in another form.
The voters i'm those districts are pretty
well divided between the whites and
hali IN no
fact, the election officers there do all the
voting Tor the counting. which makes it |
amount TO the same thing, then our |
charge is true. and there can be no |
treason in 1t. 1t is a question of fact
and we aver the fact 10 be as we claim.
v.
The fifth particular is the fact that The
Times has condemned the action OF coun-
ty returning boards in refusing to count
the votes at thirty-one out Of ninety
eight election precincts in the Goode and
Epes election. The Dispatch rests its
claim against us in this particular upon
its charge that we have made up orr
OPTION upon ex parte testimony. This
Is as reckless and Totally devoid of rea-
son as anything else in the Dispatches
aagrant assault upon us. Nothing of
what we have said of this case has been
based upon ex parte testimony. 1t has
been taken from the evidence in the
election case Of Goode VS.. Epes.
These parties have made up the issue
themselves, according 10 the
of the act of Congress
governing contested elections. They have
been face TO face by their attorneys in
the examination and cross examination Of
witnesses. All the evidence has long
been taken. Mr.. Epes has put in all the
evidence that he has, the record is made
up. and the case is closed. We hold our
selves just as competent 10 read that
evidence and form an opinion upon It as
my member of Congress. What we have
stated from it is uncontradicted evidence,
rs the Dispatch can see, if 1t chooses TO
examine the record. And we say in con-
fusion. that If it be treason to the Demo-
ratio party to condemn county return
ng boards for refusing TO count the
'otcs at election precincts which cast
heir votes against the party candidate =
II those returning boards, then we shall {
lways be traitor to the Democratic
'arty, for, in common with the best r
Democrats that we know we shall forever
ondemn such conduct
VI. d,
Finally, upon calm review of all that | :
he Dispatch has advanced in iusti0ca- q
ion of its charge that The Times is a !
raitor to the Democratic party. we D
ubmit that all candid and unpre1udiced n
zen must admit that the Dispatch has n
,cklessly libelled The Times, unless one Il
two positions is to be accepted: either. n
rst, that member of a party is bound =
lbmissively to approve of whatever The l.
len In Office in his party do, however n
'pugnant TO the principles Of that party II
nd TO good conscience their action \
lay be, or second that cheating in i.
ecuons is right, and therefore a part g
Democratic creed If either Of these G.
ropositions is a sound one, then The
ines is traitor 10 the Democratic a
arty. II neither Of these is sound. then p
e submit that no case has been made o
1T against it. Il
Having now examined in detail all e