The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-02-26

tions at random. but they are typical:
| Al Nomoerzlne precinct. In Amelia coun-
~ there were % votes cast. and the
Judges OF election certified that Eppes
received II Of these and j. Thomas Goode
received II Of them. Attached to the
poll-book was a document with three d.
visions-one headed Democratic ticket
another Republican ticket for President
another Peoples party ticket. ohoer
each heading the vote cast for each indi-
yidual was stated. The division Loaded
Republican ticket" had in 1t this lam
guage: 9th district, j. Tom Goode. Neck
Ientnrg IS votes" The division headed
Peoples party" had in 1t this language
18th district, J. Thomas Goode, Meek
lenburg, q votes" Goodies name. in
other words had been on both tho Re
publican and Populist ticket. The Judges
Of election added the p and IS together
and certified that j. Thomas Goode re-
ceived II votes. The commissioners Of
election undid their action. and said call
ing him 81. Tom at one place and -.
Thomas at another disfraacaised all the
voters at that precinct. who voted for
Goode and made it necessary for them TO
throw out the whole precinct.!! Goode
was really entitled to both the j. Thomas
and TIE j. Tori votes but beyond all
doubt to one or the other
At Bridgforth's Mill. III the same coun-
ty, Eppes received % votes and Goode
80. and the judges of election so cert-
fed. The law requires the judges OF
election after the election is over to seal
I'D the roll-book and the ballots and de-
posit them with the clerk CT the County
Court, but it does not say the election
| shall be IN any way imp. ircd. IT. case this
| Is not done. The POLLOCK is nothing
| but a record Of each voter that votes, Kept
| In the order in which the votes are cast.
The judges at this precinct deposited the
notebook and the ballots Immediately
| with the clerk but they failed to seal
| them up. The commissioners of cleo
! ton said that this vitiated the election
| AT that precinct. and they refused to
| count it. OF course. this was nothing
but a frivolous pretext for throwing out
one of Goodies precincts. The votes
| had been cast, the judges of election af-
ter satisfying themselves that each voter
was a qualified voter, had received his
vote. had counted it. and had certified
the number given for each candidate
The board Of county commissioners had
nothing to do with their failure TO seal
| up the poll-book and ballots. The state
might have provided that they should be
punished If they failed to do this. but
| their failure to do it could not possibly
| deprive the voters of the right TO have
| their votes counted as part of the cleo
torate. These county commissioners had
nothing 10 do but to sum up the returns
made by the judges of election at each
precnct. and certify the result to the
| Secretary OF the Commonwealth. This
| is one Of the plainest propositions that
| even a fool. but not knave, could be
| called on to assent TO. But they threw
| out the precinct.
At Wflliamsons Shop, in the same
county. Eppes received 81 votes and Goode
received IS. The judges of election fall
ed to seal up the poll-books and ballots
here also. The county commissioners
! refused to include this precinct in the
| count. And so the thing went on in
| every county of the district. except Pow
| hatan. These are fair specimens, taken
| at random, of the frivolous preteXts upon
which Goodies precincts were rejected
from the count, and we will give them
| all if called for.
| Now when The Times read this record
and saw that. like the alternating trick
! this thing was done simultaneously all
over the district. The Times concluded
| that il had been done in execution OF a
conspiracy formed at some central and
| experimenting agency in obedience to
| instructions, or a hint, or a suggestion
| from that agency, to deprive Goode of a
| seat TO which he was elected, and Ihe
| Times believes this now to be the fact
| The question arises, then, as one of news
| paper ethics: What sho. -o Times
| have done under the circumstances?
| should ii have refrained from saying
| anything or should it lave told lie and
| said that il believed Eppes was entitled
TO the seat? That Is not The Times way
of DOING business. When The Times sees
fraud perpetrated it proposes to de-
| nounce that fraud, whether perpetrated
by Republicans, Populists CT Democrats.
We shall be pleased to have the Dis
patch show wherein we are in error in
| any statement of fact that we have
made in this article. If it has no copy
Of the record in this case, we will take
pleasure in lending it ours.
|
THE JURY IN CRIMINAL CAUSES.
| We said on Sunday that ut has long