The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1895-10-22

Urge the Voters of tho District to
Support it-Geueral Walker Endorses
What They Say In II Stirring Letter.
To the Voters of Montgomery County:
1t having been charged that the dele
gates from Montgomery county to the
Republican convention, which assem-
bled at Roanoke on the 2Sth Of Sep
TENDER, had no right to refuse or fail
to make a s.raiRh tout nomination for
senator from this the Fourth sena-
torial district, we wish TO make brief
abatement in regard to the action Of
seven of the eight delegates present.
from this county. We wore elected in
mass. Getting Of the Repu blican party
the 21ss Of September. On that day we
were under the impression that the
balance Of the Republicans of this
district almost unanimously, repu
| dated the action Of the Salem con-
also almost unanimously favored 6
| straightout Republican nominations;
| and, further, tho status of Mr.. Clayton,
the nominee OF the Sslem conference,
was enormously reported to US. Now,
when we arrived in Roanoke city,
we found She situation very different
from what we oil supposed IL to be the
Saturday previous.
We found that Roanoke county, with
| its $500 Republican votes was not rep
resented in our convention, aud, fur
! ther, that tho executive committee OF
| that county had met and unanimously
| Endorsed Mr. Clayton and tho other
! Salem conference nominees, and, there
fore, could not consistently take part
| with US. We found tho Roanoke city
| delegation divided, some violently OPP
| posing any nomination at all, on the
ground that 1t WAS too late to take such
action, as leading Republicans Of that
| city had participated in the Salem con-
ference which nominated Mr.. Clay tor.
Furthermore, the county of Craig WAS
not represented at all, and for Mont
| gomery county, Radford and 8 portion
of Roanoke city Ito nominate q caudi
date would only place the party in q bad
| plight and insure the election of Mr..
| Watts, the regular Democratic nominee,
and sacrifice any Republican we might
put up. The situation being so differ
ent from what we supposed 1t to be on
the previous Saturday, that seven out of
the eight delegates present from Mont
gomery, af'er consultation, came 10
| the conclusion that we had no right
to force nomination On the party.
and we q. the same time refused 10 In
dorse anybody, but agreed to vote to
ADJOURN without making any nomlna-
ton, and the vote stood twenty and
one-ha]f for adjourniug without nomi-
mating to three and one-hnlf against It
| ION the first vote 1t WAS tie, but when
| the second vote was taken 1T was with
the result above stately.
Now we wish to make q statement in
regard to the Salem conference which
nominated Mr.. Clayton. We all know
| hck thn loo 81 81
| lions where our vote had to be counted
in connection with the votes in Eastern
Virginia, that all political elections
were mere farces. We had just as we'll
| have stayed al home, for as fast as the
Republican and Populists or combined
vote against the Democratic vote in
creased in the great Valley and South
west, the Democratic vote increased IN
the black belt. The Second and Four tn
Congressional districts alone gave IA .OOO
Republican majority before the passage
Of the nefarious Anderson Nc Cormick
law Now, under the same law, with
the patent Walton single constable at
tachment Warranted to turn out any
majority necessary in the black belt to
overcome any white Republican ma
jority in our country, the Democratic
maiorities in these Two black distric to
is almost as large es the Republican
msjorities under an honest election,
| Realizing the situation, that grand
! old hero and statesman, Gen. VIM.
Malone. whose momory will DO lovingly
| cherished throughout the coming ages;
Gen. James A. Walker, another grand
old hero, who, thank God, lives yet to
speak and act in behalf of the people,
and many other prominent Republicans.
by previously we'll advertised appoint
| menb, met in council with the chair
men OF the Populist snd Prohibition
parties, other prominent men OF these
two parties and prominent Democrats
also, at Petersburg, Va, on the 1et
day of August last, and then and there
framed bill to be presented TO The
next legislature, which, If 10 becomes q
| law, would insure honest elections and
on honest count beyond the question of a
doubt. They also counseled, advised
and recommended that the said election
bill should be the main Issue in the
present campaign and to elect me- or-
ity OF delegates pledged to support that
| bill.
They recommended tina. conferences
should be held in the several legislative
districts, said conferences to &c com
posed Of men Of oil parsies-Democrat
who favored that bill, Popul!sts, Prohi-
bitionsss and Republicsns-an that
they should agree upon some good N an
who would pledge himself TO support
that bill, and then all vote for him re-
gsrdless OF his past poliscal record;
that we should lay aside politics in this
| one election and endeavor by q combi-
nation OF forces to elect Legislature
that would enact On honest election law
Now this Is how the Salem conference
came about. There were in that con-