The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1895-02-03
THE FIGHT Is WON. BUT BE on
YOUR GUARD.

We hear enough of what the people are
thinking about and talking about to sat
,sfy us of two things. which are:
LIST. That the popular mind has become
satisfied that for number of years our
elections have been tainted with fraud
and dishonesty in many parts Of the
State: and,
"a That the people have made up their
minds that frauds in elections snail cease
and that the elections hereafter shaH
give honest expression to the VIII oil the
majority ~.f the voters.
lie, us all devoutly thank"iod that the
case has at least advanced 70 that STATE
whoteyer may be the outcome OF IT,
Blu. the struggle Of those who want 10
see fair and free elections Is not yet ut
an end. We feel confident that a serious
effort is going TO be made to fasten on
Virginia the Mississippi plan, by which
a great part of her voting Popu'duoi ''"'
been DISTINGUISHED.
The people of Virginia must be on their
Guard against this move. 1t VIII come OH
them steaIthily, and, if they are not on
che watch, they Will find themselves en-
mesbed in 1t before they know anything
about 1t.
For one. The Times will fight this OF
srv other proposal to d!sfranchise any oil
the people OF Virginia with all us might
There ia no reason for DISTINGUISHING any
mart of our population. The whlte peoPi'
have more than one hundred thouSahu
majority in the State, and 1t 49, therefore
idle TO talk of the negroes coming ih'o
oortrol of the State. In the counties
where there are negro majoriueS' as We
have several times shown. there Is no
cheating in the spring elections wilich a'e
for county officers only. All the ched'ins
.. IN the fall elections. which are state
or national and all OF IL is due TO money
being sent there to carry those eie'-
tons. The people of those counties nave
not. therefore, been so very much OPP
dressed in their county government Dy the
negro majoritles as TO be willing 10 cnea'
IN the county elections. They ma them
ss,v.s able 10 manage the case so as 10
prevent the fact of negro MAJORITY
being an unbearable evil.
We can hold on. then, to the Demo
cratic principle of manhood Suffrage ana
take care OF ourselves. too; and while We
can hold to the principle The Times IN
tends to stick by 1t.
Mississippi, with its enormous prepoh-
derance of iliterate negroes-dn some
counties being many times the whites
WAS under heavy stress TO devise some
nlan 10 protect her institutions from their
Ignorance. The situation in Virginia is,
however, far different; and, even II we
were situated identically as is Mississippi
we would oppose any law which provided
as does the Mississippi law. for working
an Injustice by allowing the admission 10
the right of suffrage OF some men and
rejecting others, according TO their po-
ltical leanings or TO the mere arbitrary
Will OF the registrar
The Mississippi law is in itself vicious IL
suffrage Is 10 be limited dnywhere-which
Il will never be in Nirginia-it should
be only by such law as will clearly de-
fine the right of the applicant for suffrage.
and take away. as far as possible. the
power OF the officer or registrar to play
tricks which bring law into contempt
and disgust every fa!rminded man.