Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-01-23
yOsT VERSUS TUCKER.

The Dispatch heartily congratulates
Harry Tucker upon his triumph over Mr.
Yost. The victory was all the more sig
nificant because General James A. Walker
had eagerly espoused Mr.. Yosts cause
and the two had labored together I'M
tirfngly to unseat the member from the
Tenth District. But such was the
strength of Mr. fuckers cause he secured
a favorable report from the Repub-
lican Elections Committee that had
charge of the case. while upon the floor
of the House he had the active help Of
some leading Republicans, and fifty-nine
members from that side of the House
voted with the solid body of Democrats
confirming him in his seat.
Mr.. Jenkins, of Wisconsin. a Republi-
can who made the majority report. in the
course OF his remarks on this subject,
said:
/ want 10 say, as a northern Republican,
that If there is no more fraud ever
found in case that shall come from the
North than is found i'm this case. ii will
speak volumes for that section. There is
no fraud in this case. practically, COM
pared with the cry of fraud" Mr..
Speaker.
Mr.. Jenkins asserted that the constitu-
tionality of the Walton law was mot
questioned, and / think l am safe in say
ing" he added. that the only other
question that arises is whether or not
the election officers acted fairly under the
provisions of the Virginia law. and the
majority think they did"
Mr.. Yost. having INDUCED in a violent
attack upon the -offlcers-and
said: 1.-The hghwayman who assaults
helpless women and children and robs
them of their purse is scarcely less
dauntless than these chvalrous Vir-
ginians. who assaulted the mentally
weak and unarmed and robbed them of
their rights"-and much more of the
same sort. Mr. Jenkins "came back" at
him.
Said Mr.. Jenkins:
II do not think that all the gentlemen
running elections in the state of Virginia.
or In the South. are scoundrels. / do
not want TO subscribe to any such SEN
timent. or TO have any such idea 90 forth.
/ do want TO believe that there are some
honest men to be found, and that you
can find some of them in Virginia The
people OF tndt state are a part or THIS
great nation. and l think ii is wrong to
denounce by wholesale the men who
are charged with official duties. when
there is NOT A PARTICLE OF EVIL
DENCE OF FRAUDULENT ACTION
ON THEIR PART--when, TO use com
mon phrase. there is not evidence enough
against them TO hang a dog"
All this came from a Republican; a Re
publican. too. who is so extreme that he
says; II have very little respect for a
Democrat, anyway Republican, also.
who said In this debate that nothing in
any southern election before Elections
Committee No. 3 approached in disgrace
and uniawfulness what he had read in
The papers OF the day as occurring in
Pennsylvania. where he had understood
all the voters were reformers!
We may conclude that Mr.. Jenkins
knew as much about this case as any one
o. sir. Yost's friends did; also, that he was
quite as Impartial az any of those gentle
men were. Indeed. he stated that when
he took up the case he was prejudiced
against the Tucker view OF II. But he and
the majority of the committee were
thoroughly convinced by reading the
papers that Mr. Tucker was entitled 10
the seat. And so the Republican House
has decreed, Notwithstanding urgings to
contrary course from General James
A. Walker and Mr. Yost. The House
must have wondered greatly. If the Nir-
ginia election officers are as bad as they
are represented 10 be. how General
xrotf.ar hoo t,..gco hee,, ,et,srned ae alcctad
from the Ninth Virginia District
Mr. Tucker has not only won signal
victory for himself. but one which viii
have weight In the coming contests from
Virginia.