Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-10-04
FRIDAY MORNING. OCT. 4, 1895.
POOLING WITH A BUZz-SAW.

POOLING WITH a BUZZ-SAW.
We suppose that by this time Mr.. Geo.
B. Keezell who has been nominated for the
Senate by the Democrats OF Rockingham,
understands pretty we'll what the Repub1-
can move for s'honest elections" means.
After his experience with that buzz-saw be
ought to. On August 23d. Rev. A. r.
Funkhouser, editor Of the State Repuol'-
can of Harrisonburg. paper that is nearer
to Gen. Malone than any other Republican
journal in the State, and as smart as the
best of them, wrote MI. Keezell letter
desiring to know if he was nominated by
the Democrats for the Senate, as was Then
likely, would he support the petersburg
honest election bill. On August 9th, the
innocent MI Keezell replied, stating that
he was opposed to the passage OF the Wal
ton law and is still opposed to it ON the
ground that sit renders the perpetration OF
wrong easy,'' and will, after he reads the
Petersburg bill sent by Rev. A. T. Funk
houser, give that gentleman his views
nomination, he writes again according to
promise, and gives Rev. A. ?. Funkhouser
his views more fully. His fuller views like
his former ones, are so strongly against the
Walton law and in favor of one under
which every man whether with the intel
ligence Of a mule Oh statesman) can
cast his vote and have it counted, that the
Rev. A. P. Funkhouser publishes this edl-
torial comment on them III the State he
publican of Sept. 26th:
GAS to what fair law should be, we take
it that Mr.. Keezell means what he says. we
do not believe that because man is candl-
date and Democrat he cannot be believed
And we do not believe that any honest man
can make public a statement of principles
such as this letter contains, and repudiate
them afterwards 1t is the plain meaning OF
the letter that commits its author to the en-
actment of an honest election law. Mr..
Keezell approves the registration and all the
provisions of the bill with slight change in
an item or two, up to the voting. He believes
in party tickets with proper emblems that do
away with constables and indeed he endorses
the Australian ballot as embodied in the In
diana law The criticisms which he makes
are only in the details of execution and these
mot materially affect the bill
This should have given Mr.. Kee-
zell pretty good footing with the advo-
Gates of ''honest elections" and even en-
couraged him to the hope Of receiving the
vote of the Rev. A. L. Funkhouser, who
al; live stINo havo 6oo1a rod
our willingness to support any candidate
without regard jeopardy who stands pledged
to this cause" So impressed was Mr..
Funkhouser with the strength OF Mr.. Kee-
zell's 'shonest elections position, that he
expressed the hope that the Republican
convention which meets on Saturday next
will exercise great care and prudence in
the course which it shall adopt in reference
to nominating a candidate for the Senate. y
The Republican convention did meet the
next Saturday and with ''great care and
prudence it threw Mr.. KeeZell's two
sshonest elections" letters to the winds and
nominated for the Senate the Rev. A. P.
Funkhouser himself
Perhaps this little incident will convince
Mr.. Keezell of something that he does not
seem fully to have apprehended, and that
is that this honest election move is of Re-
publicans, by Republicans and for Repub-
licans. and any Democrat who thinks other
wise is likely to waste his time just as MI.
Keezell has done.
And here is another sad case, nearer
home, Of an estimable gentleman who was
allured into trifiing with the honest
elections y buzz saw
Pursuant to call, published in the Staun-
ton papers, for mass meeting of the citizens
of Augusta county regardless of past party
affiliations, to assemble at the courthouse on
Monday September %, 1895. for the purpose
of nominating two candidates for the next
House Of Delegates to be elected upon pure
ly non partzan platform and in favor of a
fair and honest election law, it was the pleas
ure of the meeting to nominate me as one of
the candidates to champion the cause of the
people in the interest Of the people against
ring rule and partizan domination. 1t now
appears that full and complete harmony does
not exist among all the factions claiming to
be interested in said cause. |, therefore.
deem it proper to withdraw my name as a
candidate from the ticket, believing that hon.
est patriotism should govern in all matters
pertaining to public interest and for the good
of the people, and l deem it great wrong for
any man or party to force upon the people an
Objectionable candidate. The voice of the
people should be heard and recognized by all
parties. Any party that seeks to perpetuate
itself in power by ring rule and partizan.
domination ought to be denounced and made
to know that the peoples rights are sovereign
hereby tender my most grateful thanks to
my many friends for the honors bestowed
upon me in the past and promise to be faith
full and true as have been in the past, to
every cardinal principle of democracy and
in the future to every trust confided to my
keeping.
Yours with great respect,
II. j. WILLIAMS.