Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-03-18
Tho Times and smither's Precinct.

this city and through the enterprise VI
tina Times prima facie case OF fraud
committed there at the last election was
made out and published some weeks ago
II happens that Mr.. C. K. Sands, VINO
il the Commemorative Attorney Tor Hen
rico. is also member of the state SEN
ate from the district composed OF hich-
mond and Henrico, having been reelected
at the election in question. Thus having
n seeming interest in the result-though
the vote of the entire county might have
been thrown out without affecting his
title to his seat--Mr. Sands asked to be
excused from prosecuting the case. ana
this the court agreed to. The Henrico
Board of Supervisors then met and by
a majority vote resolved to appropriate
$500 to employ counsel to prosecute the
case.
A question having been raised as to the
right of the board TO make such an ap-
preparation, Messrs. Joseph Bryan and
Walter Il. Grant, the last Populist candi-
date for Congress in this district In ls92
entered into an agreement to reimburse the
board should the proper tribunal decide
that the board could not legally use
county funds for the purpose indicated.
Mr.. Hill Carter was first selected to
represent the Commonwealth. but de-
clined. Mr. Wyndham r. Meredith was
then selected. and thereupon our reporter
made the observation which has so "riled"
the Times We should think 1t never
would be an enviable task to prosecute
men who have always stood well In the
community. Duty may demand that such
a work shall be done; but that 1t is an
"enviable'' duty is incomprehensible to us.
The Times may think 1t enviable; We
do not.
Now Mr. Meredith has declined the APP
pointment, and Mr.. Guigon has been of.
fered arN accepted It. That he will do his
duty as a sworn officer of this Common
wealth should eve have no doubt. We
look upon him as the representative of the
Commonwealth pro hac vice, and he shall
have our support; but We do not mean TO
follow the course Of the Times, and as
sumo that the accused are guilty. We
shall treat them as innocent until they
are proved guilty. That has ever been
our rule of conduct, and we know no
reason at all for departing from 1t In this
instance. 1t may be true that fraud has
been committed. 1t may be that all OF
the judges and clerks were parties thereto.
Or it may be that some Of the judges
and clerks are guilty, and others innocent.
All this the trial will develop Until then
the Dispatch proposes to treat the &C
cused just as 1t would treat other ac-
cused whose lives have hitherto been
blamel,ss; It will join In no warfare
upon them. So much for the Smither
case.
The Times In the course of its article
of yesterday. says that lin view OF the
remark Of our reporter of which 1t COM
plains): "Tbe Dispatch may now see what
fruit its defence Of cheating at elections
| is bound to bear" &c. &c. Now this is
audacity, indeed Never has the Dispatch
| been the defender Of cheating at cleo
| tons.
1t Is the Times, not the Dispatch, which
| has advocated cheating at elections-ad-
vocated the use of force and violence
| where necessary to put down negro rule.
| The extent of the Dispatch's defence
| of frauds at elections has been to ask
| for proofs instead Of allegations: to ask
| that the Smithers- Precinct men be tried
before the stamp Of infamy is irrevocably
fixcd upon them to ask that the Demo-
| cratic public should not in advance of the
| hearing of the case decide that Congress
man Epes holds his seat by fraud, and to
| ask that the people of this Commonwealth
| will not accept the Illness Interpretation
| Of the motives which actuated the gentle
| men Of the Virginia Legislature who
| passed the Anderson NJ Cormick election
law. And now that we may make good
| our charge that the Times has advocated
cheating at elections we produce the Sol
lowing from It's leader Of February I'D:
| The Times says leave each election in
each county to the people Of that county.
| with one solitary restriction upon their
procedure, and that Is that there must
| be no stuffing OF the ballot-box. ard no
! cheating In the count. Leave the cleo
| ton 10 be conducted az the people OF
4 the county regulate all their other local
| and domestic affairs. When II Is under
| stood that this Is TO be the rule, does any
| one supposc that the white people In any
| county Of Virginia are going TO allow the
1 negroes Of that county 70 RUE them? IL
| Is preposterous TO suppose sJch Z Ing.
| They will prevent 1t ~ enc way or an
| other. They will induce them 70 vote
with the widtc people or thy VIII induce
| them TO stay away from the polls. OR
| THERE MAY EVEN BE DANvILLE
RIOTS TO. PREVENT 1T. We don't
| know how It will ne BRO s;nt about ard
| We makc no uggss-I,ns. But We brow
perfectly well that when the white poo
| ple Of Nansenond Or Isle o. Whit or
| i, ssex or any other ls-to fonnty Under
stand that their Elections arc left to be
| conducted by their own methods. and
| without outside Interference. they are
| going to prevent the negroes ruling thsm
| IN nome way
The words printed above In caps APP
| peared in the first edition Of the Times
but Aers struck out Of its second or city
edition.
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