The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-02-05
nrFrSp n, But UruiN THE TRUE
l.RDIND

In an editorial article in. Sunday s ISSUE
discussing elections in Virginia the D1s-
match SAYS that the answers OF MesSrS.
McKenney. Tyler and Tucker, in the con-
tosts for their seats in Congress, demon
strate that there never were any lalrer
elections held in any State than those
held in Virginia last fan
Gracious heavens! TO what are We com
ing? We pass entirely by the cases IN
which 1t IS charged the ballot boxes were
-a,,r7;al " Stated with fraudulent ballots be-
cause we have no time TO make another
Investigation to demonstrate actual fraud
az we were forced 10 do in the Smithcrs'
precinct case in order 10 stop the lD1s-
Patch from saying that our elections were
then honest But we want 10 ask the
Dispatch a question. 1t knows that in
very many counties the ballots were
printed last fan in half dozen different
forms at each precinct so that an il
luerate voter might be misled and con-
fused. It also knows that many iIiterdte
voters NOT being willing 10 trust Il con
stable OF an opposing political party to
prepare their ballots. prepared them as
they best could. and thus either voted
for candidates they were opposed to or
botched their ballots so that they had
to be discarded. Now, the Dispatch ought
10 know that all this was prearranged
for by some central authority. the iden-
tity of which we have never yet been able
to discover. for the purpose OF misleading
these illiterate voters and producing that
very confusion. and that the design ac-
tually worked out in execution lust as it
had been arranged for. and that in this
way thousands of iliterate voters were
either deprived OF their votes or they had
them counted for candidates that they
were opposed TO. Does the Dispatch think
that an election in which this thing was
prac,iced in many parts of the State
was one OF the fairest elections that ever
was held in any State?
We urge the Dispatch, for Heavens
sake II 1t insists upon defending the cleo
ton OF last FAN to defend 1t upon its true
grounds; urge that the Walton law work
ed as its trainers expected and intended
it would work. so as to fool many voters
and disqualfy many others. But don't
dcsecrate the name of fairness by saying
that the election was fair. 1t was an
election in which voters who are by law
entitled to vote as they please were trick
cd, and thus deprived OF their votes or
made to vote for their adversaIles. It
was a masterpiece of trickery that re-
fleets undyng infamy upon its manlpula-
tors. II can be defended as being one of
the most successful pieces of work that
ever was engineered. But, then, II must
be properly classed when Il Is defended.
Nevertheless we were glad when the
Walton law was adopted, because. I'M
satisfactory as II was at sight. and we
did not then see al its crooks. ii cut
the Democratic party loose from the old
methods of cheating. And. though il was
intended 20 substitute a more refined meth
cd OF fraud for the old one, yet the pub
lie conscience was reused. and we knew II
was only question Of time after that.
when the people would rise up and cast
out It's trlckery along with the old frauds
and would not stop until they had fair
elections under fair law.