Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1895-03-14
THURSDAY. .....MARCH IA, 1895
,rno T,me.,. ,Ia.terp;ece.

The Fffty-third Congress being lhi'is
~ tho mast. the Times has dropped the
Epes case and has resumed It's ehort
10 show that the elections by virtue u
which Swanson, Tucker Otey' ana NC
Kenney hold certificates were irauuu-
lent
The Times was very aggressive IN pro-
Recutlng Mr.. Epes, and the democrats
of the Fourth District. In PROOF oi ''iS
statement we refer the public to the MS
,orv Of the case, which shows that inc
vh-ewaest of the counsel for CoioheI
Coode refused to go as far as the Times
did IN charging conspiracy on 'he part
Of the commissioners Of election. fur'he'-
more. the Republicans who presenter inc
minority report In favor OF Goole ne
cl,ned 10 90 the leneN that the Times had
gone. The report Of the committee was
an favor OF Epes. but in the rush OF buSi-
ness in the House towards the close OF
.he session It could not be actod on Anu
10 the case ended.
II must be remembered that the last
House was Democratic. The next House
will he Republican The influence OF the
Times with the last House was MI. Inc
Influence Of the Times with the Fepuon-
ran House may be very great. for ms
reason the Democrats Of Virginia could
not but be distressed by the Times's ar
ticle Of February 5th-that article VINO"
was the cause Of all the controversy tua'
has taken place between the IiInes anu
Dispatch for more than month past
on Sunday. February 81, an editorial
Of which the following is an extract ap-
peared in the Dispatch:
I'VE trust that the Walton law VIII Do
better understood and Will have a ldiIer
trial al the spring elections thah was
vouchsafed II I'm November last, Whth
all the devices AID arts that the RepupH-
sans could employ were used 10 MAKE J.
unpopular The Republicans were not
aaif way successful in their purposes GUY
ne preiudices that they aroused sun
finger in some minds These We hope
a. see removed at the May elections ana
with the experience then acquired. adueu
20 that which was acquired by US AT the
last elections for congressman. we Demo
Gratis viii know precisely now the law can
be improved.
And. by the way, the replies OF Con-
rressman-elect Mckinney. Tyler ana
INfhrI 10 t4lfAi Nft.r-'---
contest give US three admirable papers
showing the legislative purpose In en-
acting the Walton law, and demonstrate
ing that there were never any ialrer elec-
tions held in any state than those held
I'm Virginia last fan
When this was written there was peace
between the Times and Dispatch-that Is
70 say. the Times was nagging the Dis
patch quite frequently. hut the Dispatch
was ignoring the Times altogether.
The Times seems 10 have taken deadly
nffront al our commentator Of the an
swers Of Mckinney, Tucker and Tyler
(an the answers that we had seen up TO
that date. and at our claim that our
last elections were fair, and notwith-
standing the fact that it had Sunday and
Monday for cooling time, the Times broke
out on Tuesday morning in the following
vehement leader. which we now publish
in fun for the first time ccaps' ours);
DEFEND IT. But UPON THE TRUE
GROUND-In an editorial article In sun
dev's Issue discussing elections in Nir-
GINA the Dispatch says that the answers
OF Messrs. Mckinney. Tyler, and Tucker
in the contests for their seats In Congress-
demonstrate that there never were any
fairer elections held In any State than
those held In Virginia last fall
Gracious heavens! 10 what are we com
ing? We pass entirely 10y the cases IN
which II Is charged the ballot-boXes were
actually stuffed with fraudulent ballots,
because we have no time 10 make anoiher
Investigation 10 demonstrate actual fraud
as we were forced TO do in the SmitheTs
Precinct case in order 10 stop the DIS
patch from saying that our elections were
then honest But we want TO ask the
Dispatch question. 1t knows that IN
very many counties the ballots were
printed last fall in half dozen diheren'
forms at each precinct. so that an II
llterate voter might be misled ana con-
fused. II also knows that many ilhterate
voters. not being willing to trust con-
stable Of an opposing political party "a
prepare their ballots. prepared them as
they best could. and thus either NOteo
for candidates they were opposed 10 OF
botched their ballots 50 that they nae
40 be discarded. Now. the Dispatch oush
3 10 know that all this was prearranScS
FOR by some central authority, the identF
" of which we have never YET Deeh s'Di'
10 discover for the purpose OF mlsleadlhA
these Xliterate voters and producing ina
x,e,v confusion, and that the design &C
tuaily worked out in execution just az i
had been arranged for. and that N
THIS WAY THOUSANDS or lLLli y
RATE VOTERS WE'RE EITHER DE
PRIVrD OF THEIR VOTES OR THEY
1JAD THEM COUNTED FOR CANDI
DATES THAT THEY WERE OPPOSED
no Does the Dispatch think that al
s,ectlon in which this thing was prac
ticed I'm many parts OF the State wa
one OF the fairest elections that eve
was held in any State?
We urge the Dispatch for Heavens
sake. n II insists upon defending the elec
Zion OF last fall 20 defend II upon its tru'
Grounds: urge that the Walton law work
"a as its trainers expected and intende,
a. would work, 80 as 20 fool many voter
and disqualify many others. But DON'T
DEsECR ATE THE NAME OF FAIR
NESS by SAYING THAT THE ELEC
ZION WAS FAIR. IL was an election IN
which voters. who are by law entitled
20 vote as they pleased. We're tricked
and thus deprived OF their votes or made
20 vote for their adversaries. 1T WAS
A MASTERPIECE OF TRiCKERN
THAT REFLECTS UNDYING INFANl
UPON ITS MANIPULATORS. Ii can b.
defended as being one OF the most sue
ceszfui pieces OF work that ever was en-
gineered But. then. II must be properly
clased when II Is defended.
Nevertheless. we were glad when th'
Walton law was adopted. because. un
satisfactory as II WAS at sight, and WI
dd not then see all its crooks. II Gu
the Democratic party loose from the oil
methods Of cheating. And. though IL wa
intended TO substitute more refine
method OF fraud for the old one. yet thu
public conscience was reused, and vi
knew II WAS only question or time
after that. when the people would ris'
up and cast out its trickery along will
the old frauds. and would not stop unit
they had fair elections under a fair law
we know that we have referred TO the
fact before. but in view OF the charg
AZ the Times that "the Walton law worke
as its trainers intended" etc. II MAJ
be well 20 remember that the Time
claimed that the passage OF this Law wal
a Times victory, and Congratulated tn